Abdullah Ulaş

Dr. Abdullah Ulaş is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. He holds a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University (USA) and has been at METU since 1994, progressing from Research Assistant to Professor. His research focuses on combustion, rocket propulsion, thermodynamics, and energetic materials. He has led projects for institutions like TÜBİTAK-SAGE and ROKETSAN, contributing to Turkey’s aerospace and defense sector.

• Education: B.S. (METU, 1994), M.S. (Penn State, 1996), Ph.D. (Penn State, 2000)
• Experience: Over 30 years in academia and industry, including roles as Principal Investigator on cooling techniques for gas turbine combustors and consultant for rocket motor development.

Research Interests: Combustion of solid and hybrid propellants, ignition dynamics, detonation phenomena, and thermal management in propulsion systems. His work bridges theoretical modeling and experimental validation, with applications in aerospace and defense technologies.

Publications: Over 60 peer-reviewed articles, focusing on combustion analysis, rocket propulsion systems, and energetic materials. Recent work includes heat exchanger optimization for supersonic aircraft and CFD studies on spray atomization in rocket engines.

• Awards: Arthur D. Rhea Award (2013), METU Academic Performance Award (2009), and multiple honors for academic excellence and research innovation.

Advising & Grants: Supervised 24+ theses (M.S./Ph.D.), including projects on hybrid rocket motors and detonation simulation. Active in TÜBİTAK advisory roles and international collaborations.

Labs/Teams: Leader of METU’s rocket propulsion research group, developing Turkey’s first domestically produced liquid rocket engines and high-pressure combustion test facilities.