Dr. Ismail Hakki Toroslu is a Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, Middle East Technical University. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northwestern University (1993), an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Bilkent University (1989), and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from METU (1987). Databases Data Mining Machine Learning Graph Algorithms Logic Programming His teaching includes courses like Algorithms (CENG 315), Logic and Databases (CENG 550), and Design and Analysis of Algorithms (CENG 567). Office: BMB-I #309, METU Campus, Ankara, Turkey. Contact: +90-312-210-5585 (phone), +90-312-210-5544 (fax), toroslu@ceng.metu.edu.tr (email).
Prof. Dr. Sıddıka Berna Örs Yalçın is a Professor at Istanbul Technical University , Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering since 2020. She holds a PhD from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (1999) and has maintained continuous academic engagement in cryptology, embedded systems, and hardware security. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (1999) Master's in Electronics and Communications Engineering, Istanbul Technical University (1995) Licence in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Istanbul Technical University (1995) Her research focuses on post-quantum cryptography , side-channel attack mitigation , and hardware implementation for security systems. Recent work includes FPGA-based AI accelerators, IoT power consumption modeling, and quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. Current projects center on RISC-V processor optimization, embedded security, and hardware implementations for 5G communications. Her Scopus h-index is 17 with over 1353 citations, reflecting her impact in computer hardware and cryptographic engineering domains. Notable Research Outputs: Quantum tent map-based S-box designs for image encryption (2024) Post-quantum modular multiplication algorithms (2024) RISC-V implementation of CRYSTALS-Kyber (2023) IOT power consumption estimation frameworks (2024)
Özlem Öz is a Professor of Urban Studies at Bogazici University, holding a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research focuses on urban transformation, food co-operatives, and Istanbul's cultural industries. She has published extensively on topics including geographic clusters, film industry dynamics, and contentious urban spaces. Recent work addresses alternative food networks and resistance to urban development projects. Her academic contributions include influential studies on Istanbul's historical Emek Movie Theatre and neo-liberalization of nightlife. Notable awards include the IJURR Best Article Prize (2018) and Emerald Citation of Excellence Award (for 2004 paper). She maintains active collaborations in transnational research networks exploring shuttle traders and cross-border economic practices. Özlem Öz's publications span academic monographs, peer-reviewed journal articles, and edited volumes. Her work bridges sociology, geography, and political economy, with special attention to Turkey's urban contexts. Current research interests include spatial justice, right-to-the-city frameworks, and resilience of creative industries in global cities.
Dr. Işıl Öz is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Engineering Department at Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH). She holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Marmara University and a Ph.D. from Boğaziçi University. Before joining IZTECH in 2018, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher and ERCIM/Marie Curie Fellow at the Swedish Institute of Computer Science (SICS). Her research focuses on computer architecture, performance optimization, and reliability of multi-core systems, with a strong emphasis on fault-tolerant computing and GPGPU applications. Key projects include the TÜBİTAK-funded FTGPGPU initiative analyzing hardware fault tolerance for GPU applications. She teaches courses such as Operating Systems, Advanced Computer Architecture, and Parallel Programming Patterns. Her work spans machine learning-based vulnerability prediction, compiler design for reliable execution, and approximation techniques for efficient parallel computing. Publications appear in venues like ACM Computing Surveys, The Journal of Supercomputing, and International Journal of Parallel Programming. Awards: ERCIM/Marie Curie Fellowship Labs/Teams: Parsiyte Research Group (focused on parallel and distributed systems) Grants: TÜBİTAK ARDEB 3501 (FTGPGPU project)
Serap Şahin is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Engineering Department at Izmir Institute of Technology. She holds a B.S. (1987), M.Sc. (1989), and Ph.D. (2006) in Computer Engineering from Ege University. Her academic career began in 2002 after working at Arkas Holding as an Information Systems Coordinator, where she managed transportation and logistics systems. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (2010) focusing on Next Generation Network Security, supported by TUBITAK. Her research interests span cybersecurity, information systems security, cryptology, and cloud computing security. Notable contributions include studies on social network privacy, blockchain applications, forensic data analysis, and homomorphic encryption systems like EDU-VOTING. She has published widely in journals such as the International Journal of Information Security Science and Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Key achievements include a TUBITAK Postdoctoral Fellowship (2010) and leadership in projects like “Homomorphic Cryptosystem Based Electronic Election System Solution” funded by BAP. Her work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical applications in secure communication, data privacy, and network security.
Qirun Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology . He holds the Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early Career academic title. His research focuses on programming languages , software engineering , and compiler optimization , with an emphasis on program analysis , static analysis , and formal methods . He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2013) and a Bachelor's from Zhejiang University (2009). Research Interests include techniques for improving software reliability/security via program analysis and compiler optimization. His work leverages computational complexity, analytic combinatorics, graph theory, and formal languages. Notable contributions involve debug information validation , context-free language reachability , and compiler testing frameworks like Skeletal Program Enumeration (SPE) . Recent Work spans scalable cryptographic accelerator design, LLVM-based debug validation, and SMT solving optimizations. His papers often address algorithmic improvements for reachability problems and compiler correctness. Awards include the PLDI Distinguished Paper Award (2020) and Facebook Fellowship (2021). He serves on program committees for top venues like POPL, SAS, and PLDI, and chairs artifact evaluation committees (PLDI'25). Teaching includes courses on compilers (CS 4240), software analysis (CS 6340), and advanced program analysis (CS 8803). He mentors a research group with current Ph.D. students and MS/undergraduate researchers. Lab/Team focuses on rigorous compiler validation and program analysis tools. Open positions are available for Fall 2025.
Prof. Dr. İbrahim ÖZKAN is a full-time faculty member at Hacettepe University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics. He has held academic positions since 1988, advancing from Research Assistant to Professor (2014-present). His research focuses on econometrics, financial risk analysis, and fuzzy logic systems. Education: PhD (Economics) from Hacettepe University (2003), MSc (Economics) from Hacettepe University (1997), BSc (Electrical-Electronics Engineering) from Middle East Technical University (1987). Research interests include exchange rate pass-through, systemic risk contagion, and business cycle transmission. Recent articles explore stock market connectedness, economic sentiment effects, and financial stress mechanisms. He has supervised 10 PhD/Master’s students and contributed to 6 research projects. Notable publications include works on causal discovery algorithms and fuzzy system modeling. He currently serves as Department Chair and has held leadership roles in academic institutions.
Cumhur TAŞ is a Professor at Uskudar University's Psychology Department and holds a honorary research fellowship at the LWL-University Hospital Bochum's Research Department of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Preventative Medicine. He obtained his MD from Adnan Menderes University (2005) and his specialization in psychiatry from Celal Bayar University (2011), followed by a PhD in Neuroscience (summa cum lauda) from Ruhr University Bochum. He has also held visiting fellowships at King's College London and other institutions. Education: MD: Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine (2005) Psychiatry Specialization: Celal Bayar University (2011) PhD in Neuroscience: Ruhr University Bochum (2014) Visiting Fellowship: King's College London (2008–2009) Research Interests: His work focuses on neuropsychiatry, particularly schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. He explores EEG biomarkers, oxytocin's role in social cognition, and machine learning applications in psychiatric diagnostics. His studies often integrate neuroimaging techniques with behavioral and endocrine analyses to understand mental health disorders. Grants & Projects: tDCS device design and Implementation (2022) Beynini Çalıştır Kendini Yenile (2017) YENGEÇ Individual Rehabilitation Model (2015) Labs & Teams: He leads research teams in cognitive neuropsychiatry and runs the Uskudar University Psychology Department laboratory focusing on neuroimaging and behavioral studies.
Serkan GÜLDAL is an Assistant Professor at Adıyaman University's Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD in Systems Modeling and Information Theory from the University of Alabama, Birmingham (2016) and master's and bachelor's degrees in Physics. His research focuses on Density Functional Theory, Quantum Computing, Molecular Physics, and Machine Learning applications in UAV safety and materials modeling. He is a lifetime member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a Wolfram Technology Associate (2016). Education: Bachelor's in Physics (2006), Erciyes University Master's in Density Functional Theory (2011), Mississippi State University PhD in Systems Modeling & Information Theory (2016), University of Alabama, Birmingham Research Interests: Perovskite materials modeling using DFT Machine learning for UAV collision detection and data imbalance Quantum computing and molecular systems analysis Systems modeling in communication theory and STEM education Publications Overview: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles spanning materials science, machine learning, and UAV systems. Recent work includes drone safety models, perovskite crystal structures, and imbalanced data techniques. Awards: 15th IKSAD Science Award (202X) Grants & Leadership: Lead researcher on projects like 'ABO3 Perovskite Modeling' (2018-2019) and 'U-Space Separation in Europe' (2021-2022). Served as Department Head (2019) and currently holds Vice Dean roles. Labs & Teams: Active in open-source software contributions (LibreOffice/Firefox) and interdisciplinary collaborations on UAV systems and materials science.
Özge Öztimur Karadağ is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University. With a doctorate from Middle East Technical University (2014) and a master's degree from the same institution (2008), she specializes in computer vision, machine learning, and image processing. Academic Appointments: Assistant Professor (2014-present), Lecturer (2015), Research Assistant (2008-2014) Research Interests: Skeleton-based action recognition, image segmentation, Markov Random Fields, domain knowledge integration, deep learning Projects: TUBITAK-funded research on visual information precision (2012-2015), entity linking project (2017) Scientific Activities: IEEE member (since 2013), reviewer for journals like IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Zafer Aydın is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Abdullah Gul University. He holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and has held academic positions at Bahcesehir University and Abdullah Gul University. Research Interests: Machine learning applications in bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, health informatics, and industrial problem-solving (network intrusion detection, traffic flow prediction, sentiment analysis). Broad research areas: Protein structure prediction, respiratory virus modeling, medical imaging analysis, network security Recent projects focus on deep learning, ensemble methods, and feature engineering for biological and industrial datasets Scientific Achievements: First place in multiple DREAM Challenge leaderboards (COVID-19, Parkinson's disease) Second place in Respiratory Viral DREAM Challenge T0 phase He has mentored 4 PhD and 6 Master's students, and participated in 12 funded research projects including TUBITAK grants. His lab develops AI solutions for biomedical and industrial applications while maintaining active collaborations with international researchers.
Hakan Emekci is an Assistant Professor at TED University's Graduate School of Applied Data Science. He teaches courses such as Statistical Learning, Data Analytics, and Information Retrieval in the Applied Data Science Master Program. His research focuses on AI applications in healthcare, education technology, econometrics, and data-driven methodologies. Emekci has published works on specialized language models for medical contexts, RAG systems optimization, and the integration of AI in educational frameworks. His recent studies emphasize domain-specific AI solutions and their practical implementations across diverse sectors. Emekci's academic contributions include analyzing central bank policies' impact on financial markets and developing computational frameworks for data mining. He actively teaches advanced courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including Data Structures and Algorithms. His work bridges theoretical data science concepts with real-world applications in healthcare, education, and finance. Notable research areas include: Healthcare informatics & AI-driven diagnostic systems Educational technology innovations Machine learning model optimization Financial econometric analysis Domain-specific large language models His publications from 2025 highlight advancements in multi-agent medical frameworks and comparative studies of retrieval-augmented generation techniques. Earlier work (2017-2018) established foundational research in econometric policy analysis and R-based data mining methodologies.
Dr. Akhlaque Ahmad is an Assistant Professor in Software Engineering at TED University's Faculty of Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Electronics and Telecommunications from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, with industry experience at STMicroelectronics Milano and contributions to EU FP7 REVERIE project on virtual tele-immersion systems. His research spans: High-performance computing architectures Parallel algorithms for graph processing GPU optimization techniques Intelligent systems design Professor Ahmad teaches courses including Database Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Operating Systems. He actively promotes interdisciplinary connections between software engineering and liberal arts education.
Prof. Vilda Purutçuoğlu is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at Middle East Technical University (METU). Her academic career includes roles as Assistant Professor (2010–2012), Associate Professor (2012–2018), and Professor since 2018. She holds a Ph.D. from Lancaster University (2007) and has affiliations with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Applied Mathematics, and Informatics Institute at METU. Her research focuses on bioinformatics, systems biology, high-dimensional data analysis, neuroscience, and social statistics . Key professional roles include Head of the Department of Statistics (since 2025), Chair of the Award Fund Committee at the International Biometric Society (since 2022), and Editorial roles in journals like BMC Bioinformatics. She has led projects on topics ranging from family dynamics to outlier detection in biomedical data, funded by TÜBİTAK and METU. Prof. Purutçuoğlu has been recognized with multiple Academic Performance Awards (2011–2022 excluding 2020) and was a finalist for the Sabri Ülker Science Award (2015). She collaborates internationally, including a Global Engagement Fellowship (2024–2025) at University College London and research at Università Della Svizzera Italiana (2024). Her publications span books on operations research and bioinformatics, and she actively supervises projects and students in interdisciplinary areas like biomedical engineering and computational statistics.
Ismail Rakip Karas is a Professor of Computer Engineering and Head of the 3D GeoInformatics Research Group at Karabuk University, Turkey. He holds a BSc from Selcuk University (1997), MSc from Gebze Institute of Technology (2001), and PhD from Yildiz Technical University (2007). His career includes roles as Visiting Researcher at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (2010–2014) and Research Assistant at Gebze Institute of Technology (2000–2009). Currently, he serves as Deputy Rector of Karabuk University and has held administrative positions including Dean of Safranbolu Fine Art and Design Faculty, Director of Safranbolu Vocational School, and acting Dean of the Faculty of Architecture. Research interests span GeoInformatics, 3D GIS, network analysis, spatial data structures, and intelligent transportation systems. He has led over 20 national/international projects, including EU-funded initiatives and collaborations with institutions like Nara Institute of Science and Technology and University of Szeged. His work emphasizes smart city applications, indoor navigation, and emergency evacuation models. Publications include over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, focusing on GIS applications, machine learning in geospatial analysis, and 3D modeling. He has organized conferences like Geo-Advances 2017 and serves on editorial boards of journals such as the International Journal of Geo-Spatial Knowledge and Intelligence.
