Researchers
Dr. Yajuan Liu (7/2024 – present)
Yajuan Liu received the B.S. degree in mathematics and applied mathematics from Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China, in 2018, and the Ph.D. degree from Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China, in 2024. She is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Bilkent university, Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests include coding for distributed storage and DNA storage.
IEEEXplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37089475124
Dr. Qiyi Yao (10/2025 – present)
Qiyi Yao received his B.Eng. degree in Computer Science and Technology from the Sun Yat-sen University in 2020 and his Ph.D. degree in Cyber Science and Technology (Cyberspace Security) from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2025. He is now a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, working with Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His research interests lie at the intersection of the theoretical and applied domains of computer science, particularly in steganography, coding theory, and DNA-based data storage systems.
Dr. Solmaz Manouchehri (10/2025 – present)
Solmaz Manouchehri received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Shariati Technical and Vocational College, Tehran, Iran, in 2012, the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Yazd University, Yazd, Iran, in 2016, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran, in 2024. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests focus on the application of coding theory and machine learning techniques to solve critical challenges in DNA data storage and wireless Communication systems.
Dr. Xiangliang Kong (11/2025 – present)
Xiangliang Kong (Member, IEEE) received the B.Sc. degree in mathematics from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, in 2014, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from Capital Normal University, Beijing, China, in 2016 and 2021, respectively. From September 2021 to September 2025, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye. His research interests include coding theory, combinatorics, and their interactions.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37088806014
Ph.D. Students
Ömer Pepeoğlu (2/2025 – present)
Ömer Pepeoğlu received a B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering from Istanbul Technical University in 2020 and an M.Sc. degree in communications engineering from the Technical University of Munich in 2023.
He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in electrical and electronics engineering at Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman and working as a software engineer in the Communication and Information Technologies Division of ASELSAN. His research interests include information theory, coding theory, and their applications to communications.
M.S. Students
Emrah Canbaz (2/2024 – present)
Emrah Canbaz graduated with high honors in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from TOBB University of Economics and Technology in 2022. Following his graduation, he served as a waveform design engineer at ASELSAN, where he gained significant experience in communication systems. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree at Bilkent University, under the supervision of Prof. Tolga Mete Duman, while continuing his work at ASELSAN. His current research interests focus on physical layer wireless communication systems, with a particular emphasis on OFDM and SC waveforms, as well as advanced studies in 5G and 6G technologies.
Ömer Faruk Keskin (6/2024 – present)
Ömer Faruk Keskin received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in June 2024. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree in Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His research focuses on energy-efficient computation-in-memory using memristors and federated learning in the context of wireless communications.
Samet Senai Işık (6/2024 – present)
Samet Senai Işık received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, in June 2024 with highest honors. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree at Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman and Prof. Orhan Arıkan. His current research interests are semantic communications and its possible applications.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samet-senai-isik/
Mustafa İlyas Çalışkan (6/2024 – present)
Mustafa İlyas Çalışkan received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in June 2024. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree at Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman and Prof. Orhan Arıkan. His research interests encompass Semantic Communications, Information Theory, and their diverse applications.
Tarık Keleş (9/2024 – present)
Tarık Keleş received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Türkiye, with a double major in Mathematics, in 2023. He is currently pursuing his M.S. degree at Bilkent University. His current research interests are in integrated sensing and communications.
Bahadır Öztürk (7/2025 – present)
Bahadır Öztürk received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in June 2025. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree at Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His current research interests include information theory, coding theory, statistical signal processing, machine learning, and their applications to communication systems and DNA data storage.
Emir Ergin (9/2025 – present)
Emir Ergin received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in June 2025. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree in the same department under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His research interests include coding theory and machine learning applications in communication systems, with a particular focus on DNA data storage.
Efe Eser (9/2025 – present)
Efe Eser received a B.S. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Istanbul Technical University in June 2025. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree at Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Bilkent University under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His current research interests include information theory, coding theory, and their applications for IDS channels.
Selçuk Vural (9/2025 – present)
Selçuk Vural received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in June 2025. He is currently pursuing an M.S. degree in the same department under the supervision of Prof. Tolga M. Duman. His research interests include information theory and coding theory, with a particular focus on insertion–deletion (IDS) channels, as well as applications of machine learning in next-generation (6G) communication systems.