On June 20, 2023, we proudly held the Doctoral Graduation Ceremony at Istanbul Technical University’s Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center, celebrating ITU’s 250th anniversary.

The ceremony began with an opening address by our Rector, Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, followed by a speech delivered on behalf of the doctoral graduates by Dr. Tuğçe Bilen.

Hakan Altınay, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the ITU Senate, inspired the audience with reflections from his remarkable career. As one of Turkey’s first four aerospace engineers graduating from ITU’s Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, he shared insights that resonated deeply with everyone present.

Our Graduate School Director, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Duran Şahin, then took the stage to share an important announcement for both our country and Istanbul Technical University, one of Turkey’s leading institutions. This term, we proudly graduated 292 highly qualified doctoral researchers under the distinction of #GraduateStudiesAtITU. We will continue to work with even greater dedication to further increase this number for the benefit of both our nation and the world.

The ceremony continued with the presentation of the Doctoral Special Awards and the Best Doctoral Thesis Awards, selected from among many exceptional dissertations representing diverse disciplines. The distinctions were determined by very narrow margins, as all our graduates produced outstanding work. The list of award recipients can be accessed at this link.

The event proceeded with the conferral of diplomas to our doctoral graduates from programs across the Graduate School. It was an honor to witness the proudest moments of all our graduates.

The ceremony concluded with a well-deserved cap-tossing celebration, after which we brought together our graduates and their guests at a reception.

With its highly qualified staff, the ITU Graduate School will continue to contribute even more to both our university and our country.