M. Ilhan Akbas

M. Ilhan Akbas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he conducts research in cyber-physical systems, autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), and modeling and simulation. He earned his PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida and has been actively involved in research funded by the National Science Foundation, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Naval Research, Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and industry partners.

His research focuses on the development and validation of intelligent and connected systems, particularly in transportation and defense domains. He has made significant contributions to the testing and simulation of autonomous vehicles, edge computing for IoT, and secure communications in vehicular networks. His work has been published in top-tier journals such as IEEE Transactions and SAE Edge Reports, and featured in media outlets including Spectrum Bay News 9 and Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Dr. Akbas has served on editorial boards for MDPI Sensors and Electronics and on program committees for ACM and IEEE conferences. He previously served as a faculty member at Florida Polytechnic University (2016–2019), where he co-founded the Advanced Mobility Institute and contributed to curriculum development in software engineering and data science. He is a member of IEEE, ACM, and the Complex Systems Society.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward intelligent mobility, autonomous systems, and secure, real-time cyber-physical architectures, with increasing emphasis on simulation, digital twins, and machine learning for transportation and defense applications.

• Editor, MDPI Journal of Sensors
• Editor, MDPI Journal of Electronics
• Member, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems Editorial Board
• Invited Speaker, São Paulo, Brazil (2018, 2019)

Dr. Akbas has secured multiple competitive research grants from federal agencies and industry, supporting his work in autonomous systems and cybersecurity. He has advised student researchers and contributed to academic leadership through accreditation and curriculum development. He previously worked at the Institute for Simulation and Training at UCF and has industry experience in defense telecommunications, including multinational standardization efforts.

He is actively involved in research labs and teams focused on intelligent mobility and cyber-physical systems, particularly through his leadership in the Advanced Mobility Institute at Florida Poly and ongoing projects at Embry-Riddle. His work bridges academic innovation with real-world applications in smart transportation and aerospace systems.