Dr. Hande ERYILMAZ

Dr. Hande Eryılmaz has BSc. and MSc. degrees in Industrial Engineering and has also completed her PhD in the department of Science and Technology Studies at METU, Ankara. She is an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in both engineering and SSH (Social Science and Humanities) , bridging different disciplinary focuses for systematic impacts. She has a keen interest in system design principles with an emphasis on social inclusion and societal impact. Her master’s thesis has focused on supply chain practices with postponement. Her PhD has focused on creating a social innovation methodology for social systems and social ecologies with particularity to Higher Education Institutions.

Dr. Eryılmaz is currently a senior researcher at ODTÜ-GÜNAM (Center for Solar Energy and Research Applications) in Ankara, Türkiye. She is an experienced lecturer and researcher with over 15 years experience in academia. She also has work experience in industry, where she was team lead for the international certification of the AS 9100 Rev. D Aerospace Quality Standard. She has several publications in the topics of supply chains, ergonomics, strategy development and quality management. Systems and Design Thinking, Innovation Management, Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Quality Management, Project Management, Sustainability, Ecosystem Development, Citizen Science, Science Diplomacy, Industrial Symbiosis, Energy Governance and Energy Community practices are among her current research areas.

 Dr. Eryılmaz has contributed/ is contributing to several EU projects. She was a PhD researcher in the EU funded H2020 SolarTwins Project entitled ‘ Solar Twinning to Create Solar Research Twins’ which focused on CSP (Concentrated Solar Power). She has also contributed to the CST4ALL project  ‘Support to the Activities of the Concentrated Solar Thermal Technology Area of the SET PLAN’  as the WP Lead on DEC and SSH practices. The CST4ALL project aimed to catalyze hybridization and cooperation initiatives between Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) and other renewable energy technologies.

She is currently the Project Manager of the EU funded SolarHub project entitled ‘ A Greek-Turkish Solar Energy Excellence Hub to Advance the European Green Deal’ which aims to widen participation and spread excellence in the area of Solar Energy with an international consortium consisting of 21 partners. The project entails technology development, market and policy issues and upskilling/reskilling for the PV and CST communities in five ecosystems (Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Thessaloniki and Athens). Lastly, she is the institutional Principal Investigator for the EU funded Solarize project ‘ Bringing EU-Solaris ERIC to its Zenith’ which aims to consolidate and sustain the RI landscape for CST (Concentrated Solar Thermal) research among the pan-European research infrastructures. She has recently started the STT4SET ‘Solar Thermal Technologies: Support for the Implementation of the SET PLAN’ project as the principal investigator for ODTÜ-GÜNAM and will be supporting SSH aspects in EU energy policy challenges for the non-concentrated and concentrated solar thermal energy sector.

Dr. Eryılmaz’s contributions support improving technology acceptance, industry-academia collaboration and in improving the CST/PV ecosystem constituent dynamics in engagement, technology readiness and also gender inclusivity issues. Dr. Eryılmaz believes and puts effort in creating systematic and holistic solutions in all areas of practice and works to contribute to the quintuple helix innovation model by supporting collective interaction. She continues to create systems solutions which entail co-creation, inclusivity, collaboration, societal impact and sustainability spanning across institutional, ecosystem, country and cross-border level impact.