Meet Our People

SRI's innovative thinking depends directly on the people who work here. Meet members of our team in Computing and Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Materials, Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Health, Economics and Education, Environment and Energy, Business Development, and Administration and Corporate Activities, and learn why they joined SRI—you may discover that you would like to join the team, too. Visit Careers @ SRI for descriptions of current openings.

Meet Hasan Bahcivan, Research Physicist, Geospace Studies, Engineering & Systems

Focus at SRI:
I study space plasma physics theory, implement computer simulations of space plasmas, design radar and satellite experiments, and analyze data to understand the near-Earth space environment. My focus is the Earth’s ionosphere. The ability to predict how the ionosphere responds to solar wind and magnetospheric forcing or other natural/artificial perturbations and to understand why and how turbulent space plasma structures form is critical for a society that relies heavily on space-based communication and navigation technology.

Day in the Life at SRI:
I come to work very early (to avoid the traffic), check e-mails, and do a subset of the following: browse the research literature, analyze data, run computer simulations, prepare presentations, write research papers, attend meetings, develop proposals, and read magazines like Nature or Physics Today. I often have lunch with friends at the SRI cafeteria, and regularly drink a soda in the shade of a glorious oak tree, where I come up with my most interesting ideas.

Before SRI:
I was a graduate student at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. This is my first professional job after school.

Academics:
I have a Ph.D., and a M.Sc.  in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. My undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering is from the University of Southern California.

Why SRI?
The projects underway in the Center for Geospace Studies at SRI were in line with my doctoral thesis at Cornell. In this sense, I view SRI as an academic institution and this is just one of the attractive aspects. The freedom to pursue new independent projects is the second appealing factor. Of course, one has to compete to receive funding.  The third element I enjoy is to develop new ideas on the white drawing board with great SRI scientists and engineers.

Inspiration and Motivation:
I feel nature has surprising facts to discover for those who pursue patiently the unknown.

What has changed in your field since you began your career, and what new or exciting trends are you seeing?

A current trend in the field of aeronomy (space physics) is to deploy space sensors on low-cost satellites, which enables very exciting experiments otherwise not feasible from the ground. Through the Radio Aurora Explorer CubeSat project in SRI's Center for Geospace Studies, we have the chance to make an impact  in this way, through funding we have received together with the University of Michigan from the National Science Foundation.

Proudest Professional accomplishment

I will be really proud if the CubeSat is launched successfully and sends us back some decent data.

Languages

I speak Turkish, English, and understand Zazaki.

Away from the Office:
I like to do different things. On weekends, I might spend time in San Francisco, in the mechanical museum there, and I might drive long distances, frequently to Yosemite. I also have a great passion for edible gardens; I am building a self-sustaining one. I watch lots of international movies and old "spaghetti" Westerns. I also have great curiosity for artificial intelligence: I carry a stereo camcorder system behind my windshield that is connected to a computer, with the hope that one day I will teach my car to drive by itself.