Yusuf Ozkan

Office: Suite 200, University Heights, Newark, New Jersey 07102

Tel: (973) 596-3512

Advisors: Prof. Joerg Kliewer and Dr. Yauhen Yakimenka

About

I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is a member of the Center for Wireless Information Processing (CWiP). I received my B.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Istanbul University and my M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport. My research interests include wireless communication, information theory, coding theory, machine learning, and engineering education. For more information, visit the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Research Interest

Coding and Information Theory, LDPC Decoding, Reinforcement Learning, Brain–Computer Interface, EEG Signal Processing, Forensic Audio Signal Processing, Engineering Education

Publications

Ozkan, Y., & Barkana, B. D. (2019, November). Forensic audio analysis and event recognition for smart surveillance systems. In 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
Ozkan, Y., & Barkana, B. D. (2020, October). Multi-class Mental Task Classification Using Statistical Descriptors of EEG by KNN, SVM, Decision Trees, and Quadratic Discriminant Analysis Classifiers. In 2020 IEEE 5th Middle East and Africa Conference on Biomedical Engineering (MECBME) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
Barkana, B. D., Ozkan, Y., & Badara, J. A. (2022). Analysis of working memory from EEG signals under different emotional states. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 71, 103249.
Ozkan, Y., & Barkana, B. D. (2020). How Much Time Does Our Brain Need to Relax?. Arch Neurol & Neurosci, 6(3).
Borgaonkar, A., Ventura, R. B., Tchouassi, L., Sodhi, J., & Ozkan, Y. (2025). WIP: Evaluating the impact of an introductory first-year engineering design course in shaping students' experience and academic preparedness. In Proceedings of the 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. DOI: 10.18260/1-2--57405. [PDF]

Scientist-in-Residence (SiR) Program in New Jersey (2024–Present)

In my role as the Scientist-in-Residence, I partner with local elementary school teachers to bring real-world research experiences to 4th and 5th grade classrooms. I guide students through hands-on projects exploring alternative energy concepts like wind turbines, electric cars, and solar cells, while introducing them to the fundamentals of electric circuit components. They design, build, and test their own circuits, gaining a practical understanding of electricity generation and its applications. The goal is to spark their curiosity, deepen their understanding of STEM, and connect their learning to real-world solutions. This ongoing experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m proud to help inspire the next generation of innovative thinkers.