Dr Benjamin Halkon is a classically educated and industry-trained mechanical engineer and an experimental dynamicist specialising in the research development of non-contact measurement techniques and associated technologies for the determination of structural vibration characteristics. Ben's particular focus is on the application of laser Doppler vibrometers in challenging measurement scenarios for the solution industry, government and defence relevant engineering challenges. Dr Halkon was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and IT (FEIT), School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering (SoMME) at University of Technology Sydney in Sept 2017. Ben competitively secured promotion to Associate Professor in January 2023. Ben is a Research Affiliate at University of Sydney in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Nicholas Lawson since 2026. 

Ben has been a core member of the Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration (CAAV) since joining UTS. Between April 2018 and March 2020 Ben was Deputy Head of School (T&L), a 0.5 FTE role, while continuing to make a full contribution to teaching and learning. In 2025, Ben applied for and was selected as Academic Lead, UTS Tech Lab (Botany) and in 2026, Ben was selected along with other FEIT colleagues to contribute to the Change Implementation Plan (CIP) Faculty and School Governance and Leadership (GLG) Working Group. Ben co-Chaired and led the delivery of the UTS-hosted 18th edition of the Asia-Pacific Vibration Conference in November 2019 (APVC2019) with the proceedings published by Springer in three volumes in 2020. Ben was Technical co-Chair of the (ASA/AAS/WESPAC/PRUAC) Acoustics 2023 Sydney which was held at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre (ICC), Sydney in December 2023 with 1950 delegates over 5 days. Ben is Technical Program Chair of INTER-NOISE 2026 Adelaide which has received 750 abstracts and expects >850 delegates and will be held at teh Adleaide Convention Centre from 7-10 August, 2026.

Since joining UTS and. completing these activities, Ben concurrently founded, established and now directs the unique UTS Tech Lab Vibration Laboratory. Capability includes several first-in-country non-contact vibration measurement solutions, for example the Polytec PSV-500 Xtra Scanning Laser Vibrometer - which will be upgraded in 2026 to the latest available so-called QTec (multipath interferometry aka signal diversity) technology, thanks to continued FEIT support in recognition of the signficant contibution the Vibration Lab has and continues to make to excellence in Research & Innovtation, External Engagement and, importantly, Teaching & Learning (fully integrated and emersed within the Lab's other activities). Associated, similarly unique solutions include the NVTech SAM1 automatic model impact hammer and Qsources Qlws mini inertial shaker, both of which Ben is recognised as a world-leading expert and reference in the use and application of, as recognised by the manufacturers. Later in 2026, the Vibration Lab will expand its capability to Space (and Defence) Vibration Research and Testing to include a first-in-country EMIC FX Series 26 kN shaker with XY slip table in support of the collaborative, independently led, $500k/15 mth, UTS/Space Machines Company Space MAITRI project. Other facilities that Ben's wide-ranging activities and expertise extend across include the (Large-Scale) Structural Dynamics Testing Facility - where Ben is the Mechanical Lead, the Acoustics Labs and the Micro and Nanomechatronic Systems Lab (formerly Interdiscplinary Photonics).

In large part thanks to his unique, world-class industrial background (in highest-performance motorsport and reference-grade CAE solutions), Ben has been able to establish a large number of collaborative, industry, defence and government funded research projects on mechanical static and dynamic/vibration testing, sensors and signal processing, autonomous vehicles and materials in particular. As of April 2026, Ben was supervising a total of two visiting scholars/industry fellows, two funded postdoctoral researchers and four Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students, with a further one recently graduate and one under examination. Ben has supervised to completion the following HDR projects/candidates since joining UTS:

Laser Doppler Vibrometry Based Remote Sensing for Active Noise Control, Dr Tong Xiao, 2022 (principal)

Mobile laser Doppler vibrometry motion tracking and vibration compensation for in-field vehicular deployments, Dr Abdel Darwish, 2022 (principal)

Weak fault feature extraction and remaining useful life prediction for diagnostics and prognostics of rolling element bearings, Dr Qing Ni, 2023

Non-contact acoustic excitation and associated nonlinear dynamics of small levitated objects, Dr Mehdi Akbarzadeh, 2025

Dynamic Characterisation and Active Vibration Control for Improved 3D Printing Quality in Vibration-Prone Environments, Dr Zimu Guo, 2025 (principal)

Ben publishes excellent research outputs in highly ranked, discipline-specific academic journals and peer-reviewed international conferences, with a total publication count of >150 with Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) of 1.95 (SciVal data, 21/4/26; 37 documents, 2022-2026). Ben has led >50 successful research grants and consultancy/contract testing projects with a total value of >>$2.5m since joining UTS, significantly surpassing the Exceeding expectations Faculty Benchmark for Levels E in this metric. Particular research paper highlights include: 

Physics-Informed Residual Network (PIResNet) for rolling element bearing fault diagnostics, Ni, Q., Ji, J.C., Halkon, B. et al., Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 2023 (312 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

A fault information-guided variational mode decomposition (FIVMD) method for rolling element bearings diagnosis, Ni, Q., Ji, J.C., Feng, K., Halkon, B., Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 2022 (276 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

A novel correntropy-based band selection method for the fault diagnosis of bearings under fault-irrelevant impulsive and cyclostationary interferences, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, Ni, Q., Ji, J.C., Feng, K., Halkon, B., 2021 (84 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

Vibration measurements using continuous scanning laser vibrometry: advanced aspects in rotor applications, Halkon, B.J. & Rothberg, S.J., Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 2006 (67 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

with the following review papers widely recognised as significant, (increasingly) highly-cited contributions in the field:

An international review of laser Doppler vibrometry: Making light work of vibration measurement, Rothberg, S.J., ..., Halkon B.J., et al., Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 2017 (624 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

Measuring Vibrations in Large Structures with Laser-Doppler Vibrometry and Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Review and Outlook, Rembe, C., Halkon, B.J., Ismail, M.A.A., Advanced Devices and Instrumentation, 2025 (7 citations, Google Scholar, 21/4/26),

Laser Doppler Vibrometry, Rembe, C., ... Halkon, B. et al., Nature Reviews Methods Primers, 2026 (in press).

Ben is fully engaged with and emersed in Teaching and Learning within SoMME through coordination and delivery of undergraduate subjects including 48660 Dynamics and Control, 48601 Mechanical Vibration and Measurement, 41058/43018 Dynamic Systems and Control A/B, among others. Ben integrates substantial industry-practice informed, hands-on activities and learning opportunities into his teaching practice. Ben also led and contributed significantly to a range of curriculum development projects including the new SoMME undergraduate curriculum for 2022/23 and post-graduate/professional microcredentials on Acoustics and Vibration. Through the redeveloped SoMME curriculum, Ben offers candidates unique and wide-ranging possibilities for groups of junior learners to immerse themselves in industry-/research-specified projects, often with outputs which include first-author publications in peer-reviewed academic conferences and contributions to Q1 academic journals. Ben also offers a wide and varied range of industry-/research-informed group design and individual capstone projects, fully integrating all aspects of his "balanced" academic role at UTS.

Prior to joining UTS and immediately after arriving in Australia in early 2017, Ben held another industry position as Product Engineer with Warsash Scientific (WS). This role was critical to Ben being able to quickly establish a professional network in Australia, particularly around the users and installed base for Polytec laser Doppler Vibrometers, for whom WS have represented Polytec in Australia and New Zealand for over 45 years. Prior to emigrating from the UK, previously held a permanent position, ultimately as Senior Lecturer, within the Wolfson School: Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University (LU), U.K. from Oct 2009 to Dec 2016. During this period, Ben secured significant levels (on the order of £1m over the most recent 5 yrs) of funding from a combination of funders including, to a large extent, the sports industry (including e.g. Ford Motor Company UK, Nike, Inc., HEAD Sport, the International Cricket Council, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Great Britain Rowing Team). Between completing his PhD at Loughborough University in 2004 and returning in 2009, Ben held industry positions in Mercedes-Ilmor Engineering, LMS UK (now Siemens Digital Industries Software and completed and a short-duration project with Agusta-Westland Helicopters.

At LU, Ben supervised multiple post-doctoral researchers, four PhD students to completion and many UG/PG student research projects, often industry supported/conceived and/or in support of his funded research. Ben also contributed to policy change including the revision of BS 7928:2013 - Specification for head protectors for cricketers. Furthermore, Ben has held a number of positions in industry both between completing his PhD and re-joining Loughborough University and prior to joining UTS upon arrival in Australia in early 2017. Ben is an Engineering Council accredited chartered mechanical engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Chartered Professional Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and a Member of the Australian Acoustical Society.