Cagri Mert Bakirci, a graduate of Middle East Technical University (ODTU), earned his doctorate in Evolutionary Robotics and Bio-inspired Engineering from Texas Tech University in the United States. Throughout his academic career, he has been academically involved in robotics, artificial intelligence, evolutionary biology, neurobiology, and animal behavior (ethology). In 2008, he founded the ODTU Machinery and Innovation Community, and in 2010, he established the "Evrim Agaci" (Tree of Evolution). Bakirci, along with the "Evrim Agaci" team, has organized public education events across Turkey, involving thousands of participants in high schools and universities. Within the "Evrim Agaci" project, Bakirci has authored over 400 popular science articles on the evrimagaci.org website.

Currently residing in Texas, Bakirci serves as the CEO, founder, and administrative head of Evrim Agaci, and leads digital projects such as Kreosus. He continues to write new books and popular science articles and to develop scientific projects.

Selim Onal graduated from Sabancı University's Computer Science and Engineering program in 2008 and began his doctoral studies in computational biology at Brown University. He earned his master's degree in 2010 and departed from the doctoral program. After graduating, he embarked on his professional journey as an application engineer at Oracle within the Fusion Applications team. In July 2011, he joined Google, where he worked as a software engineer on the Google search engine until January 2016. Subsequently, he spent a year serving as a software engineer at Palantir. Following this, he commenced his tenure at Quip (Salesforce).

Since 2022, Selim Onal has held the position of Senior Director of Engineering at Ladder Life. Additionally, he has been actively engaged as the president of the Crossing Paths, which he founded in 2016. Also, Selim Onal serves as the Founder & President of Heasy, that provides courses preparing individuals for job interviews and helps unlock their potential.

Burak Gozluklu is a Principal AI/ML Specialist and Generative AI Lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he provides technical consultancy to strategic global customers. He also serves as a Research Affiliate at MIT. With over 15 years of experience spanning aerospace, data science, and AI/ML, Gozluklu has made contributions through roles at organizations like MIT, Amazon Robotics, Tesla, and Turkish Aerospace Industries. His technical expertise includes machine learning, system dynamics, optimization, and developing solutions for complex problems. Gozluklu's work has been recognized through awards such as the NASA Space-Race Entrepreneurship Competition and he holds a PhD from Middle East Technical University along with master's degrees from MIT. He remains driven to learn and innovate while applying his multidisciplinary background.

Demet Aybar, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of US Lab Partners LLC and DKSCientific, has been celebrated for her leadership and contributions to laboratory administration by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives. With nearly a quarter-century of professional experience, Aybar has notably led US Lab Partners LLC and DKSCientific since 2023, demonstrating significant expertise in the field. Her career has spanned several key roles, including senior research associate at Ribon Therapeutics, laboratory operations manager for Repertoire Immune Medicines, and various directorial positions at Scholar Rock, Endolytix Technology Inc., and Strand Therapeutics, among others. Starting her career in Turkey and then moving through significant roles in the United States, Aybar has a strong background as a clinical laboratory scientist, research specialist, and laboratory operations manager.

Educationally, Aybar earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Karadeniz Technical University in 2000, followed by a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry from Marmara University in 2005. Her journey reflects dedication, hard work, and a detail-oriented approach, underpinned by strong family support. Notably, Aybar has played a crucial role in assisting biotech companies with their operational setups during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead, she aspires to continue mentoring and guiding others towards success in the scientific and biotechnological fields.

Dr. Aysegül Tümer is an observational X-ray astrophysicist, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. She received her joint MSc and PhD degree in physics in 2019 from Boğaziçi University, Türkiye in collaboration with The University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. She worked at The University of Utah Department of Physics and Astronomy as a postdoctoral researcher prior to her appointment at MIT.

Her research focuses on the large scale structure formation and evolution in the universe using X-ray data from space based telescopes, as well as developing methods for the background characterization of X-ray satellites. She is a member of the In Flight Calibration and Performance Verification Teams of the joint NASA and JAXA X-ray mission, XRISM, that was launched in September 2024.

Furkan Ercan is a Staff Research Scientist at Intel Corporation USA. He earned his Ph.D. at McGill University in Canada, specializing in 5G communications algorithms and realizing them into practice. He was previously a Postdoctoral Associate at Boston University, in collaboration with MIT and Maynooth University, where he was involved in 6G research & development. Furkan's research and teaching efforts in the field of communications has made significant contributions, documented through various journals, patents, book chapters, and awards. Furkan's career trajectory involves various paths in academia, industry and startup ventures.

He currently serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Communications Letters, co-founder and entrepreneur for an AI-powered B2B startup venture, Program Chair for several flagship conferences, and father to a one-year-old.

Ilker Carikcioglu is a member of our Advanced Analytics practice. He joined our Chicago office in 2006 and has also worked in our London, Singapore and Istanbul offices.

During his time at Bain, Ilker has added value to numerous Bain projects. His involvement in these projects has comprised of advanced statistical analyses such as key driver identification, customer segmentations, full potential and white space analyses, and conjoint and pricing research. He has also contributed to several client NPS implementation and customer loyalty initiatives.

Ilker has recently contributed to research evaluating distinct elements of customer value and has a keen interest in behavioral economics and consumer behavior. Ilker holds an MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University in New York.

As International Partnerships Manager, James’s primary focus is to manage and strengthen the City of Boston’s international relations in the areas of friendship, trade, understanding, and cooperation. He coordinates and hosts visiting international delegations on behalf of the Mayor, supports Sister City agreements and cooperative relationships between Boston and international cities, and engages with the Consular Corps and other international partners in Boston and internationally.

Jeremiah Genest is an accomplished quality professional with over two decades of extensive experience in the Pharmaceutical industry, based in Boston, MA. Currently, he holds the prestigious position of Senior Director of Quality Engineering and Validation at Just Evotec Biologics, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the highest standards of quality and validation within the organization. It's important to note that while Jeremiah shares insights and opinions in his field, these reflect his personal views and not necessarily those of his employer.

His leadership and expertise have not only been recognized within his organization but also in broader professional forums. Jeremiah has notably served as the past chair of the Team and Workplace Excellence Forum of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Jeremiah is deeply passionate about advancing the field of quality, particularly in areas such as change management, knowledge management, risk management, cultivating a quality culture, ensuring data integrity, and exploring the future of quality. His enthusiasm and dedication to these topics are evident in his approach to quality engineering and validation, making him a respected voice in the pharmaceutical quality community.

Dr. Celebi provides expertise in electricity markets and the analysis of environmental and climate policy. He has testified and consulted primarily in the areas of electricity spot pricing and market design, and has experience in developing and analyzing climate policies, LMP modeling, generation plant valuation, and competitive implications of mergers.

Dr. Celebi wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the analysis of incentives and regulation to provide transmission capacity in deregulated electricity markets. His recent engagements include estimating economic damages in energy contracts, valuations of coal-fired and gas-fired power plants, impacts of environmental regulations on power markets, cost/benefit assessment of RTO membership to electric utilities, and nodal pricing simulations in the U.S. electric markets. He has provided testimony in regulatory cases involving the impact of coal plant retirements on wholesale energy prices, LMP simulations in PJM, and allocation of certain ancillary services costs among market participants in ERCOT.

Onder Ondemir is a visionary leader and innovator in the field of Robotics. With a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and experience as an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, Onder co-founded Ubiros, a groundbreaking tech startup specializing in automation solutions for the food and beverage industry. His expertise extends to the development of the first-ever electrical soft gripper, a testament to his commitment to technological advancement and impactful innovation.

As a speaker at the New England Turkish Student Association's BLISS event, Onder brings his unique perspective, expertise, and dedication to empowering the next generation of leaders in technology and beyond.

Tugba Efendigil is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Operations & Technology Management department, specializing in the digital transformation of supply chains and circular supply chain domains. She specifically looks for better supply chain design aspects in forward and reverse flows to enable agile and resilient solutions for today’s dynamic business environment. She has published extensively in prestigious journals on leveraging technology and analytics to optimize supply chain operations.

Prior to BU, with a background as a research scientist at MIT and industry experience in start-ups, she brings a wealth of practical and academic expertise to her role. She taught undergraduate and graduate-level students and had research experiences in Turkey between 2012-2017. She holds MS, and Ph.D degrees in Industrial Engineering from Yildiz Technical University in Turkey and pursued postdoctoral research at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. She is a member of IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society and Decision Science Institute.