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Western Kentucky University’s mathematics research group has earned major recognition in the international research community with multiple student-led publications in Q1-ranked journals in control and applied mathematics.

The work spans topics such as exponential stability, controllability and observability, and structure-preserving model reduction, areas at the forefront of applied mathematics and engineering. The publishing cohort includes Ibrahim Khalilullah (’25), Uthman Rasaq (’25), Zoe Brown (’25), Md Zulfiqur Haider (’24), Jacob Walterman (’24), Rafi Emran (’23), and Ahmet Kaan Aydin (’22). Both Rasaq and Aydin are past recipients of WKU’s highest student honor, the John D. Minton Award, in 2025 and 2022 respectively.

“These Q1 publications highlight the talent and dedication of our students,” said Dr. Ahmet Ozkan Ozer, Fulbright Scholar and Associate Professor in the WKU Department of Mathematics. “They reflect not only the hard work of the students but also WKU’s commitment to impactful, globally visible research in mathematics.”

Several of the projects were carried out through Dr. Ozer’s Fulbright collaboration with colleagues in France, offering WKU students international exposure and professional visibility at the highest levels. In addition to journal placements, the group has recently presented at flagship conferences such as the IEEE American Control Conference and IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

“This recognition by top-tier editors and reviewers shows that WKU students are making contributions alongside leading international researchers,” Ozer said.

Looking ahead, the group will continue pursuing advanced research in control theory while engaging WKU undergraduates and graduate students in international collaborations. The achievements underscore the university’s growing presence in applied mathematics and its emphasis on student-centered research.

Publications in Q1 Journals

• U. Rasaq, A. O. Ozer (2026). Uniform Exponential Stability in Finite-Difference Model Reduction for Magnetizable Piezoelectric Beams with Non-Collocated Observers. Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 553(1): 129842.
• Z. Brown, A. O. Ozer (2025). Two Strings with a Dynamic Interior Mass: A Feedback Control Design with Guaranteed Exponential Decay. IEEE Control Systems Letters 9, 1970–1975.
• A. O. Ozer, A. K. Aydın, R. Emran (2025). Exponential Stability and Design of Sensor Feedback Amplifiers for Fast Stabilization of Magnetizable Piezoelectric Beam Equations. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 70(2), 1374–1379.
• A. K. Aydın, A. O. Ozer (2023). A Novel Sensor Design for a Cantilevered Mead–Marcus-type Sandwich Beam Model by the Order-Reduction Technique. ESAIM: Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations 29(74), 35 pp.
• A. K. Aydın, A. O. Ozer, J. Walterman (2023). A Novel Finite Difference-based Model Reduction and a Sensor Design for a Multilayer Smart Beam with an Arbitrary Number of Layers. IEEE Control Systems Letters 7, 1548–1553.

Q2 Journal Publication

• I. Khalilullah, A. O. Ozer (2025). Uniformly Exponentially Stable Finite-Difference Model Reduction of a Heat and Piezoelectric Beam Interaction with Static or Hybrid Feedback Controllers. Evolution Equations and Control Theory, 14(2), 339–366.

Flagship IEEE Conference Proceedings

• A. O. Ozer, J. Walterman (2025). A Uniform Observability Result for a Novel Power Transmission Line Model with Continuous and Discontinuous Joints. IEEE-ECC. Greece, in print.
• A. O. Ozer, Z. Haider (2024). A Robust Finite Difference Model Reduction for the Uniform Spectral Observability of a Fully-Clamped Three-Layer Mead–Marcustype Smart Laminate. IEEE CDC, Milano, pp. 8932–8937.
• A. O. Ozer (2024). Boundary Observer Design and Error Tracking for a Magnetizable Piezoelectric Beam with a Dynamic Tip Load. IEEE CDC, Milano, pp. 8498–8503.
• A. O. Ozer, I. Khalilullah, U. Rasaq (2024). The Exponential Stabilization of Thermal and Piezoelectric Beam Interactions with Various Types of Feedback Controllers. IEEE ACC, Toronto, pp. 5327–5332, doi: 10.23919/ACC60939.2024.10644174.
• A. O. Ozer, U. Rasaq, I. Khalilullah (2024). Boundary Output Feedback Stabilization for a Magnetizable Piezoelectric Beam Model. IEEE ACC, Toronto, pp. 3448–3453, doi: 10.23919/ACC60939.2024.1064448.
• A. O. Ozer, A. K. Aydın (2022). Robust-Filtering of Sensor Data for the Finite Difference Model Reduction of a Piezoelectric Sandwich Beam. IEEE CDC, Cancun, Mexico, pp. 6535–6541.

For more information, contact Dr. Ahmet Ozkan Ozer, College Heights Hall 4127, Western Kentucky University. Links: Personal webpage | YouTube: Math by Dr. Ozz