Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, 2023
  • M.S., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, 2022
  • B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 2017
Licenses & Certifications
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
Academic Appointments
  • Visiting Faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 2022
Professional Honors
  • Graduate Engineering Award, Stanford University (2018)
  • Dr. James Rankin Digital Avionics Scholarship, AIAA (2016)
Professional Affiliations
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Member)

Dr. Bilgin is an Aeronautical Engineer with expertise in transitional and turbulent flows, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and aircraft design. She has experience in turbulence modelling, aircraft performance assessment and UAV design. She has also taught courses in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, techniques of failure analysis, aircraft and rocket propulsion, and aerospace structural analysis.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Bilgin completed her Ph.D. thesis at Stanford University developing theoretical tools to aid in the understanding, modeling, and computation of high Reynolds number turbulent flows. During this time, she also contributed to the literature the most accurate version of the Moody diagram used extensively by practicing mechanical engineers through her work in turbulent flows over rough walls. Additionally, she aided in the development of a novel integral boundary layer method that accurately captures the mean properties of turbulent flows at any Reynolds number and enables the computation without the use of a supercomputer. These studies highlight her mathematical and physical modelling skills. During her graduate studies at Stanford, Dr. Bilgin engaged in extensive teaching activities as well. She held a visiting faculty position at UC San Diego for two summer sessions, teaching Aerodynamics and Advanced Fluid Mechanics to senior Aerospace Engineering students.