Directory profile for Dr. Semih M. Olcmen

Dr. Semih Olcmen received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Istanbul Technical University and his doctorate from Virginia Tech. He also holds a post-grad diploma from Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Belgium.

Olcmen is a fluid mechanics expert specializing in both high and low speed fluid mechanics. He has designed numerous laser-doppler velocimetry, or LDV, probes for different applications. He holds a patent for Spark-Plug LDV, LIF, and LII Probe for Engine Flow and Combustion Analysis. He worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force base for ten summers and designed an LDV probe to measure shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction among other research. He has numerous articles and reports on three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer analysis on wing/body junction flows.

His current experimental and computational research include missile nose optimization for minimum drag at angle-of-attack and level flight, shockwave/turbulent boundary layer interaction, scramjet flow field analysis, and fuel injection, flow field analysis in straight and curved ducts, such as inlets, nozzles, diffusers, and counter-flow jet injection to reduce heat transfer on high-speed vehicles. His interests include air-breathing propulsion, missile aerodynamics, penetration mechanics, and computational fluid dynamics.

He teaches, Hypersonics, Physical Gas Dynamics, Space Propulsion, Air-breathing Propulsion, Compressible Flow, Fluid mechanics and other classes as required by the department.

Olcmen has graduated 86 MS and 6 PhD students and published 50 journal, 68 conference articles, and 11 reports.