Cem Say

Cem Say is a Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Boğaziçi University's Faculty of Engineering, where he has established himself as a leading researcher in theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. His academic journey began with the completion of his doctoral dissertation titled Qualitative System Identification in 1992, which was the first thesis of Boğaziçi University's Computer Engineering PhD program.

Professor Say's research interests span multiple domains of computer science, with significant contributions to quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and theoretical computer science. His early work focused on qualitative reasoning and simulation, particularly through the QSIM algorithm, where he made significant improvements to filtering techniques and addressed challenges in representing physical systems. Over time, his research evolved toward quantum computation, where he has made substantial contributions to quantum finite automata theory, space-bounded quantum computation, and quantum complexity classes. His recent work explores the energy complexity of computation, bridging theoretical computer science with thermodynamics.

His publication record shows a clear evolution from classical AI and qualitative reasoning toward quantum computation. The most recent articles demonstrate his focus on space-bounded quantum computation, energy complexity of regular languages, and interactive proof systems with minimal resources. His work consistently addresses fundamental questions about computational limits, particularly in quantum and sublogarithmic-space models.

Professor Say has also made significant contributions to science communication through several books written for general audiences, including 50 Soruda Yapay Zekâ (2018), Yeni Dünya, Yeni Ağ (2020), and En Hakiki Mürşit (2021), which explain complex concepts in artificial intelligence and scientific methodology in accessible terms.

Throughout his career, Professor Say has been actively involved in the Turkish academic community, editing proceedings for multiple Turkish symposia on artificial intelligence and neural networks. His doctoral dissertation established foundational work in qualitative system identification, and his subsequent research has consistently pushed boundaries in theoretical computer science, particularly in quantum computation where he has collaborated extensively with Abuzer Yakaryılmaz and other researchers.