(Auto)Bio

"Most men [people] want - well, various things, but very few want knowledge for its own sake."

- H.G.Well, p. 406 of "The First Men in the Moon."

...but of course the other things will follow!


Dr. Alex Rodriguez was born in Madrid Spain and grew up in Narrabeen Sydney.

In 1990, after completing his School Certificate (yr10) he completed a four year apprenticeship in fitting and machining at Brookvale and Sydney TAFE in conjunction with working at Leko Manufacturing Pty Ltd. Nearing the end of his apprenticeship, he had a strong desire to study robotics to be achieved through studying a course in Mechatronics.

So he could succesfully make the transition between work and study; in 1994, he completed a one year Higher School Certificate (HSC) Part Program at Seaforth TAFE.

In 1995 he started studying towards a, Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Mechatronics) at Deakin University; which he completed in four years with honours.

In 1997, he was nominated in the Young Australian of the Year Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

In 1999, he married his wife Hong whom he met in 1995 whilst boarding at Kitchener House; he was studying at Deakin and she was an intern at the Geelong Hospital. Following the honeymoon, he won a Ph.D. SPIRT scholarship in partnership with Holden Ltd and SAMME, RMIT University seeing them move to Melbourne, where they have been ever since.

Between 1995 and 2005, whilst studying, he worked in various roles at Deakin University, RMIT University and MIE where he gained valuable experience in various aspects of research and teaching. During these times he bathed in the rich cultural diversity that exists within the Australian education sector and made some good friends and professional contacts.

In November 2006, he started work as a Project Engineer for the public service and in December he gained his Ph.D.



Dr. Alex Rodriguez Ph.D. can be read at these websites:

My life's mission 1999 - 2006, nothing would stop me in achieving it.. don't let others prevent you from achieving yours!
My current aim is simply to keep my job and enjoy life, anything else is a
work-in-progress.. but I have great dreams!


Certificates and Awards

  • 2000 - 2003, RMIT University Department Tutorships
  • 2003, RMIT Business Plan Competition, participant, RMIT University
  • 2002, Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia
  • 2002, Laser Safety Course, certificate, DSTO Melbourne
  • 2000, Introduction to Matlab Training Course, certificate, Ceanet
  • 2000, Basic FEA Training Course, certificate, Compumod Pty Ltd
  • 1999, RMIT-Holden APA(I) Scholarship
  • 1999, Graduate membership of the Institution of Engineers Australia
  • 1997, Sign post, Certificate of registration of a design
  • No. 132314, Commonwealth of Australia Designs Office, lodged in 1995, originally designed in 1993
  • 1997, Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in the Young Australia of the Year Awards


Presentations



Professional autobiography written in the third person by Dr. Alex Rodriguez.
Last edit: 20-08-2007.