Kursat Kara

Kursat Kara

Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Oklahoma State University

Biography

Kursat Kara is the principal investigator of the Kara Aerodynamics Research Laboratory at Oklahoma State University. He teaches Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, Unsteady Aerodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, and Quantum Computing. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Khalifa University, where he received the President’s Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2015.

Dr. Kara earned his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, focusing on hypersonic boundary-layer receptivity to acoustic disturbances over cones. After graduation, he worked as a research engineer at New England Analytics LLC, a consulting firm for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. He then joined Penn State’s Aerospace Engineering Department as a post-doc, collaborating with Prof. Philip J. Morris on supersonic hot jet simulations for aeroacoustics. In 2010, he became a founding faculty member of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Khalifa University. In August 2019, he joined Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Kara is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Physical Society (APS). He served on the AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committee (APATC) from 2012 to 2021, including its Membership and Education subcommittees during that time.

resumé.

Interests
  • Hypersonic Flows
  • Boundary-Layer Transition
  • Computational Aerodynamics
  • Quantum Computing
  • Flow Separation Control
  • Sweeping Jet Actuator
Education
  • PhD in Aerospace Engineering, 2008

    Old Dominion University

  • MSc in Aeronautical Engineering, 2003

    Istanbul Technical University

  • BSc in Aeronautical Engineering, 1999

    Istanbul Technical University

Meet the Group

Graduate Students

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Ashraf Kassem

Ph.D. Student

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Physics-Guided Multifidelity Learning

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Shafi Romeo

Ph.D. Student

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Physics-Guided Multifidelity Learning

Undergraduate Students

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Gavin Smith

Undergraduate Researcher

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Data-Driven Methods, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Joshua Exline

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Blunt-Body Dynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Matthew Shell

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Blunt-Body Dynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Yao Nayo (ROTC)

Undergraduate Researcher

LES of Projectile Flight Body, Data-Driven Methods, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Zachary Lohmar

Undergraduate Researcher

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Data-Driven Methods, Computational Fluid Dynamics

High School Students

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Berrin Altinsoy

High School Researcher

Dynamical Systems, Engineering Data Analysis

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Ceyda Kara

High School Researcher

Graphic Design, Flow Separation Control

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Otis Hodson

High School Researcher

Unmanned Aerials Systems, Computational Fluid Dynamics

Alumni PhD Graduates

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Bartosz Jurewicz Slupski

Ph.D. (at KU), Current Position: R&D Engineer at The Sanad Group A Mubadala Company

Sweeping Jet Actuator, Flow Separation Control, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Furkan Oz

Ph.D., Current Position: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Physics-Guided Multifidelity Learning, Hypersonic Flows, Boundary Layer Stability, DNS, Quantum Computing

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Rohit Vuppala

Ph.D., Current Position: University of Chicago

Unmanned Aerial Systems, Atmospheric Boundary Layer, Large Eddy Simulations, Reduced Order Modeling

Alumni MSc Graduates

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Abdelnasir Alnaqbi

M.Sc. (at KU)

Aerodynamics of Bicycles, Drag Reduction, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Amani Bin Amro

M.Sc. (at KU), Current Position: Research Engineer at Tawazun Technology Innovation

Airborne Surveillance Gimbal, Drag Reduction, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Mobashera Alam

M.Sc., Current Position: Design Engineer at American ShiZuki Corporation

Flow Separation Control, Sweeping Jet Actuator, Dynamic Mode Decomposition

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Shaikha Al-Ali

M.Sc. (at KU), Current Position: Modification & Systems Integration Engineer

Aerodynamic Design, External POD for ISR missions, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Shamma Al Hemeiri

M.Sc. (at KU), Current Position: Aerospace Engineer, Atlas Aerospace

Aerodynamic Design, Corrugated Core Sandwich Panels, Elasticity Homogenization

Alumni Undergraduate Researchers

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Brad Harris

Undergraduate Researcher

Blunt-Body Dynamic Stability, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Chris Dyke

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Atmospheric Entry Simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Connor Kramer

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Atmospheric Entry Simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Evan Evans

Undergraduate Researcher

Hypersonic CFD, Boundary Layer Transition

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Gavin Sockey

Undergraduate Researcher

Large Eddy Simulations, Unmanned Aerials Systems, Atmospheric Boundary Layers

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Isaiah Richmond

Undergraduate Researcher

Aerodynamic Flow Control, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Jared Greif

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Solid Modeling

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Kaitlyn Matic

Undergraduate Researcher

Flow Separation Control, Sweeping Jet Actuator, CFD

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Michael Cuthbertson

Undergraduate Researcher

Flow Separation Control, Sweeping Jet Actuator, CFD

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Peyton Pierson

Undergraduate Researcher, Joined SpaceX (Starship )

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Atmospheric Entry Simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Romain Bailey (ROTC)

Undergraduate Researcher

Unmanned Aerials Systems, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Atmospheric Boundary Layers

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Serge Amangoua

Undergraduate Researcher

Large Eddy Simulations, Unmanned Aerials Systems, Atmospheric Boundary Layers

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Thomas Goebel

Undergraduate Researcher

Hypersonic Flows, Boundary Layer Transition, CFD

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Trevor Marshall

Undergraduate Researcher

Flow Separation Control, Sweeping Jet Actuator, CFD

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Tuyen Nguyen

Undergraduate Researcher

High-Speed Aerodynamics, Atmospheric Entry Simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Tyler Cholerton

Undergraduate Researcher

Data Analysis with Python, Blunt-Body Dynamics

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Tyler Landua

B.Sc., Current Position: Structural Engineer at Boeing

Large Eddy Simulations, Unmanned Aerials Systems, Atmospheric Boundary Layers

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Zack Osborne

Undergraduate Researcher

Atmospheric Boundary Layers, Large Eddy Simulations, Unmanned Aerials Systems

Group Photos

Personal Photos

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Oklahoma State University
Assistant Professor
Aug 2019 – Present Oklahoma

Research Areas:

  • Computational Aerodynamics
  • Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Stability
  • Flow Separation Control
  • Quantum Computing
  • Wind Data Generation for sUAS in Urban Spaces
 
 
 
 
 
University of Wyoming - Mechanical Engineering Department
Visiting Professor
Dec 2018 – Jul 2019 Wyoming
Hover Predictions of Sikorsky S76 Rotor Using a High Order Discontinuous Galerkin Off-Body Discretization.
 
 
 
 
 
Penn State - Aerospace Engineering Department
Visiting Professor
Jun 2017 – Aug 2017 Pennsylvania
Two dimensional Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations of a Sweeping Jet Actuator over a NASA Wall Mounted Hump model for flow separation control.
 
 
 
 
 
Khalifa University - Aerospace Engineering Department (ABET Accredited)
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Jul 2010 – Aug 2018 UAE
  • Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Teaching (2014-2015)
  • Development of Khalifa University Flow Facilities – $3,500,000
  • Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (30m x 8m x 4.9m)
  • Flow Measurement Equipment: Stereo PIV, Time-Resolved PIV, Mini - Laser Doppler Anemometry, Hot-wire Anemometry, Optic Tables, Traverse System, and Force/Moment Balance
  • Graduate Student Advising
  • Developed/Delivered the several undergraduate and graduate courses
 
 
 
 
 
Penn State - Aerospace Engineering Department
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Aug 2009 – Aug 2010 Pennsylvania
  • Supervisor: Dr. Philip J. Morris
  • Large Eddy Simulations of Hot Supersonic Jets for Aeroacoustics DOD-Navy-STTR-Contract Number: N68335-09-C-0370
  • Instructor: AERSP 312 Aerospace Analysis (May 2010 - July 2010)

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