M.M. Topaç is a senior researcher in automotive engineering at Dokuz Eylül University Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Main research topics:

• Vehicle engineering / Automotive systems,
• Vehicle design,
• Chassis systems engineering,
• Vehicle suspensions & steering,
• Ground vehicle dynamics,
• Failure analysis and prevention in vehicle design,
• Vehicle structures,
• Applied optimisation in vehicle engineering,
• Defence engineering,
• Electromobility.

Current research interests:

• Chassis systems design for special purpose vehicles: multi-axle land platforms, heavy-duty commercial vehicles, articulated vehicles / trailers, tracked vehicles,
• Alternative urban transportation: design of electric vehicles / urban electric microcars,
• Failure analysis and optimal design of vehicle components and structures,
• Dynamics of special purpose land vehicles,
• Modelling, design, optimisation and manufacturing of vehicle suspensions, axle systems and steering systems (including multi-axle steering systems for special purpose land vehicles and trailers),
• Design and optimisation of chassis and vehicle body structure,
• Powertrain modelling / Drivetrain dynamics.

Since 2006, he has been serving as a project consultant for automotive industry. He has been directing projects related to design and optimisation of suspensions, steering linkages, chassis, body and the other mechanical subsystems of wheeled vehicles. Moreover, he is investigating the effects of the design parameters of suspension and steering systems on handling behaviour and dynamics of wheeled and tracked land vehicles. He is also interested in topology optimisation-based lightweight design applications in vehicle engineering.

He is a member of SAE International.

Nadir Yilmaz is a professor and the department chair of Mechanical Engineering at Howard University, as well as, a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) and consultant. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Bradley University and New Mexico State University, respectively. He is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International). He has been a noted author of many publications in the fields of combustion, CFD, rocket propulsion and automotive engineering. He was a NASA Academic Mission Services (NAMS) Faculty Researcher, and a U.S. Department of Energy Visiting Faculty at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. He has educated and mentored many underrepresented minority and female students via various STEM programs including the NSF-funded AMP (Alliance for Minority Participation) program.

Dr. Yilmaz serves as the Editor-In-Chief for the SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants and as a member of the editorial board of numerous international journals. In addition, he serves on SAE Foundation Board of Trustees, NSPE Education Foundation Board of Trustees, New Mexico AMP Advisory Board and the Board of Directors of Society of Automotive Engineers of Turkey. Dr. Yilmaz has also served as the Past Chair of SAE Education Board, NSPE Higher Education Executive Board, ASEE Aerospace Division, SAE Washington DC Section and ASME New Mexico Section. In a Governor-appointed position, Dr. Yilmaz previously served on the New Mexico State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors.