18th Kadir Has Awards Found Their Owners
The Kadir Has Awards, which have been given by Kadir Has University since 2003 to commemorate the university’s founder and philanthropist businessman, the late Kadir Has, and to crown the services he provided to science, humanity, and education throughout his life, were presented to the winners in a ceremony held on Wednesday, March 22 this year. At the 18th Kadir Has Awards, “Outstanding Achievement” and “Promising Scientist” awards were given to scientists who have achieved great success in the field of “Sustainable Economy” and contributed to research in this area.
The ceremony for the Kadir Has Awards, which aims to introduce valuable scientists who have achieved significant national and international successes in our country and institutions that contribute to the development of society to the public, was held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The 18th Kadir Has Awards took place as part of the commemoration program held at the university’s central campus in Cibali on the 16th anniversary of the passing of Kadir Has, the founder of Kadir Has University and one of our country’s distinguished philanthropists.
The field of study for the awards in 2023 was chosen as “Sustainable Economy in the World” in light of the problems created by the economic systems that affect all world communities following the pandemic, and the “Outstanding Achievement” and “Promising Scientist” awards were presented to scientists who have made significant contributions to research in this field.
The following names were included in the Evaluation Committee of the 18th Kadir Has Awards: Prof. Dr. Erol Balkan (Hamilton College), Prof. Dr. Fatma Doğruel (Marmara University), Prof. Dr. Jayati Ghosh (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Prof. Dr. Erol Taymaz (Middle East Technical University), Prof. Dr. Ebru Voyvoda (Middle East Technical University), Prof. Dr. Alp Erinç Yeldan (Kadir Has University), Prof. Dr. Kamil Yılmaz (Koç University) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Annina Kaltenbrunner (University of Leeds).
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
The “Outstanding Achievement Award” at the 18th Kadir Has Awards was given to Prof. Dr. Ziya Öniş. He was deemed worthy of this award by the Evaluation Committee in 2023 for his creative and groundbreaking work on developmental states and global political economy, the political economy of development, the future of globalization and democracy, the comparative political economy of rising powers, and European and Turkish policies, as well as for his original courses and meticulous teaching.
Prof. Dr. Ziya Öniş is a professor of international political economy at Koç University. He served as the Director of the Globalization, Peace, and Democratic Governance Center (GLODEM) at Koç University from 2010 to 2013 and as the Director of the Institute of Social Sciences from 2006 to 2009. Before joining the International Relations Department at Koç University, Öniş worked as a faculty member in the Economics department at Boğaziçi University.
Prof. Öniş’s recent research focuses on the crisis of liberal democracy, the global populist wave, authoritarian backsliding and democratization expectations, the new order emerging after the liberal international order, Turkey’s economic policy during the AKP (current government party) period, new orientations in Turkish foreign policy, and the interaction between domestic and foreign policies.
Prof. Öniş was elected as a member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) in 2012 and has been awarded the TÜBİTAK Science Award and the Koç University Distinguished Achievement Award. He was also the recipient of the Koç University Research Excellence Award in 2012 and the Koç University Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics Teaching Excellence Award in 2020-2021. In addition, Prof. Öniş is a joint recipient of the Elizabeth Meehan Best Article Award for his article published in the Government and Opposition journal in 2019.
PROMISING SCIENTIST AWARD
At the 18th Kadir Has Awards, the “Promising Scientist Award” was given to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bengi Akbulut. Dr. Akbulut was awarded the 2023 “Promising Scientist Award” for her original and creative work in the political economy of development, political ecology, rural and environmental transformation, and technological and social relationships between ecosystems and the economy; and for her work on the political economy of just transitions in response to the climate crisis.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bengi Akbulut is a faculty member in the Geography department at Concordia University. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics from Bogazici University in 2004, and her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2011. She then spent a year as a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Environment and Development at the University of Manchester. Dr. Akbulut has been continuing her work at Concordia University since 2017, and has been co-director of the Social Justice Centre at the same university since 2021.
Dr. Akbulut’s academic work intersects with political economy and ecological economics, with a focus on the social and ecological impacts of development processes. Her joint and individual work has been published in journals such as the Cambridge Journal of Economics, Journal of Peasant Studies, Development and Change, and Ecological Economics.
Dr. Akbulut’s recent research focuses on the pillars and institutions of a just and sustainable economy. Her research project, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in 2022, aims to evaluate forms of economic democracy from an ecological economics perspective.
“UNIVERSITIES AND SCIENTISTS SHOULD EQUIP THE SOCIETY WITH ACCURATE DATA”
At the ceremony where Prof. Dr. Ziya Öziş and Assoc. Dr. Bengi Akbulut were presented with awards, Kadir Has University Board of Trustees Chairman Can Has, Kadir Has Foundation Chairman Nuri Has, and Kadir Has University Rector Prof. Dr. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz each gave a speech.
During his speech, Board of Trustees Chairman Can Has commemorated those who lost their lives and were injured in the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, which caused great destruction in 11 provinces. “What could be more valuable than human life? To avoid a repeat of this disaster, work needs to start immediately in areas surrounded by active earthquake belts, and all segments of society, whether military-civilian, public-private, must contribute to these efforts,” said Can Has. “As Kadir Has University, we are ready to contribute in many areas, from voluntary services for the healing of the wounds caused by this great disaster, to scientific studies regarding the precautions that need to be taken against earthquakes. Without contradicting the balance of nature, we believe that only through the cooperation of different disciplines and the coordination of expertise can we fight earthquakes with scientific thinking and discoveries. If we have hope for the continuation of life and the well-being of humanity, it is thanks to science,” he concluded.
Kadir Has Foundation Chairman Nuri Has stated that in this period when we are experiencing difficult political, economic, and emotional times, we should not forget our sadness and concerns, but rather insistently address the wrongs that need to be corrected, and as a university, we need to conduct more research and equip society with accurate data on these issues. “Kadir Has was a patriotic ‘philanthropist’ who believed in the bright future of the country. The purpose of the awards that we have been presenting in his honor for 18 years is to support individuals who contribute to humanity, nature, and life, and to recognize and reward them,” he said. He also stated that this year’s award recipients were selected from among the scientists who focus on overcoming the economic problems that our country is facing, reducing the impact of changing socio-economic conditions in the world on global economies.
In her speech, the Rector of Kadir Has University, Prof. Dr. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz, emphasized that the difficult period that our country is going through once again reminds universities and scientists of their essential duties: “Our country’s most important need is not money or wealth. Do you know what it is? It is people who have embraced universal human values, who produce solutions that focus on humanity, serve the public interest, and protect our planet that gives us life, guided by science, to the problems facing humanity. Our duty is to educate these people.”
Inspired by the words of the late Kadir Has, “You know, we humans wait for someone else to build a bridge to cross the river. I broke this thought years ago. In other words, I started building the bridge that both you and I will cross myself,” Prof. Dr. Durukanoğlu Feyiz stated that Kadir Has University decided to build a new bridge by transforming into a research university in order to educate the people who are most needed today, with the team spirit formed by academics, students, administrative teams, and alumni.
EVALUATION COMMITTEE OF THE 18th KADIR HAS AWARDS:
- Dr. Erol BALKAN (Hamilton College)
- Dr. Fatma DOĞRUEL (Marmara University)
- Dr. Jayati GHOSH (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
- Dr. Erol TAYMAZ (Middle East Technical University)
- Dr. Ebru VOYVODA (Middle East Technical University)
- Dr. Alp Erinç YELDAN (Kadir Has University)
- Dr. Kamil YILMAZ (Koç University)
- Prof. Dr. Annina KALTENBRUNNER (University of Leeds)
(*) The list is arranged alphabetically by surname.