Associate Professor Emre Gunduz of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Professor Giovanna Oriti of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, have been named the 2024 recipients of the Carl E. and Jessie W. Menneken Research Awards. Presented annually, the Menneken Awards recognize Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) faculty for exceptional scholarly research that delivers measurable impact for the United States Navy and the Department of Defense.
“These awards are a testament to the commitment by our faculty to research in support of the DON, DOD mission that also informs and supports their classroom teaching and thesis advising,” noted NPS acting provost Jim Newman in an announcement to campus.
The Menneken Award for Highly Meritorious Research by a Junior Faculty Member, presented to Gunduz, highlights research achievement of exceptional quality in science, engineering, or technology. Gunduz’s work spans a broad range of engineering topics including the additive manufacturing of energetic materials and metals for defense applications. He has published 81 peer reviewed journal papers and more than 100 total publications including book chapters, conference proceedings, and patents.
Gunduz’s research has been featured in numerous scientific and public media outlets such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics annual year in review, Popular Science, phys.org, and 3ders.org, as well as NPS and Purdue University news releases.
Since joining NPS in 2018, Gunduz has played a central role in establishing the Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE). He has also led experimentation efforts for expeditionary metal additive manufacturing, securing shipboard printing opportunities during RIMPAC and Trident Warrior exercises to accelerate the adoption of this technology within the Navy. His work directly supports DOD priorities in propulsion, energetics safety, rapid fabrication, and advanced materials.
The Menneken Award for Significant and Sustained Contributions, awarded to Oriti, recognizes a senior faculty member whose body of work reflects long term and influential impact on Navy and DOD operations. Oriti is an internationally recognized leader in power electronics research with a focus on critical Navy applications related to shipboard power systems and energy security for both mobile and fixed defense facilities.
During her career, she has made pioneering contributions in the analysis, modeling, control, and electromagnetic interference mitigation of shipboard power converters. Her interdisciplinary microgrid research has significantly advanced the Navy’s energy resilience efforts. This includes the development and adoption of her concept of zonal nanogrids, which supports the incremental and evolutionary transition of facility power systems into resilient microgrids that integrate renewable energy resources. Her research portfolio includes more than 70 publications as well as a United States patent.
Oriti’s influence extends broadly across the global power electronics community, demonstrated through her extensive service to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She currently serves as co-editor in chief for the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and as an elected Member at Large of the IEEE Power Electronics Society administrative committee.
Established in 1988, the Carl E. and Jessie W. Menneken Awards for Excellence in Scientific Research are sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation. Supported through the Menneken Endowment, the awards honor faculty whose work exemplifies the highest standards of research excellence and demonstrates clear relevance to naval and defense challenges.