SPEAKERS

Prof. Dr. Erdal ARIKAN

Bilkent University
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Prof. Dr. Erdal Arıkan is a world-renowned scientist who made a breakthrough in communication theory with his discovery of "polar codes," a method that enables the reliable transmission of information. Arıkan received his bachelor's degree from Caltech and his master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from MIT, and has served for many years as a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Bilkent University. For this discovery, which underlies the 5G communication standard, he has been awarded some of the most prestigious international honors in information theory, including the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal and the Claude E. Shannon Award.

Prof. Dr. Ali BOZBEY

TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Prof. Dr. Ali Bozbey is a scientist and entrepreneur carrying out pioneering work in superconducting electronics, quantum devices, and microwave technologies. As Director of the TOBB ETU Superconductivity and Low Temperature Laboratory, Bozbey leads Turkey's first quantum computer project, "QuanT," and also heads the localization of scalable quantum technologies at Phi₀ Quantum Technologies Inc., which he founded. Holder of more than 25 international patents, Prof. Dr. Bozbey has received the ICQMT National Achievement Award in Quantum Technologies and the Higher Education Council (YÖK) Outstanding Achievement Award.

Dr. Raquel C. Conceição

Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering
Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon

Dr. Raquel C. Conceição, a faculty member at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and Scientific Coordinator of the IBEB (Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering), was the first researcher to pursue a doctorate in medical microwave imaging in Portugal, launching this line of research nationally. She has led prestigious European projects such as Marie Curie and Horizon 2020 grants, and was one of the youngest Action Chairs within COST.

Dr. Conceição, who develops microwave technologies for breast cancer diagnosis, is Vice-Chair of the URSI (International Union of Radio Science) Portuguese Committee and a member of the IEEE MTT (Microwave Theory and Techniques Society) Committee on Biological Effects and Medical Applications. With expertise in machine learning and signal processing, she has authored more than 90 scientific publications and leads pioneering work in translating engineering solutions into clinical diagnostic methods.

Prof. Dr. Emeritus Kazuya KOBAYASHI

Chuo University,
Tokyo, Japan

A scientist recognized worldwide for his work on the analytical solution of electromagnetic scattering, diffraction, and separation problems. Kobayashi earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Waseda University (1982) and served at Chuo University for 43 years, where he was granted the title of Professor Emeritus. He has received numerous prestigious honors, including the URSI Presidential Award (2020), IEICE Fellow status (2024), and URSI Fellow status (2017). He currently serves as URSI Vice President, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Radio Science, and General Chair of URSI AP-RASC 2028.

Prof. Dr. Altunkan HIZAL

Emeritus Faculty Member, METU Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
ASELSAN-REHİS

Prof. Dr. Altunkan Hızal was born in Turkey in 1942. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, at METU in 1964, 1966, and 1970, respectively. Between 1971 and 1975, he carried out postdoctoral research at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham, England. In 1980–1981, he served as an electromagnetics consultant at the ERA/RFTC Research Institute in Surrey, England. He was granted the title of Professor at METU in 1988. Between 1999 and 2004, he worked for 2–3 months each year at Hittite Microwave Technology in Boston, USA. Altunkan Hızal retired from METU in 2009 and has served as a consultant in the ASELSAN/REHİS division since 2009.

His main areas of interest are electromagnetic theory, antennas, waveforms, and propagation in various media, along with their applications in radar and electronic warfare. His current work focuses in particular on phased-array radar antenna systems and various waveform designs.