Biography: Dr. Simsek received a B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in 2001 and an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Duke University in 2003 and 2006, respectively. After working as a postdoctoral research associate at Schlumberger-Doll Research and a faculty member at Bahcesehir University and George Washington University, he joined the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2018, where currently he is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Graduate Data Science Programs.

Research Areas: Dr. Simsek’s research broadly lies in the field of computational photonics. Problems of specific interest include wave propagation and scattering in complex media, nano-photonic and optoelectronic device design, and applications of machine learning in electromagnetic inversion and device design. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and conferences. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and Optica and a licensed Professional Engineer.