Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şenol ŞİRİN was born in OF/Trabzon. He graduated from License; Gazi University - Machine Education (2004-2008), MSc; Karabük University - Machine Education (2008-2012), Ph.D.; Düzce University, Mechanical Engineering (2016-2020). In his academic career, which he started at Düzce University in 2013, he also served as Assistant Director, Member of the Board of Directors, Member of the Discipline Committee, and Community Academic Advisor. He held various positions in many industrial companies, such as Design/Manufacturing Expert, and Process and Tool Engineering. His current research interests are sustainable manufacturing, additive manufacturing, tribology, nanofluid, tool wear-mechanisms, coefficient of friction, minimum quantity lubrication, cryogenically treated, and cryogenic cooling. Assoc. Prof. Dr. ŞİRİN is married and has two boys.

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Utku holds dual citizenship (Hungary and Türkiye) and is currently affiliated as an Associate Professor in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering with the following institutions:

· Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Hungary

· Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), Netherlands

· Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania

At AUAS, he is contributing to the BrightSky Project, specifically the development of a Smart Training Virtual Cockpit Simulator, in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and JetSupport.

Utku serves as an expert to the European Commission within the Mobility and Transport Unit.

In addition to his academic and advisory roles, he also serves as:

· President of SARES Hungary (International Sustainable Aviation and Energy Research Society – Hungary)

· Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sustainable Aviation (IJSA)

· Language Editor for the International Journal of Aviation Science and Technology (IJAST)

· Author of over 130 scientific publications o Google Scholar o Hungarian Scientific Database (MTMT)

Utku has also participated in several international research projects funded by the European Union and NATO.

Dr Nadeem Oozeer is currently working as a Data Scientist at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is building the Square Kilometre Array Africa.

After joining as an Operations & Commissioning Scientist, he moved to Senior Commissioning Scientist and later moved to the Data Science Group. Dr Oozeer has been involved in data science since his post-graduate studies.

His field of interests includes Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Education and Public Outreach (EPO) in Africa, transformational Human Capacity Development, Innovation Management and Radio Astronomy.

1974 senesinde Kayseri' de dünyaya geldi. İlk ve orta öğrenimini Kayseri' de tamamladı. Yüksek öğrenimi Lisans aşamasını Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Makine Mühendisliği Bölümünde, Yüksek Lisans ve Doktora aşamasını Erciyes Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsünde tamamladı. Erciyes Üniversitesi Havacılık ve Uzay Bilimleri Fakültesinde Öğretim Üyesi olarak çalışmalarına devam etmektedir. 

Murat Aydın is an associate professor at Erciyes University. He began his academic career in 2007, graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Erciyes University. He completed his master's and doctoral degrees at the same university. His doctoral thesis focused on "Ballistic behavior of functionally graded sandwich plates."

Between 2009 and 2010, Aydın worked as a research assistant at the Erciyes University School of Civil Aviation. From 2010 to 2014, he served as a lecturer at the same institution. In 2014, he was appointed as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Aviation and Space Sciences at Erciyes University. He was promoted to associate professor in 2022.

Aydın's research interests include composite materials, ballistics, impact mechanics, and functionally graded materials. He has authored numerous articles and papers published in international peer-reviewed journals. He has also participated in various projects supported by TÜBİTAK and the European Union.

In addition to his academic work, Aydın holds administrative positions, including Director of the Erciyes University Aviation Studies Application and Research Center and Head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering.

Dr. Kadir Dönmez is an air traffic management researcher with a PhD in Air Traffic Control from Eskişehir Technical University (2022), focused on airside optimization, aircraft sequencing, and data-driven approaches. He holds a BSc in Aircraft Avionics from Kocaeli University (2016) and an MSc in Air Traffic Control from Anadolu University (2018), where he received a university-wide Thesis Award. In 2025, he served as a Visiting Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, developing AI-enabled decision-support solutions for airport surface movement and next-generation airside operations. His work has produced multiple SSCI/SCI-indexed publications—particularly between 2020 and 2023—and contributions to EU-funded initiatives such as ATCOSIMA. He previously headed the Aircraft Maintenance Department at Samsun University and has led national research projects funded by BAP and TÜBİTAK. Combining 6+ years of pseudo-pilot and ATC training experience with strong technical skills in Python (Pyomo), GAMS, SIMMOD, and SPSS, he is currently advancing AI-driven decision support and optimization for future air traffic environments.

Department of Aerospace Engineering