Burcu Beykal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Center for Clean Energy Engineering
University of Connecticut
191 Auditorium Rd Unit 3222
Storrs CT, 06269-3222
Email: beykal@uconn.edu
Burcu Beykal
RESEARCH DOMAIN: DATA ANALYSIS, MACHINE LEARNING, OPTIMIZATION
Foundations
Surrogate modeling; Mathematical programming; Nonlinear optimization; Bi-level optimization; Multi-objective optimization; Regression analysis; Classification analysis; Clustering analysis; Process Design.
Applications
Energy systems design; Supply chain optimization; Desalination; Wastewater treatment; Oil production optimization; Food-Energy-Water nexus; Steam cracker design & operation; Environmental & biological modeling of toxicants.
EDUCATION
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX May 2020
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Efstratios N. (Stratos) Pistikopoulos
Thesis Title: Advances in Data-Driven Modeling and Global Optimization of Constrained Grey-Box Computational Systems
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA Dec 2014
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Meagan S. Mauter
Thesis Title: Fouling Studies on Capacitive Deionization Electrodes: Experimental Analysis of Protein Adsorption to Charged Surfaces
Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey Jun 2013
Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Class Ranking: 1/27
- College of Engineering Class Ranking: 2/179
- University Class Ranking: 10/673
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut, Aug 2021 - Present
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M Energy Institute, Aug 2020 - Aug 2021
- Optimization/LCA Intern, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, May 2019 - Aug 2019
- Graduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University, Aug 2015 - May 2020
- Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University, Feb 2015 - May 2015
- Graduate Research Assistant, Carnegie Mellon University, Aug 2013 - Dec 2014
- Undergraduate Research Assistant, Koc University, Sep 2011 - Jun 2013
- Visiting Research Intern, Georgia Institute of Technology, Aug 2012
- Chemical Engineering Intern, Turkish Petroleum Refineries Company (TUPRAS), Jul 2011
HONORS & AWARDS
- ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award, American Chemical Society
- CAST Directors’ Award for Outstanding Poster, AIChE Computing & Systems Technology Division
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University
- MIT Rising Stars in Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- INFORMS Python Competition - First Place, INFORMS Student Chapter at Texas A&M
- Best Oral Presenter - Second Place, Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (ChEGSA) Research Symposium
- Young Researcher Travel Award, International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering
- Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing, International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems
- Best Oral Presenter - Second Place, Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (ChEGSA) Research Symposium
- Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing, Computers & Chemical Engineering
- Best Oral Presentation Award, Texas A&M Conference on Energy
- Dean’s Fellowship, Carnegie Mellon University
- Best Senior Design Project Award, Koc University
- Fulbright Scholarship, The Turkish Fulbright Commission (declined in favor of the Dean’s Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University)
- High Academic Achievement Scholarship, Koc University
- Vehbi Koc Honor Award, Koc University
PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
- KJ Rivenbark, LS Fawkes, H Nikkhah, M Wang, GT Sansom, B Beykal, TL Wade, TD Phillips. Using L. minor and C. elegans to assess the ecotoxicity of real-life contaminated soil samples and their remediation by clay- and carbon-based sorbents, Environmental Pollution, 2024, 123762.
- KJ Rivenbark, H Nikkhah, M Wang, B Beykal, TD Phillips. Toxicity of representative organophosphate, organochlorine, phenylurea, dinitroaniline, carbamate, and viologen pesticides to the growth and survival of H. vulgaris, L. minor, and C. elegans, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2024.
- M Wang, KJ Rivenbark, H Nikkhah, B Beykal, TD Phillips. In vitro and in vivo remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by processed and amended clays and activated carbon in soil, Applied Soil Ecology & Technology, 2024, 105285.
- Y Feng, Y Wang, B Beykal, M Qiao, Z Xiao, Y Luo. A mechanistic review on machine learning-supported detection and analysis of volatile organic compounds for food quality. Trends in Food Science & Thecnology, 2024, 143, 104297.
- A Nikkhah, H Nikkhah, A Shahbazi, MKZ Zarin, D Beykal Iz, MT Ebadi, M Fakhroleslam, B Beykal. Cumin and eucalyptus essential oil standardization using fractional distillation: Data-driven optimization and techno-economic analysis. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 2024, 143, 90-101.
- H Nikkhah, B Beykal B, MD Stuber. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Single-Use Cardiopulmonary Bypass Devices. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023, 425, 138815.
- Z Aghayev, AT Szafran, A Tran, HS Ganesh, F Stossi, L Zhou, MA Mancini, EN Pistikopoulos, B Beykal. Machine Learning Methods for Endocrine Disrupting Potential Identification Based on Single-Cell Data. Chemical Engineering Science, 2023, 281, 119086.
- H Nikkhah, B Beykal. Process Design and Technoeconomic Analysis for Zero Liquid Discharge Desalination via LiBr Absorption Chiller Integrated HDH-MEE-MVR System, Desalination, 2023, 558, 116643.
- D Kenefake, I Pappas, S Avraamidou, B Beykal, HS Ganesh, Y Cao, Y Wang, J Otashu, S Leyland, J Flores-Cerrillo, EN Pistikopoulos. A Smart Manufacturing Strategy for Multi-Parametric Model Predictive Control in Air Separation Systems, Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, 2022, 4(4), e10120.
- B Beykal, S Avraamidou, EN Pistikopoulos. Data-Driven Optimization of Mixed-integer Bi-level Multi-follower Integrated Planning and Scheduling Problems Under Demand Uncertainty, Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2022, 156, 107551.
- I Pappas, S Avraamidou, J Katz, B Burnak, B Beykal, M Turkay, EN Pistikopoulos. Multiobjective Optimization of Mixed-Integer Linear Programming Problems: A Multiparametric Optimization Approach, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2021, 60(23), 8493-8503.
- AA Orr, M Wang, B Beykal, HS Ganesh, S Hearon, EN Pistikopoulos, TD Phillips, P Tamamis. Combining Experimental Isotherms, Minimalistic Simulations, and a Model to Understand and Predict Chemical Adsorption onto Montmorillonite Clays, ACS Omega, 2021, 6(22), 14090-14103.
- R Mukherjee, B Beykal, AT Szafran, M Onel, F Stossi, MG Mancini, D Lloyd, FA Wright, L Zhou, MA Mancini, EN Pistikopoulos. Classification of Estrogenic Compounds by Coupling High Content Analysis and Machine Learning Algorithms. PLOS Computational Biology, 2020, 16(9), e1008191.
- K Bi, B Beykal, I Pappas, S Avraamidou, EN Pistikopoulos, T Qui. Integrated Modeling of Transfer Learning and Intelligent Heuristic Optimization for Steam Cracking Process. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2020, 59(37), 16357-16367.
- B Beykal, M Onel, O Onel, EN Pistikopoulos. A Data-Driven Optimization Algorithm for Differential Algebraic Equations with Numerical Infeasibilities. AIChE Journal, 2020, 66(10), e16657.
- B Beykal, S Avraamidou, IPE Pistikopoulos, M Onel, EN Pistikopoulos. DOMINO: Data-driven Optimization of bi-level Mixed-Integer NOnlinear Problems. Journal of Global Optimization, 2020, 78, 1–36.
- M Onel, B Beykal, K Ferguson, WA Chiu, TJ McDonald, L Zhou, JS House, FA Wright, DA Sheen, I Rusyn, EN Pistikopoulos. Grouping of Complex Substances Using Analytical Chemistry Data: A Framework for Quantitative Evaluation and Visualization. PLoS ONE, 2019, 14(10): e0223517.
- B Beykal, F Boukouvala, CA Floudas, EN Pistikopoulos. Optimal Design of Energy Systems Using Constrained Grey-Box Multi-Objective Optimization. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2018, 116, 488-502.
- B Beykal, F Boukouvala, CA Floudas, N Sorek, H Zalavadia, E Gildin. Global Optimization of Grey-Box Computational Systems Using Surrogate Functions and Application to Highly Constrained Oil-Field Operations. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2018, 114, 99-110.
- N Sorek, E Gildin, F Boukouvala, B Beykal, CA Floudas. Dimensionality Reduction for Production Optimization Using Polynomial Approximations. Computational Geosciences, 2017, 21, 247-266.
- B Beykal, M Herzberg, Y Oren, MS Mauter. Influence of Surface Charge on the Rate, Extent, and Structure of Adsorbed Bovine Serum Albumin to Gold Electrodes. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2015, 460, 321-328.
- E Uzunlar, B Beykal, K Ehrlich, D Sanli, A Jonáš, BE Alaca, A Kiraz, H Urey, C Erkey. Frequency Response of Microcantilevers Immersed in Gaseous, Liquid, and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide. The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 2013, 81, 254-264.
CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
- B Beykal, EN Pistikopoulos. Chapter 5 - Data-Driven Optimization Algorithms. Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing. ELSEVIER, 2024, Paperback ISBN: 9780323991346, eBook ISBN: 9780323996723 .
PEER REVIEWED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
- B Cohen, B Beykal, G Bollas. Dynamic System Identification from Scarce and Noisy Data Using Symbolic Regression, 2023 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) , 2023.
- Z Aghayev, GF Walker, F Iseri, M Ali, AT Szafran, A Tran, HS Ganesh, F Stossi, MA Mancini, EN Pistikopoulos, B Beykal. Binary Classification of the Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals by Artificial Neural Networks, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 52, 2631-2636, Elsevier.
- M Di Martino, I Pappas, A Tran, RC Allen, RR Husfeld, S Eleff, SG Moffatt, S Avraamidou, B Beykal, EN Pistikopoulos. A Framework to Facilitate Decision Making for Infrastructure Options Analysis of Distribution and Utilities Systems in Chemical Production Plants, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2022, 51, 835-840, Elsevier.
- B Beykal, NA Diangelakis, EN Pistikopoulos. Continuous-Time Surrogate Models for Data- Driven Dynamic Optimization, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2022, 51, 205-210, Elsevier.
- B Beykal, Z Aghayev, O Onel, M Onel, EN Pistikopoulos. Data-driven Stochastic Optimization of Numerically Infeasible Differential Algebraic Equations: An Application to the Steam Cracking Process, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 49, 1579-1584.
- B Beykal, S Avraamidou, EN Pistikopoulos. Bi-level Mixed-Integer Data-Driven Optimization of Integrated Planning and Scheduling Problems, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2021, 50, 1707-1713, Elsevier.
- HS Ganesh, B Beykal, AT Szafran, F Stossi, L Zhou, MA Mancini, EN Pistikopoulos. Predicting the Estrogen Receptor Activity of Environmental Chemicals by Single-Cell Image Analysis and Data-driven Modeling, Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2021, 50, 481-486, Elsevier.
- R Mukherjee, M Onel, B Beykal, AT Szafran, F Stossi, MA Mancini, L Zhou, FA Wright, EN Pistikopoulos. Development of the Texas A&M Superfund Research Program Computational Platform for Data Integration, Visualization, and Analysis. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2019, 46, 967-972, Elsevier.
- M Onel, B Beykal, M Wang, FA Grimm, L Zhou, FA Wright, TD Phillips, I Rusyn, EN Pistikopoulos. Optimal Chemical Grouping and Sorbent Material Design by Data Analysis, Modeling and Dimensionality Reduction Techniques. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2018, 43, 421-426, Elsevier.
- S Avraamidou, B Beykal, IPE Pistikopoulos, EN Pistikopoulos. A hierarchical Food-Energy-Water Nexus (FEW-N) Decision-making Approach for Land Use Optimization. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2018, 44, 1885-1890, Elsevier.