Hatice Tekiner Moğulkoç, a researcher at the Department of Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, took part as a researcher in an ambitious research project focusing on one of the most critical issues that will shape Turkey's energy future in her scientific career. In the project titled "Integration of Electric Vehicles into the Electricity Generation Expansion Problem and Determination of Optimum Vehicle Penetration Levels", he had the opportunity to deepen his researcher identity by assuming responsibility in both complex mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence applications processes.

The project examined the effects of the proliferation of electric vehicles on the national electricity grid and modeled which power plants should be installed when and where to meet this growing demand. Moğulkoç developed a multi-purpose, multi-period and two-stage stochastic programming model for this challenging problem. It also set dynamic pricing policies using AI techniques such as reinforcement learning to analyze the charging behavior of vehicle users and spread demand throughout the day.

"While the proliferation of electric vehicles offers an environmental gain on the one hand, it also creates a major challenge for our energy infrastructure. Optimizing this two-way equation has taken my scientific curiosity and analytical problem-solving skills to the next level. Using tools from different disciplines, from stochastic modeling to reinforcement learning, has strengthened my researcher identity on theoretical and practical grounds. The education I received at ITU was the basis for me to develop a solution to such a complex and multi-layered problem with a systemic approach," says Moğulkoç.

The team leading the project not only resonated with academic circles with its results, but also provided valuable outputs that could guide national energy policies. Articles such as "Analyzing the Impact of Charger Availability and Power Rates on Electric Vehicle Charging Load Patterns" and "Optimizing Electric Vehicle Charging Load Variability Using Deep Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Pricing" prepared within the scope of the project were sent to prestigious journals at the Q1 level.

While ITU transforms critical data into a tool for Turkey's sustainable energy and transportation future, it also gives our researchers like Hatice Tekiner Moğulkoç the opportunity to take firm steps forward in the scientific world and contribute to the country's development goals. Moğulkoç's experience is the product of an environment where our students gain not only knowledge but also a culture of scientific production and policy development.