Principal Investigator
Melih Çakmakcı has over 20 years of experience developing and implementing control systems. He received his B.S. degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Mechanical Engineering from METU and his M.S. and Ph.D. in M.E. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Between September 2009 and August 2023, he was with Bilkent University as a founding faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Before joining Bilkent University, he was a senior research engineer at the Ford Scientific Research Center in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. Since September 2023, he has been a Technical Leader at Ford OTOSAN, responsible for robotics software and controls development.
His research areas include modeling, virtual twin analysis, and control of dynamic systems, applications in smart mechatronics, manufacturing systems, and automotive control systems. His recent projects include novel solutions using optimal energy management and allocation algorithms, control and design with physics-informed neural network systems, and networks.
Graduate Students @Bilkent:
 | Damla Leblebicioğlu joined SMechS Group in 2018. Her research interests lie in the areas of design and control of stabilization systems. Her master's project is a joint work with Roketsan Inc. and BilMech. |
 | Müge Özcan joined SMechS Group in 2016. Her thesis title is “Design and Control of Smart Materials”. She is also a member of the Computational Multiscale Mechanics Laboratory. |
 | Ozan Temiz joined SMechS Group in 2016 as an undergraduate researcher. His thesis topic is "Control-Oriented Vehicle Dynamics modeling for Electric Vehicles". He is currently an engineer at Ford-Otosan |
 | Serhat Kerimoğlu received his masters degree in 2016. His thesis title was “3D Contour Error Minimizing Controller Design for Laser Machining System”. He is currently a specialist engineer with TAI. |
 | Erkan Buğra Türeyen received his masters degree in 2016. His thesis title was “Mechatronic and Iterative Controller Design for a Multi-Purpose Micro Prototyping System". He is currently a specialist engineer with Roketsan. |
| Mümtazcan Karagöz received his masters degree in 2016. His thesis title was “Design and Analysis of a Multi-Purpose 3D Micro Positioning System". He is currently an engineer with TAI. | |
 | Alper Yasin Tiftikçi received his masters degree in 2016. His thesis title was “Sensing Tip Analysis and Design of an Acoustic Vector Sensor”. He is currently a specialist engineer with TAI. |
 | Stefan Ristevski received his masters degree in 2015. His thesis title was “Distributed Positioning of a Workpiece using MechaCells”,”. He is currently a Ph.D Candidate at University of South Florida. |
 | Nurcan Gecer-Ulu received her masters degree in 2012. Her thesis title was “MIMO Control of a 3-Axis Modular Precision Positioning System". She is currently a Ph.D Candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. |
 | Erva Ulu received his masters degree in 2012. His thesis title was “Mechatronic Design of a Modular Precision Positioning System”. He is currently a Ph.D Candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. |
 | Halil Dokuyucu received his masters degree in 2012. His thesis title was “Concurrent Design of Automotive Control Systems- Powertrain+Vehicle Stability Example”. He is currently a development engineer with MFA of Turkish Republic. |
 | Emre Akgün received his masters degree in 2011. His thesis title was “Development Of A Supervisory Controller For Energy Management Problems”. He is currently a development engineer with ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH. |