3 BS Alumni

Cem Anıl Arslan (IE) is a Data Science Expert at McKinsey & Company management consulting firm. In his role, he is managing analytics studies in the energy sector. He combines his analytical expertise in machine learning and optimization techniques with energy sector knowledge to increase the profitability of the plants while also reducing their environmental carbon footprint. 

Cem holds bachelors from Ozyegin University with a major in Industrial Engineering and a minor in Computer Science. He graduated from Ozyegin University in 2017 as the valedictorian of his class. Following 2 years of experience in the industry, he persuaded a Master's in Artificial Intelligence from KU Leuven from which he graduated with a magna cum laude degree.

Cem joined the Management Consulting firm McKinsey & Company as a data scientist in 2017. Since then, his focus was in energy sector projects in different countries including Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia and Azerbaijan. Currently, he is the most firm-tenured Data Scientist in the Istanbul Office.

In his projects in the energy sector, Cem uses different machine learning techniques to model complex chemical reactions and utilizes various optimization algorithms to increase profitability via dynamically optimizing process parameters. In a typical study, 3+ years of data from 2000+ different sensors are utilized to understand these complex relationships. As a consultant, Cem's responsibilities also involve developing the right software infrastructure that will enable deployment of the analytical models, design and development of dynamic dashboards to show the results to plant engineers and operators and ensuring the adoption of new tools that come with digital transformation to ensure that analytical solutions generate real impact.

Projects in which Cem was involved enabled analytical-driven profitability increase between 2-7% and reduced the carbon footprint of the plants enabling more efficient operations with reduced energy and feedstock consumption. 2 of the analytical projects in which Cem was lead data scientist was selected as digital lighthouse projects (across the globe) by the World Economy Forum.

Mert Kavala graduated from Kabataş Erkek Lisesi and started his undergraduate studies in the Civil Engineering program at Özyeğin University with a full scholarship. Throughout his four years at the Özyeğin University, he had the opportunity to enhance both socially and academically. He served on the executive board for 3.5 years and was president of the OzU Construction Club in 2021. In his undergraduate studies, Mert served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Static and Construction Management courses.

Additionally, he took on the role of undergraduate research assistant in the field of self-healing concrete materials at Assoc. Prof. Zeynep Başaran Bundur’s Advanced Concrete Materials laboratory. In 2022, Mert graduated from Özyeğin University with a GPA of 3.71, ranking first in the department. He expanded his graduation project in collaboration with project members under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Feyza Çinicioğlu and Assoc. Prof. Zeynep Başaran Bundur and presented it in the 18th Young Geotechnical Engineers Symposium. Their paper titled ‘Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) Use for Slope Stabilization in Sands and Clays’ was selected as the best paper.

In January 2023, he started the combined Ph.D. program in Geotechnical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. As a graduate research assistant, he is currently researching bio-catalyzed CO2 sequestration technologies. Furthermore, he has been working as a graduate teaching assistant for the Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering course for the past two semesters. He received the Larry Goertz Graduate Fellowship from the Cockrell School of Engineering for 2022-2023 in recognition of his academic achievements.

Seyma Gürel graduated with honors from the Department of Civil Engineering in Özyeğin University in 2018. Seyma dedicated herself to her research career that began during her undergraduate studies with Dr. Zeynep Başaran Bundur. At Özyeğin University, Seyma worked as a research assistant and received a TÜBİTAK scholarship while still an undergraduate, contributing to projects focused on self-healing concrete and the improvement of concrete rheology using bacteria.After completing her undergraduate studies, Seyma decided to further pursue her interest in construction materials by enrolling in a Master's program in materials engineering. She was accepted into the Mechanical Engineering master's program at Koç University, where she continued her research on high-entropy alloys.

Upon completing her master's degree, Seyma proceeded to pursue a Ph.D. at ETH Zurich's Department of Civil Engineering, continuing her academic career. Currently, she is conducting research on digital concrete production at ETH Zurich. Throughout her educational journey, Seyma actively participated in various student clubs. Alongside other founding friends at Özyeğin University, she established a volunteer club, leading various aid projects and providing support to sister schools.