Kadir Has’s Vision Has Been Rewarding Science for 21 Years

As Kadir Has University, we celebrated the 21st anniversary of our traditional Kadir Has Awards, which we have been organizing since 2003, with this year’s ceremony. Within the scope of our awards, which symbolize our founder Kadir Has’s vision of investing in education and people, we honored distinguished scientists who stand out with their work in artificial intelligence and technology.

The ceremony, held to commemorate the name of the late Kadir Has—who believed that our country’s development is only possible through science and technology—took place on Wednesday, March 25, with strong participation from the academic community. Hosted by our Rector Prof. Dr. Ayşe Başar, the event honored individuals who contribute to Türkiye’s scientific prestige at both national and international levels.

Global Achievements Honored

This year’s theme was determined as “Science, Technology and Artificial Intelligence,” focusing on the transformative power of science and future-shaping technologies. Prof. Dr. Asuman Özdağlar, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” for her mathematical contributions to artificial intelligence and large-scale learning algorithms, as well as her academic leadership.

The “Promising Scientist Award” was presented to Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatma Güney for her original and innovative research in scene geometry and motion analysis.

Kadir Has Mission: Serving Science and Humanity

Through the Kadir Has Awards, we aim to make visible and bring together individuals and institutions that contribute to the development of society. Once again, this year’s ceremony emphasized that our founder’s commitment to education continues to live on both within our university and in the achievements of the awarded scientists.

From Past to Present: Kadir Has Award Recipients

We launched the Kadir Has Awards for the first time in 2003 under the theme “Turkey’s Place in a Globalizing World.” In this context, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çakmak was awarded first place, Prof. Dr. Bozkurt Güvenç second place, and Dr. Üner Kırdar third place.

In 2005, under the theme “Turkey’s EU Accession Process,” Savaşkan İlmak was awarded first place, Dr. İrfan Kaya Ülger second place, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Hakkı Çiftçi third place.

In 2006, under the title “Turkey’s Middle East Policy,” Merve İrem Yapıcı received first place, Dr. Meral Dinçer second place, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Hakkı Çiftçi third place.

In 2007, under the theme “Information Technologies and Development,” Timuçin Tunç was awarded first place, İrfan Kalaycı second place, and Dr. Meral Dinçer third place.

In 2010, in the field of “Renewable Energy Resources,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Duran Şahin received first place, while Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Vardar and Prof. Dr. Bahattin Çetin were awarded second place.

In 2011, under the theme “Education and Science,” Prof. Dr. Erdal Arıkan received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Dr. Ataman Şendöl was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2012, in the field of “Culture and Arts,” Emre Arolat received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Lara Melda was recognized as a Promising Artist.

In 2013, in the “General Science” category, Prof. Dr. Daron Acemoğlu received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Koşar was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2014, in the field of “Science, Technology and Innovation,” Prof. Dr. Turgay Dalkara received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Prof. Dr. Özgür Barış Akan was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2015, in the field of “Society, Politics and Economy,” Prof. Dr. Şerif Mardin received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şener Aktürk was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2016, in the field of “Natural and Life Sciences,” Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toner received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Kıvanç Birsoy was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2017, in the field of “Urban Studies,” Prof. Dr. Sema Erder received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Ali Tuna Kuyucu was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2018, under the theme “Ottoman Social and Economic History,” Prof. Dr. Şevket Pamuk received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2019, in the field of “Complex Systems,” Prof. Dr. İvet Bahar received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Canan Dağdeviren was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2021, in the field of “Neuroscience,” Prof. Dr. Murat Günel received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Dr. Piray Atsak was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2022, in the field of “Infectious Diseases and Immunology,” Prof. Dr. Moshe Arditi received the Outstanding Achievement Award, while Dr. Billur Akkaya and Dr. Münir Akkaya were recognized as Promising Scientists.

In 2023, under the theme “Sustainable Economy in the World,” Prof. Dr. Ziya Öniş received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bengi Akbulut was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2024, under the title “The 100th Anniversary of Our Republic and Atatürk,” Prof. Dr. Reşat Kasaba received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Dr. Banu Turnaoğlu Açan was recognized as a Promising Scientist.

In 2025, in the field of “Global Peace and Justice,” Prof. Dr. Ayşe Betül Çelik received the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Çuhadar was recognized as a Promising Scientist.