Invited Speakers

Prof. Tolgay Kara holds the position of Full Professor and Head of Control Division at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Türkiye. He received his BSc degree from the Middle East Technical University in 1996, and his MSc and PhD degrees from Gaziantep University in 1999 and 2005 respectively, all in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. His research interests include control theory and applications, process control, adaptive control, system identification, autonomous and unmanned systems, and fault-tolerant control systems. He has authored numerous journal and conference papers, led several research projects, and supervised many MSc and PhD theses on modeling and control of dynamic systems and related topics.

Padmaja Pulivarthy is an experienced IT and database professional specializing in enterprise data systems, cloud technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and large-scale data engineering. Her technical expertise includes Oracle, SQL Server, Greenplum, Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, AWS, Python, and data science, with a focus on developing scalable, high-performance, and reliable technology solutions. In recognition of her technical expertise and contributions, she has received the DBMS Star Award twice.

Throughout her career, she has contributed to technology initiatives across various industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, banking, pharmaceuticals, and networking. Her professional work focuses on database management, system reliability, automation, performance optimization, and applying emerging technologies to solve complex real-world challenges.

In addition to her industry experience, she is an independent researcher with 20+ research publications and 260+ citations. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, intelligent database systems, predictive analytics, and emerging technologies that connect innovative research with practical applications.

She holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA), completed with First Class and Distinction, from Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India.

Professor İbrahim Türkoğlu received his M.Sc. degree in Artificial Intelligence in 1996 and his Ph.D. degree in the same field in 2002 from Fırat University, Türkiye. He was awarded the title of Associate Professor in Computer and Control Technologies in 2007 and was promoted to Full Professor in Software Engineering in 2014.

Throughout his academic and professional career, Prof. Türkoğlu has actively contributed to academia, industry, and public institutions. He has served as a consultant to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Elazığ and Bingöl and represented Bingöl Province in the Public-University-Industry Cooperation (KÜSİ) initiative under the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of Türkiye in 2016.

Prof. Türkoğlu has held numerous administrative and leadership positions, including Head of Department, Chair of Academic Division, Director of the Distance Education Center, Director of Information Technologies Department at Fırat University, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Bingöl University. He currently serves as the President of the Association for the Development of Vocational and Technical Education (METEM-DER) and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Architects and Engineers Group (MMG).

His academic career began at Dumlupınar University in 1994 and has continued at Fırat University, where he founded and currently chairs one of the first Software Engineering Departments established among public universities in Türkiye.

Prof. Türkoğlu has authored nearly 300 scientific journal and conference publications, seven books, and has led or contributed to 35 research and development projects. He is also the inventor of three patents. He founded the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Research and Analysis Laboratory at Fırat University and currently leads its research team.

As an academic advisor and mentor, he has supervised 35 graduate students at the master’s and doctoral levels. Among his former graduate students, eight have attained the rank of professor, four have become associate professors, and four are currently serving as assistant professors, contributing significantly to higher education and research in Türkiye.

Under his supervision, multidisciplinary student teams have achieved numerous awards in prestigious international competitions, including TEKNOFEST, TÜBİTAK projects, Zero Waste, Environment, Innovation, and Patent competitions.

His current research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Non-Line-of-Sight Sensing and Imaging, Unmanned Systems, University-Industry Collaboration, and Civil Society Engagement. In addition, he serves as a member of the advisory boards of TÜBİTAK-BİDEB and TEKNOFEST.