3 BS Alumni

Ece (ME), works as a Senior Specialist Engineer in the Truck R&D department of Mercedes Benz Turk A.S. company. As part of her job description, she contributes to the development of electric heavy/medium truck concepts. Gaining experience in the application areas of engineering during her internships, Ece received training in automotive design in 2015 and completed 2 separate design projects during this time. Afterwards, she studied at Pforzheim University as an exchange student with an Erasmus+ scholarship. Between May-October 2017, she worked as a TÜBITAK scholar in the project titled "Dynamics of Drops That Hit Moving Surfaces and Its Use in Surface Coating and Spray Technologies".

In her undergraduate thesis, she worked on the optimization of the anti-roll bar of Mercedes heavy class construction site trucks. With this work she did with her teammate, they won the third prize in the 7th automotive R&D project market and component design competition in 2018. Within the scope of the same project, they also transferred their work to an academic article and this study was published in the International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), one of the largest mechanical engineering conferences in the world.

After her graduation, she started to work for TUSAŞ Motor Sanayii A.Ş. as a Structural Analysis Engineer. Between the years 2018-2022, she worked in the TEI-TS1400 Turboshaft Engine Development Project, which is Turkey's first type certificated original and national engine. She returned to the automotive sector as of April 2022 and still continues her work at Mercedes Benz Türk A.Ş.

Birce received her bachelor’s degree from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Ozyegin University. During her undergraduate education, she developed an interest in supply chain management and acquired skills in the field through relevant coursework. She participated in Unilever’s Supply Chain Reaction Project in her senior year, gaining valuable experience that allowed her to bridge the gap between theory and practice. She also took on roles in extracurricular activities throughout bachelor’s, such as serving as a peer advisor in OZU Peer Advisor Program and being a member of student clubs.

She pursued her education by commencing a master’s program within the same department, where she focused her research on humanitarian logistics and disaster management with the motivation of making contributions to society. She enhanced her proficiency in applying advanced analytical methods and Operations Research techniques to support decision-making in the related fields. Additionally, she served as a teaching assistant during her master’s studies, which further honed her academic and professional skills.

She is currently in her third year as a Ph.D. student at HEC Montréal, specializing in the Department of Logistics and Operations Management. Her doctoral thesis focuses on humanitarian supply chain network design and management. She has received prestigious awards and scholarships in recognition of her academic achievements during her doctoral studies, including Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE), Foundation J. Armand Bombardier Scholarship, and CIRRELT Doctoral Excellence Scholarship.

Okan (IE) is the Founding Member of Twin Science, the world’s first ed-tech company that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning with SDGs education for young people to raise them as tomorrow’s changemakers. Twin Science has been recognized as a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum, won BETT Awards 2020 and the Silver Play for Change Award from Toy Industry of Europe. 

As a student, Okan started his journey with the Young Guru Academy, one of Turkey’s leading NGOs, while studying at university. He was selected as one of the 50 young talents among 50,000 applicants to develop impact-driven projects for refugees, orphans, the visually impaired, and others through volunteerism. 

Passionate about eliminating inequality in education worldwide, Okan has also been leading a social responsibility project called the World Science Movement (WSM). The project aims to give children better access to STEM education. WSM has reached over 500,000 underprivileged children in Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Turkey. Okan believes that no curious mind should be left behind and he is dedicated towards working for this purpose until reaching all young people around the world.