Dr. Zeynep Ilkilic Aytac | Artificial Intelligence | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Zeynep Ilkilic Aytac | Artificial Intelligence | Best Researcher Award

Dr Lecturer, Ondokuzmayıs University, Turkey

Dr. Zeynep Ilkilic Aytac is a dynamic and innovative academician serving as a Lecturer at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Yeşilyurt Demir Çelik Vocational School, Department of Mechatronics 🏫. With over eight years of teaching experience, she has contributed significantly to interdisciplinary research that merges mechatronics, artificial intelligence 🤖, and sustainable technologies 🌱. Her strong academic foundation and passion for practical innovation enable her to mentor engineering students while advancing the frontiers of medical diagnostics and control systems. She is widely recognized for her work in MEMS gyroscope control, CNN-based cancer detection, and emission modeling using AI.

Publication Profile

🎓 Education Background

Dr. Aytac earned her BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in Mechatronics Engineering from Fırat University, Turkey . Her academic journey showcases a strong foundation in mechanical-electrical integration, AI-driven design, and intelligent control systems. Her doctoral research focused on developing robust control strategies for MEMS gyroscopes, laying the groundwork for her multifaceted research career.

💼 Professional Experience

Currently a Lecturer at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Dr. Aytac brings over eight years of higher education teaching and project supervision experience. She has led various academic initiatives and research projects that combine engineering principles with AI and sustainability 🌐. Her interdisciplinary projects have strengthened both academic and industry collaborations, reflecting her commitment to applied research and impactful innovation.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Dr. Aytac has gained recognition for her research through publication in reputable international journals and conference proceedings 🏆. Although specific awards are not listed, her extensive interdisciplinary contributions and active role in innovation-driven education suggest an academic career marked by peer respect and institutional acknowledgment.

🔬 Research Focus

Her research interests lie in the robust control of MEMS gyroscopes, artificial intelligence in medical imaging 🧠, and emission prediction from internal combustion systems using neural networks. She has also focused on CNN-based thyroid cancer detection, leveraging hybrid metaheuristic optimization algorithms like COOT, GWO, PSO, and CMA-ES. Her contributions uniquely combine mechatronics, control theory, deep learning, and sustainability for real-world applications across engineering and healthcare.

🧩 Conclusion

Dr. Zeynep Ilkilic Aytac exemplifies the spirit of modern engineering innovation—bridging theoretical knowledge with hands-on impact. Her work continues to shape the convergence of control systems, AI, and biomedical diagnostics, enriching both academic fields and practical industries 🔧🧬. Through dedicated teaching, collaborative research, and a commitment to sustainable technology, she inspires the next generation of engineers and scientists.

📚 Top Publications 

AI-Based Emission Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks Optimized by CMA-ES Algorithm.
Journal: Energy Reports, Year: 2022
Cited by: 24 articles

Robust Control of MEMS Gyroscopes Using Adaptive Sliding Mode Techniques.
Journal: Microsystem Technologies, Year: 2021
Cited by: 17 articles

Deep CNN Optimization for Thyroid Cancer Detection Using GWO and PSO.
Journal: Sensors, Year: 2023
Cited by: 12 articles

Hybrid AI Approaches in Digital Pathology: A CNN-Based Study.
Journal: IEEE Access, Year: 2022
Cited by: 9 articles

 Metaheuristic Optimization in CNNs for Histopathological Image Classification.
Journal: Expert Systems with Applications, Year: 2023
Cited by: 7 articles

Ulas Bagci | Artificial Intelligence | Outstanding Scientist Award

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ulas Bagci | Artificial Intelligence | Outstanding Scientist Award

Assoc. Prof., Northwestern University, United States

Dr. Ulas Bagci is a distinguished researcher and tenured Associate Professor at Northwestern University, specializing in Radiology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. He is also a courtesy professor at the University of Central Florida’s Center for Research in Computer Vision. As the Director of the Machine and Hybrid Intelligence Lab, Dr. Bagci focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence, deep learning, and medical imaging. His extensive research contributions include over 330 peer-reviewed articles in these domains. Previously, he was a staff scientist and lab co-manager at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he played a pivotal role in advancing AI-driven medical imaging applications. Dr. Bagci actively contributes to leading scientific journals, serving as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Medical Physics, and Medical Image Analysis.

Publication Profile

🎓 Education

Dr. Ulas Bagci holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Nottingham (2010), where he conducted pioneering research in medical imaging. He was a Visiting Research Fellow in Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania (2008-2009), further refining his expertise in AI applications for biomedical sciences. He earned his M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Koç University (2005) and his B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Bilkent University (2003).

💼 Experience

Dr. Bagci has built an impressive academic and research career across top institutions. Since 2021, he has been an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, where he leads research in AI-driven medical imaging. Before that, he served as an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (2014-2020), fostering innovation in deep learning for radiology. From 2010 to 2014, he was a Staff Scientist and Lab Manager at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), playing a key role in infectious disease imaging and AI applications in radiology.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Dr. Bagci has received numerous recognitions for his outstanding contributions to artificial intelligence and medical imaging. He has secured multiple NIH grants (R01, U01, R15, R21, R03) as a Principal Investigator and is a steering committee member for the NIH Artificial Intelligence Resource (AIR). Additionally, he has been honored with best paper and reviewer awards in top-tier AI and medical imaging conferences such as MICCAI and IEEE Medical Imaging.

🔬 Research Focus

Dr. Bagci’s research revolves around artificial intelligence, deep learning, radiology, and computer vision. His work has significantly impacted medical imaging applications, including MRI, CT scans, nuclear medicine imaging, and disease diagnosis. He has contributed extensively to federated learning, probabilistic modeling, and AI-powered decision-making in healthcare. His recent studies include advancements in brain tumor segmentation, bias field correction in MRI, and AI-driven road network prediction.

🔚 Conclusion

Dr. Ulas Bagci is a leading expert in AI-powered medical imaging, consistently pushing the boundaries of deep learning, radiology, and computer vision. His impactful contributions in academia and research have earned him global recognition. With a strong presence in prestigious institutions, his pioneering work continues to shape the future of AI in healthcare. 🚀

📚 Publications

Evidential Federated Learning for Skin Lesion Image Classification (2025) – Published in a book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-78110-0_23 📖

Paradoxical Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (2025) – Published in Cancers DOI: 10.3390/cancers17050830 🏥

Foundational Artificial Intelligence Models and Modern Medical Practice (2025) – Published in BJR | Artificial Intelligence DOI: 10.1093/bjrai/ubae018 🧠

A Probabilistic Hadamard U-Net for MRI Bias Field Correction (2024) – Published in arXiv arXiv:2403.05024 🖥️

AI-Powered Road Network Prediction with Fused Low-Resolution Satellite Imagery and GPS Trajectory (2024) – Published in Earth Science Informatics 🌍

Beyond Self-Attention: Deformable Large Kernel Attention for Medical Image Segmentation (2024) – Presented at the IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision 🤖

Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) Challenge 2024: Meningioma Radiotherapy Planning Automated Segmentation  (2024) – Published in arXiv arXiv:2405.18383 🏥