Biography

After graduation as a system engineer in 1995, I received my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Department from Istanbul Technical University in 2003. I designed and produced an SMA actuated smart robotic hand (ITU Hand) using NiTi shape memory alloys (SMA) in my Master’s degree at ITU. I have a strong background on SMAs such as processing-microstructure-mechanical property relationships, and mechanical behaviour in shape memory alloys.


I received my PhD in Material Engineering from Yildiz Technical University. During my Ph.D., I produced as-cast NiTi SMA based robotics components using vacuum arc/induction melting techniques. I also worked on the mechanical characterization of the produced NiTi SMA. After my Ph.D., I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in 2010. During my postdoctoral fellowship at UIUC (USA), I focused on the mechanical behaviour of shape memory alloys .

I worked on a NASA funded project (NASA`s Subsonic Fixed Wing Program – NNX11AI57A-Modeling and experimentation on shape memory alloys) between 2012-2014 as a Research Associate at the University of Akron, OH (USA). I also worked as an adjunct faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Akron, OH (USA). In 2015, I started working at Istanbul Gedik University as an assistant professor. I studied on the additively manufactured polymer embedded NiTi SMA robotic finger and additively manufactured soft robotics actuators projects.

In terms of additive manufacturing, I have been working on the fabrication of NiTi shape memory alloys through EBM based additive manufacturing with my PhD student Gözde Peduk in close collaboration with Prof.Ola Harrysson. I’m currently working on the additively manufactured soft robotics actuator systems in Mechatronics Engineering Department. I’m also Director of Robot Technology Research and Application Center. I’m in the organization committee of the International Congress of 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Digital Industry.  I’m also a member of TMS and ASME.