Umran S. Inan (BS’73–MS’74–PhD’77) received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, in 1972 and 1973, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, in 1977.
SPEAKERS
The developments that are experienced every day in many subjects such as art, history, politics, sociology, philosophy, business world, economics, medicine, media, technology, necessitate the transfer of this information to one another. ANKARA PALAS MEETINGS, which have been organized for this purpose, are inviting ones who are specialized in its fields and known worldwide to the Turkish Capital..
Our 2019-2020 Guests
Our February Guest
Our January Guest
Philosopher
PROF. KENAN GÜRSOY
Born on December 29th, 1950 in Ankara. He is the son of Prof. Dr. Kemal Tahir Gürsoy, a former lecturer at Faculty of Law at Ankara University. He graduated from Istanbul Hırka-i Şerîf Primary School (1962), Saint-Benoit French High School (1970). He attended to Rennes and Paris-Sorbonne Universities (1974), respectively, with a scholarship Turkey provided for exemplary graduates of French schools.
Our December Guest
Journalist
CÜNEYT ÖZDEMİR
Cüneyt Özdemir married and has a son, now lives in New York and Istanbul. He is a movie aficionado, a true cosmopolitan and a traveller. He continues to attend to conferences, shoots and produces documentaries and writes books.
More...
Our November Guest
Psychiatrist
PROF. KEMAL SAYAR
Born in 1966 in Ordu, Kemal Sayar finished elementary school in Zonguldak Hisarönü 27 Mayıs İlkokulu and highschool in Eskişehir Anadolu Lisesi, respectively. Graduated from Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine (English). Continued his education by completing his residency in Psychiatry Department in Marmara University between 1989-1995. Became an assistant professor in 2000
and professor in 2008.
Our October Guest
Philosopher
HASAN AYDIN
Born in Ünye, Ordu in May 10th 1971. Completed his primary and secondary education in Ünye, and graduated from the Theology Department of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU). The same year he graduated, he was appointed as a research fellow to Instute of Social Sciences at the same university and finished his masters between 1994-1996. Between 1996-2004, he taught at various private and public schools.
Our 2018-2019 Guests
Our April Guest
Academician
PROF. KEMAL İNAN
Prof. Kemal İnan finished his undergraduate and MSc in Electrical Engineering in Middle East Technical University in 1966; completed another MSc in Automatic Control in University of Warwick in 1967; and finished his PhD in Electrical Engineering in University of California at Berkeley in 1970.
Among many of his past areas of interest are application of control theory to electrical power system optimization and economics; discontinuous system theory; theories and applications of verification and testing for software and digital hardware in electronic computers.
His main area of interest currently is the subject of “Information and Technological Unemployment”.
He worked as a lecturer at METU Electrical Engineering and at EECS Department of UCLA Berkeley between 1970 and 1998. He was the founder dean of Sabancı University’s Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences from 1998 to 2007. He currently continues his lectures as Professor Emeritus in Sabancı University.
Our March Guest
Scientist / Writer
ZİAUDDİN SARDAR
Born in Dipalpur, Pakistan in 1951, Ziauddin Sardar read physics and information science at the City University London. He then joined the Hajj Research Centre in King Abdul Aziz University in 1974.
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In 1978, he became the Muslim World correspondent for Nature Magazine. Upon his return to London in late 1990s, he worked as Visiting Professor of Science Studies at Middlesex University and in 1999, moved to the City University London as Visiting Professor of Postcolonial Studies. From 2001 to 2013, he was Professor of Law and Society in the School of Law at Middlesex University.
Our February Guest
Middle Eastern Specialist / Strategist
AZEEM IBRAHIM
Azeem İbrahim, born in the city of Glasgow in Scotland, was inaugurated onto The Sunday Times Scots’ Rich List at the age of just 31.
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He is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Policy in Washington. He completed his PhD from the University of Cambridge and served as an International Security Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, World Fellow at Yale and a Rothermere Fellow at the University of Oxford.
Our January Guest
Psychologist
PROF. DOĞAN CÜCELOĞLU
Finishing his undergraduate in Psychology, Doğan Cüceloğlu got his doctorate degree in Cognitive Psychology ((in the fields of perception, thinking and communication) at Illinois University, U.S.A. Upon his return to Turkey, he taught at Istanbul University, Hacettepe University and Boğaziçi University, respectively. He also worked as a visiting lecturer at California University of Berkeley for one year with a Fulbright Scholarship. He went on to work at California State University, Fullerton between 1980-1996 and published more than 40 scientific articles in both Turkish and English.
Our December Guest
Writer & Novelist
PROF. İSKENDER PALA
Born in Uşak, in 1958, İskender Pala graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Letters Turkish Language and Literature Department in 1979. Finished his doctorate and Ph.D. in Turkish Divan (Ottoman) Poetry in Istanbul University. In order reinvigorate the love and understanding of Divan Poetry, he has written numerous articles, essays, stories and newspaper articles which are all inspired by classical poetry and he became known as the man who made people love divan poetry again.
Our November Guest
Communication Expert
PROF. UĞUR BATI
Uğur Batı finished his undergraduate education at Boğaziçi University. After finishing his master’s degree on Advertising & Publicity at Marmara University and on Marketing Management & Business Administration at Yeditepe University, he then finished his doctorate in Department of Communication Sciences at Marmara University.
Our October Guest
Theologian
PROF. MUSTAFA ÖZTÜRK
Born in 1965, in Kaşaltı village of Giresun’s Keşap province. Graduated from Giresun İmam Hatip Highschool in 1983 and from Marmara University’s Faculty of Theology in 1987. Worked as a teacher in İçel/Mersin and Giresun between 1987 – 1999. Finished his master’s degree at Ondokuz Mayıs University in 1998, in Department of Basic Islamic Sciences Hermeneutics with his thesis titled “Muvaffakuddîn el-Kevâşî: Hayatı, Eserleri ve Tefsirdeki Metodu”.
Our 2017-2018 Guests
Our April Guest
Entrepreneur, Businessman
ALİ KANTUR
Ali Kantur was born in 1949, in Izmır. After graduating from METU Industrial Engineering in 1970, he obtained his master’s...
Our March Guest
Historian of Religions / Archaeologist
PROF. KÜRŞAD DEMİRCİ
Born in Istanbul in 1961, Kursad Demirci attended Pertevniyal High School and Vatan High School in Istanbul. He graduated from...
Our February Guest
Photographer
COŞKUN ARAL
Born on May 1, 1956 in Siirt, Turkey, Coskun Aral began his career as a press photographer in 1974 at...
Our January Guest
Activist
MÜNİR ŞEFİK
Born in 1934 in Jerusalem. Thinker. Activist. In the 70s, Munir Sefik was the director of the Planning Branch, a...
Our December Guest
Philosopher
DÜCANE CÜNDİOĞLU
His first articles, which he began publishing in the 80s, concerned traditional sciences and their modern criticisms, which he tried...
Our November Guest
Historian
MURAT BARDAKÇI
Murat Bardakçı was born in Istanbul in 1955. His journalism career began as early as high school, and after studying...
Our October Guest
Strategist
JOSHUA W. WALKER
A renowned Turkey and Middle-East expert and strategist, Dr Joshua W. Walker teaches “The Politics of National Security” at the...
Our September Guest
Theologian
PROF. ŞABAN ALİ DÜZGÜN
Graduated from Faculty of Theology in Ankara University in 1989, He prepared his MA thesis on Muslim modernist movements in Indian Sub-Continent. He studied his thesis in SOAS, London. He obtained his PhD from Ankara University. His dissertation was on a comparative study between Muslim Theologians and Philosophers on God-World Relations.
Our 2016-2017 Guests
Our May Guest
Musician
STEPHAN MICUS
Micus's musical adventure had began with his journey to Asia when he was 16. Stephan Micus also had the opportunity to meet with the teachers to form the basis of the musician.
Our April Guest
Historian
PROF. İLBER ORTAYLI
İlber Ortaylı was born in 1947 as a child of Crimean Tatar family in Bregenz . When he was 2 years old he moved to Turkey with his family.
Our March Guest
Business Man
MUHTAR KENT
Muhtar Kent, the Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Company, joined Coca-Cola in 1978 in Atlanta. Muhtar Kent was appointed General Manager of Turkey and Central Asia in 1985 after various sales and marketing duties in Atlanta, Italy and the Netherlands. Between 1989 and 1995, he took the title of Head of the Department of East and Central Europe to manage the activities of Coca-Cola Company in 23 countries.
Our February Guest
Politics
RAŞİD EL-GANNUŞİ
In 1941, he was born as a child of a Barbary family farming in a village in the south-west of Tunisia. At the age of 18, he was sent to al-Zaytun for religious education. Then he continued his education in Egypt and Syria. Gannuşi, who returned to his country in the 1970s, has launched the Nakhda Movement. At the heart of Ghannouchi's political thought, which defines itself as a 'Muslim democrat', there is the security of the people in the face of state authority.
Our December Guest
Author
ALEV ALATLI
I was born in 1944 in Menemen, İzmir. My father Ertuğrul Alatlı takes traces of his family up to Rumelia Governor İhtiyar İbrahim Pasha; who was decapitated by Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha due to “he claimed the incorrectness of 2nd Vienna Siege”