About
Umran Inan is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University and Director of the STAR Laboratory. He has held academic positions since 1977, including Assistant Professor (1982–1985), Associate Professor (1985–1992), and full Professor (1992–present). Concurrently, he served as President of Koç University in Istanbul since 2009. His research focuses on plasma physics, electromagnetic wave propagation, and space science, particularly involving VLF wave interactions in the magnetosphere and ionosphere. He leads projects funded by NASA, ONR, and NSF, investigating phenomena like sprites, elves, and lightning-induced ionospheric disturbances. Inan is a Fellow of IEEE, AGU, and the American Physical Society, and has received numerous awards, including the Allan Cox Medal for undergraduate research mentorship. He teaches courses in electromagnetics, plasma physics, and numerical methods. Professionally, he has held leadership roles in URSI and the American Geophysical Union.
Education:
- B.S., Middle East Technical University, Turkey (1972)
- M.S., Middle East Technical University, Turkey (1973)
- Ph.D., Stanford University (1977), Thesis: Non-linear Gyroresonant Interactions of Energetic Particles and Coherent VLF Waves in the Magnetosphere
Research Interests: Umran Inan’s work combines theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches to study electromagnetic wave interactions in space plasmas. Key areas include:
- VLF remote sensing of lightning-induced ionospheric disturbances
- HF radio wave heating of ionospheric plasma
- Optical observations of sprites and elves
- Analysis of plasma wave data from satellites like DSX and CLUSTER
- Computer simulations of plasma phenomena and energy efficiency in plasma displays
- Development of instrumentation for magnetospheric and ionospheric studies
Awards & Honors:
- Fellow, IEEE (2006), AGU (2006), American Physical Society (2009)
- Appleton Prize (2008), Allan Cox Medal (2007)
- Multiple NASA Group Achievement Awards (2004, 1998, 1983)
- Young Scientist Award (1984), Antarctic Service Medal (1993)
Grants & Labs: As principal investigator, Inan oversees grants from NASA, ONR, and the Air Force. He directs the STAR Laboratory, which develops instrumentation for space plasma research. His work includes the DSX mission’s broadband receivers and the FIREBIRD-II CubeSat collaboration.
Labs/Teams: He leads the STAR Laboratory and the VLF Group, fostering interdisciplinary teams in plasma physics and space science. He also advises the DSX and VPM CubeSat projects.
