Dr. Hulya Kirkici

This talk will explore trends in minority and underrepresented groups’ academic presence, their contributions to the engineering field, and the impact of academic research on future engineers, scientists, and technology professionals.

Biography:

Hulya Kirkici is Professor and the Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of South Alabama. She received B.S. and M.S. in physics from Middle East Technical University, Turkey; and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University (currently NYU), NY. Previously, Dr. Kirkici was a Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Auburn University, visiting scholar / Faculty Fellow at the Air Force Research

Laboratory – Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and visiting scientist/engineer at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. Dr. Kirkici’s research interests are electrical insulation, high-

frequency dielectric breakdown, and repetitive pulsed power. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles, and given plenary and invited talks nationally and internationally (Turkey, Japan, S. Korea, Australia, and China).

Dr. Kirkici is a Fellow of IEEE and recipient of the IEEE Eric O. Forster Distinguished Service Award, IEEE William G. Dunbar Award, and the IEEE Sol Schneider Award. Dr. Kirkici is a member of American Physical Society (APS), Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society, Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society, and American Association of University Women (AAUW). Dr. Kirkici served as the President of the Southeast ECE Department Heads Association (SECEDHA) (2020, 2021) and is the Secretary of the ECE Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) 2022-23 academic year. Dr. Kirkici is Governor–at–Large of the IEEE-HKN Board, and a member of the IEEE-HKN Bridge Magazine Editorial Board (2020 – present). She served as a member of the IEEE N&A Committee and was the IEEE Vice President – Publications (2019); President of IEEE DEIS  (2009-2010), Vice President of IEEE Sensors Council (2014-2015), and has served on the IEEE Access Editorial Board (2014 – 2019), among other volunteer positions.