Tuğrul Özel

Dr. Tuğrul Özel is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rutgers University–New Brunswick . He teaches courses on AI-Enabled Manufacturing and Automation, Simulation of Production Systems, and leads research in physics-informed digital twin framework modeling of both laser processing and material processing. His work spans advanced manufacturing, physics-based/informed data driven simulation modeling, process monitoring, machine learning, laser material processing, and additive manufacturing, with support from NSF, NIST, NASA, Tahio Tribology Research Foundation, and various industry partners. Dr. Özel has consulted for notable institutions such as the United Technologies Research Center and 3M Electronics & Energy. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems, serves on the editorial boards of several other journals, and has contributed to over 60 international conferences as a member of scientific and program committees. With more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, his scholarly contributions are widely recognized. Most recently, he has delivered keynotes at international conferences on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing , and organized special journal issues focusing on Artificial Intelligence in Robotics and Manufacturing Automation, as well as Artificial Intelligence for Smart Manufacturing and Mechatronics.