Ilhan Akbas

Dr. Ilhan Akbas is an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department within the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He serves as Director of the Flexible & Intelligent Complex Systems (FICS) Research Group, Co-director of the Wireless Devices and Electromagnetics (WIDE) Lab, and holds leadership positions in the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS) and the Advanced Air Mobility Research and Innovation Lab (AAMRIL).

With over 20 years of experience in machine learning, complex systems, and modeling & simulation, Dr. Akbas's research focuses on validation and verification of autonomous systems, particularly in aerospace applications. His work develops methods for decision-making in high-dimensional, probabilistic scenarios with applications in autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity for unmanned aerial systems, and cyber-physical systems operating in dynamic/uncertain environments.

Dr. Akbas's research has secured funding through grants from the National Science Foundation, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Air Force, Office of Naval Research, and industry partners. His publication record includes more than 30 journal and 80 conference papers in IEEE, ACM and AIAA venues, with recent work focusing on AI validation frameworks, autonomous vehicle safety testing, and cybersecurity for unmanned systems.

His scientific contributions are recognized through his status as a Senior Member of IEEE and membership in several professional organizations including ACM, AIAA, SAE, the International Alliance for Mobility Testing and Standardization, the Complex Systems Society, and the Cyber Safety Commercial Aviation Team.

Dr. Akbas actively mentors students through research projects and teaches courses including Computer Science Capstone Design, Digital Communications, and graduate thesis supervision. His research group utilizes advanced tools including Python, Julia, Rust, simulation environments like AirSim and CARLA, and hardware platforms including NVIDIA Jetson for edge computing applications.