Burak Sencer

Burak Sencer is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering, affiliated with the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering department. He directs the Manufacturing Process Control Laboratory and holds the Tom and Carmen West Faculty Scholar title. His expertise lies in advanced manufacturing, precision motion control, and optimal trajectory generation for multi-axis machine tools.

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University (2003)
• M.S., Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia (2005, 2009)
• Postdoctoral Research, Nagoya University, Japan (2009–2012)
• Assistant Professor, Nagoya University (2012–2015) before joining Oregon State

Research focuses on improving manufacturing efficiency through precision control of CNC machines, industrial robots, and machining processes. Key areas include:

• Vibration suppression in high-speed machining
• Optimal trajectory generation for multi-axis systems
• Intelligent process control for challenging materials (e.g., titanium, hardened steel)
• Robotics for deburring and edge finishing

Notable achievements include developing motion control algorithms that boost production speeds by 20–25% for IT products and a chip-pulling device reducing friction in cutting operations. Awards include the JSPE Best Paper Award (2020) and ASME’s Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award (2019).

Collaborates with industries like Boeing and Japanese machine tool builders for applied projects. Active in teaching graduate students and mentoring through research.