Dr. Steve Southward

Director PERL

The Performance Engineering Research Lab (PERL) was established in 2005 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville Virginia by Dr. Steve Southward. PERL is one of the newest additions to the Center for Vehicle Systems & Safety (CVeSS).

The mission of the is to enhance the performance of sport, military, industrial, and commercial vehicles with the development and application of innovative active & adaptive control strategies. Our goal is to advance the state-of-the-art in vehicle suspension design, testing, and optimization with breakthrough innovations for improving vehicle ride and handling.

In addition to this broad mission, PERL serves as the primary conduit for technology transfer to the VIPER Service enterprise. VIPER Service is a non-profit business located at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). VIPER services the motorsports industry by offering advanced vehicle testing services to race teams as well as military and industrial customers.