Director
Pinar Mengüç, after graduating from Ankara Science High School, received his BS and MS degrees from ODTU/METU in Ankara, Turkey, and his PhD from Purdue University, USA in 1985. He joined to the University of Kentucky and promoted to the ranks of associate professor and professor in 1988 and 1993, respectively, and eventually selected as the Engineering Alumni Association Chair Professor in 2008. He was a visiting professor at Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy during 1991, and at Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA during 199899 academic year.
He joined Özyeğin University, Istanbul in 2009 as the founding Head of Mechanical Engineering. The same year, he established CEEE/EÇEM. Mengüç’s research areas include radiative transfer, nanoscale transport phenomena, applied optics and sustainable energy applications. Over the years, he has guided more than 70 MS and PhD students, and postdocs researchers.
He is the author/coauthor of more than 150 archival papers, 220 conference publications, four books, and several book chapters. He holds six patents, including a triadic patent. Since 2008, he is one of the three Editorsin Chief of Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer (JQSRT ).
Mengüç received a R&D100 Award in 2005 based on a particle characterization technique they developed with the startup company STI in the USA. He also received 2014 Knowledge Transfer Award (2014) and 2015 Outstanding Researcher Award (2015), both from Ozyegin University, and the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Heat Transfer Memorial Award in the category of Art (2018). In 2020 he was chosen as an Outstanding Mechanical Engineer by the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering. Mengüç is an elected member of Science Academy of Turkey and currently serving at its executive board.
Administrative Manager
Dilek Saygı graduated with high honours and as the first one of the International Relations Department of Girne American University in 2007. Between 2007 and 2010, she worked as a project management assistant in International Office for Planning, Research and Consultancy Services (IPADHO) of Kadir Has University, Istanbul and specialized on funding programmes of international institutions as well as on management of social responsibility and consultancy projects in Turkey. She has been working as an Administrative Manager at CEEE since 2011 and is responsible for project management activities of the Center; budgetary operations and monitoring of funded projects; planning and arrangement of dissemination activities of national and international organizations. She has been also providing administrative assistance to Center’s Director, managing regular office procedures, issues of documentation, budgeting, and reporting of the Center. She has an intimate research interest on international governance and environmental adaptation policies through climate change; impacts and risks for vulnerable regions. She is now at dissertation stage of her MS in Political Science and International Relations at Yeditepe University focusing on “Analyzing the Impact of Climate ChangeRelated Migration on Human Security”.
Finance Specialist
After graduating from the Department of Public Finance, Faculty of Economics, Istanbul University, Gülçin Mezireli got Freelance Professional Accountant and Financial Consultancy Certificates and worked at companies such as Soyak Holding, BRISA and Ernst & Young. In 2011, she started to work at CEEE as finance specialist. She has contributed to the execution and finalization of Center’s national and international projects and successfully conducted and accomplished SymNet, NEED4B, BRICKER, TRIBE, CAPACITY, NEXTGEN and industry collaboration projects of the Center. She is currently working on financial operations of Center through accounting, budgeting, and reporting in coordination with other departments of the Özyeğin University.
PHD, R&D Manager
Cem Keskin completed undergraduate program of Middle East Technical University Department of Physics in 2008 and received his master degree in 2013 from Energy Science and Technology Program of Istanbul Technical University Energy Institute. He has completed his PhD study in Mechanical Engineering Department of Özyeğin University in 2020 and works as a project rese archer in Center for Energy, Environment and Economy. During his undergraduate education, he specialized in the field measurement and instrumentation and also participated student activities dealing with renewable energy. After graduation, had worked in private sector for five years as executive assistant and operations ma nager. During studies in master degree, he focused on industrial energy management and developed tools for implementing lean engineering and 6Sigma tools to in dustrial energy efficiency projects. He started to work in Özyeğin University in 2014 and he is the pilot leader of the Horizon2020TRIBE project for two years. He is cur rently studying on development of cyberphysicalsocial systems for interactive taskambient conditioning and leveraging humanbuilding interactions for building energy efficiency.
Assistant Professor Mechanical Engineering
Cem Keskin completed undergraduate program of Middle East Technical University Department of Physics in 2008 and received his master degree in 2013 from Energy Science and Technology Program of Istanbul Technical University Energy Institute. He has completed his PhD study in Mechanical Engineering Department of Özyeğin University in 2020 and works as a project rese archer in Center for Energy, Environment and Economy. During his undergraduate education, he specialized in the field measurement and instrumentation and also participated student activities dealing with renewable energy. After graduation, had worked in private sector for five years as executive assistant and operations ma nager. During studies in master degree, he focused on industrial energy management and developed tools for implementing lean engineering and 6Sigma tools to in dustrial energy efficiency projects. He started to work in Özyeğin University in 2014 and he is the pilot leader of the Horizon2020TRIBE project for two years. He is cur rently studying on development of cyberphysicalsocial systems for interactive taskambient conditioning and leveraging humanbuilding interactions for building energy efficiency.
Phd Candidate in DTS Program, CEEE/EÇEM, Özyeğin University
Gökçe Ersel Ötkün is an architect and sustainability professional working on various scaled projects con currently. She received her BS from ODTU/METU in Department of Architecture. Regarding her deep inte rest in the field of sustainability she parlayed her gra duate studies at Sheffield University, UK in the field of Sustainable Architectural Studies. After receiving her LEED Green Associate Certificate in 2011 she focu sed more on sustainability issues in design and carried out wide range of projects. She is still working in her own architecture&design firm following her experien ce and fund of knowledge in leading firms of Turkey such as Suyabatmaz&Demirel Architects, Emre Arolat Architects, Tabanlıoğlu Architects and FREA Architects. She has been working on her doctoral degree since 2018 at Özyeğin University, Design, Technology and Society Program in the specified topic of Sustainable Urban Transformations. As an active member of ISSP(International Society of Sustainability Professionals) and TurkishWIN, she is currently working as a sustai nability consultant for WWFTurkey, Brika Sustainability and several business firms on her area of expertise.
LCA and LCC Project Expert, CEEE/EÇEM, Özyeğin University
Ayşe Bayazıt Subaşı graduated from Middle East Technical University (METU), Department of Architecture in 2004 as an honour student. Between 2004 and 2016, she worked as architect in many projects both in the private and public sector, in design offices and construction sites and both in Turkey and abroad. She graduated from Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Project and Construction Management Master Programme. Between 2016 and 2017, Ayşe BAYAZIT SUBAŞI lectured at Architecture Departments of Beykent University, Istanbul Aydın University and Kemerburgaz University. Between 2017 and 2022, She worked as permanent lecturer at Altınbaş University, Faculty of Architecture and Engineering. She is now working on her doctoral dissertation at Istanbul Technical University Project and Construction PHD Programme. As a part of her doctoral dissertation, she is working in the GLAM Project (Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators and Methods) of UNEP and Life Cycle Initiative. Since April 2022, she has been working on LCA and LCC as Project Expert at CEEE – Center for Energy, Environment and Economy at Ozyegin University. She is married with one adorable child.
Assistant Professor Psychology, Özyeğin University
Assistant Professor Dr. Selenga Gürmen graduated summa cum laude from Bogazici University with a BA in Psychology in 2010. She obtained her Masters and PhD in in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Connecticut in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Currently, she is an assistant professor in Psychology department at Özyeğin University, Istanbul, Turkey. She is teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes and super vising MFT trainees. Her research on Marriage and Family Therapy field focuses mostly on issues around coparenting, divorce, and highconflict therapy. She also conducts studies on the effects of social media and smartphones on romantic relationships as well as pa rentchild relationships in the digital age. Dr. Gürmen adapts the family systems approach to macrolevel complex societal problems (climate change, energy and resource crisis, gender inequality, violence etc.) to as sess the dynamics of collective behavior change and de velop models for intervention and prevention strategies. Dr. Gürmen conducts therapy with individuals, couples, and families. She provides various seminars, workshops and training programs where she supports couples and parents during times of crisis and developmental tran sition processes. In addition to her clinical experiences, she is one of the few AAMFTapproved supervisors in Turkey.
Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering
Özgür Ertunç is an aeronautical engineer with focus on thermofluid dynamics. He completed his doctorate study on turbulent flows in 2006 at the Fluid Mechanics Institute (LSTM) of FiedrichAlexanderUniversity (FAU) in Erlangen Germany. He founded the “Unsteady Fluid Mechanics” and “Fluid Dynamics and Turbulence” re search groups in 2002 and 2010, respectively at FAU LSTM. He established “Fluid Dynamics and Spray Laboratory” at Özyeğin University and he is developing “Combustion Laboratory” and a “Wind Tunnel Facility” for research on the application of transitional and tur bulent flows, combustion, multiphase flows (droplets, sprays and particle laden flows), and optimization of flow devices and processes. He conducted more than 30 industry oriented projects and 16 fundamental re search projects. His research have been supported by the EU, the German Research Foundation (DFG), German Aerospace Center (DLR), The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), TÜBİTAK, Bavarian Research Foundation (BFS), SIEMENS, BMW, Audi, VW, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, ATOTECH, ARCELIK, BOSCH, Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş., TEI.
Sustainability Strategy Specialist, CEEE/EÇEM, Özyeğin University
Ruken Karakus, is graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Architecture and Landscape Architecture Bachelor programs with a double degree. She spent 2017 in Spain, working in an environmental and sustainability NGO. After she came back, she started working in an architectural design firm called anonim.istanbul. There she took part in architectural and landscape design projects, at conceptual, drawing and application processes; some of the design competitions she attended were also awarded. Between 2019-2021, she started her master’s joint degree Smart Cities and Communities (SMACCs) with a full scholarship from Erasmus Mundus program; at Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University and Spain-Bilbao, University of the Basque Country. through that she gained expertise on Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Urban Planning, Industry and Transportation. Her thesis was about The Impact of Occupant Behavior on Energy Demand at Residential Buildings. In January 2022, she obtained LEED Green Associate credentials to further specialize on urban sustainability. She joined Özyeğin University, Center of Energy, Environment and Economy as a sustainability strategy specialist.
Senior Sustainability Specialist, CEEE/EÇEM, Özyeğin University
Merve Mermertaş completed her undergraduate education with a dual bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Istanbul Technical University as an Environmental Engineer in 2013. She has started her career in built environment sustainability with her interest in sustainability on projects where energy efficiency, daylight, indoor environmental quality, carbon emissions, and life cycle analysis impacts have been calculated and evaluated. She has completed her master’s degree from ITU Environmental Sciences, Engineering, and Management department focusing within her thesis on sustainable strategy and low environmental impact product design development through the life cycle analysis approach in 2018. Her studies were completed by academic posters and presentations at international conferences, including American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA). Her studies on recycling and reuse approach to improving sustainability performance were provided as a chapter contribution to an international academic book. She has continued her professional business on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Desing Certification (LEED), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), carbon footprint, resource and waste management, and circular economy. She has taken roles in the fast-moving consumer goods packaging sector to develop collaboration-based, cradle-to-cradle, innovative waste management practices. She has advanced her professional career by specializing in circular economy and providing traceability, calculating and determining the strategic way to reduce carbon footprint, as well as sustainability reporting. She joined the Center for Energy, Environment, and Economy at Özyeğin University as a Senior Sustainability Specialist in April 2022.
Sustainability Specialist, CEEE/EÇEM, Özyeğin University
Damla Kaleli graduated as an Architect from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Architecture in 2014. During her undergraduate education and simultaneous work experience in Omerler Architecture design studio, she decided to focus on sustainability in architecture. Therefore, she completed her Master of Science degree in Architectural Engineering: Environmental Design at the University of Bath, in the UK between 2014 and 2015. She has been involved in the ENLITEN Project working group to analyze thermal comfort sensor results to complete her dissertation. Her dissertation has focused on thermal comfort in the UK dwellings during summertime extreme temperatures. The article for which she is a co-author was published at the 9th Windsor Conference. In 2016, she started working as an Environmental Designer and Sustainability Consultant at Etude sustainability consultancy office in London. Thanks to this experience that lasted for 3 years, she contributed to the preparation of sustainability reports for the City of London and its various districts, and had the opportunity to work with leading architecture and energy consultancy companies in many projects, focusing on policies to reduce energy efficiency and approach zero carbon in these buildings. In addition, she received the Passive House Designer certificate given by the Passive House Institute and has also worked as a Passive House Consultant on many projects in the UK. As of 2019, she returned to Turkey and started her second master’s degree in Alternative Architectural Practices program at MEF University. During this education, she took part in the production of the micro life unit called Volu-te and aimed to produce a zero-energy smart urban cabin. The project they produced in this context was entitled to receive a grant from the Tübitak 1512 program, and as a result, she took part in the establishment of Alter8 Research and Development company as one of the partners. She has joined the ECEM staff since June 2022 to continue her work on sustainability.
Assistant Professor Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Göktürk Poyrazoğlu is a faculty at Özyeğin University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. After receiving his master’s degree in 2013 and docto rate degree in Electrical Engineering in State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYBuffalo) in 2015, he wor ked at Mitsubishi Electrical Research Laboratory (MERL) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the USA. He took part in research on the adaptation of new te chnologies that will provide innovative changes in the electricity energy industry. He has worked on energy markets, smart energy solutions, energy transmissi on planning, energy consumption management and energy efficiency. As a team leader in the USA Alevo Analytics company, he has provided consultancy servi ces to many countries and state energy ministries for the establishment of an energy storage system road map. He is working as a consultant at Turkey’s Energy Market Operator (EPIAŞ), Electricity Distribution Services Association (ELDER), Turkcell and the US Acelerex in op timization, energy efficiency, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and in the emobility field. He served as IEEE Turkey Student Committee Coordinator between 20182020, currently he serves as Coordinator of IEEE Turkey Industrial Relations.
Ozyegin University
Academic Building 4, B5-520,
Nisantepe, Orman Street, 34794 Cekmekoy
Istanbul / TURKEY
Ozyegin University
Academic Building 4, B5-520,
Nisantepe, Orman Street, 34794 Cekmekoy
Istanbul / TURKEY
+90 (216) 564 91 34
+90 (216) 564 91 34
energy@ozyegin.edu.tr
energy@ozyegin.edu.tr
