Principal Investigator

Dr. Mehmet Kurum received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2003, followed by his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA, in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He held Postdoctoral and Research Associate positions with the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA. From 2016 to 2022, Dr. Kurum served as an Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University (MSU), and subsequently, he held the position of Associate Professor and the Paul B. Jacob endowed chair until 2023. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Kurum’s research involves microwave remote sensing from satellite scales to small aerial platforms in environmental sustainability, especially in agriculture. His current research focuses on changing the paradigm of remote sensing methods and developing next-generation technologies and ideas that are more spectrum efficient, more effective and meet the challenges of the present and future spectrum congestion. His portfolio encompasses development of retrieval algorithms and forward EM model simulations in support of the NASA’s SMAP, SNOOPI, NISAR, and CYGNSS satellite missions.  He has previously served as the principal investigator on a multitude of research grants funded by federal agencies such as DOD, NASA, NSF, and USDA.

Education

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, The George Washington University, 2009
• M.S., Electrical Engineering, The George Washington University, 2005
• B.S., Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bogazici University, 2003

Professional Appointments

• Associate Professor, The University of Georgia, 2023 – present
• Associate Professor and Paul B. Jacob Chair, Mississippi State University, 2022 – 2023
• Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University, 2016 – 2022
• Research Scientist, The George Washington University, 2015 – 2016
• Chief Researcher, TUBITAK BILGEM, 2013 – 2015
• NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow and Research Associate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 2009 – 2013

Areas of Specialty

• Applied electromagnetics, signal processing, wireless systems
• Spectrum coexistence, sensing, and recycling
• Radar, microwave radiometry, signals of opportunity
• Software defined radio and ubiquitous RF sensing
• Sensor fusion/ machine learning for inverse remote sensing problems
• Off-road and aerial robotics, and self-sustainable systems

Honors and Awards

• 2024 Faculty Fellow in the College of Engineering
• 2022 Paul B. Jacob Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• 2021 NSF CAREER Award
• 2014 URSI Young Scientist Award
• 2013 Leopold B. Felsen Award for Excellence in Electromagnetics
• 2009 NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship

Membership and Editorial

• Senior Member, IEEE, (2014– present)
• Member, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, (2008–present)
• Member, USNC-URSI Commission F, (2017–present)
• Associate editor, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (2021–present)
• Associate editor, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (2021–present)