Biography

Education

• Ph.D., Aeronautics, (with minor in Geophysics) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 2001
• M. S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, OH 1993
• M. S., Applied Mathematics, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 1990
• B. S., Aeronautical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 1986

Experience

• Visiting Professor, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland July 2011
• Vice-Chair, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 2009-2012
• Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 2009-present
• Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University, OK 2004-2008
• Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 2001-2004 (with Professor A. Needleman)
• Research and Teaching Assistant, Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories, Caltech, Pasadena 1995-2001 (Advisor: Professor A. J. Rosakis)
• Associate/Assistant Research Engineer, University of Dayton Research Institute, OH 1989-1994
• Research Assistant, Materials Directorate, Wright Laboratory, WPAFB, OH 1988-1989 (Supervisor: Dr. T. Nicholas)
• Intern, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (NATO), Brussels, Belgium 1986 Summer

Professional Activities

• Board Member, METU-WIND Board of Directors, Wind Energy Center, Turkey 2011-present
• Director, METUWIND Structural Mechanics and Materials Laboratory 2011-present
• Consultant, TAI, Development of a Fatigue Methodology for Composite Helicopter Rotor Blades, Ankara, Turkey 2010-2011
• Consultant, TEI, Thermal Barier Coatings, Eskisehir, Turkey, 2013-
• Committee Member, 2008 Engineering Research and Commercialization Program of the Ohio Third Frontier Program, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington D. C. 2008.
• Member, Organizing Committee, Ankara International Aerospace Conference, AIAC 2011, AIAC 2013, Ankara, Turkey
• Member, Organizing Committee, RUZGEM Conference on Wind Energy Science and Technology, Ankara, Turkey 2013
• Co-Organizer, 1st International Workshop on Physics Based Modeling of Material Properties and Experimental Observations, Ankara, Turkey, 2012

Awards

• Scholarship for travel and one month stay at KITP, UCSB during the program on Friction and Fracture: from Atomics to Tectonics (2005).
• Oklahoma EPSCoR Junior Faculty Summer Support Program Award, OK (2005).
• The Ernest E. Sechler Memorial Award in Aeronautics, “for most significant contribution to the teaching and research effort at GALCIT,” California Institute of Technology, CA (2001).
• Special Institute Fellowship, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (1994-1995).
• 1994 Director's Award for Special Achievement for Materials for Hypersonic Flight, Wright Laboratory, Materials Directorate, WPAFB, Dayton, OH (1994).
• G. M. Lilley Award for “Best Design in Aeronautical Engineering” for preliminary design of an advanced supersonic transport aircraft, Middle East Technical University, Turkey (1986).
• Award for Best Academic Record in Aeronautical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Turkey (1986).