Derya Betul UNSAL is an Assist. Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Sivas Cumhuriyet University (SCU), Türkiye, where she also directs the Renewable Energy Research Center (CUYEM) and serves as University Sustainability Coordinator. She received her PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Türkiye with a TÜBİTAK doctoral scholarship in priority areas. She carried out postdoctoral research at the SmartEST laboratory of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in Vienna as leader of the RENEWIES project, supported by transnational access under the Horizon 2020 ERIGrid 2.0 project in 2025. She is the local coordinator of the 2 MWe solar power plant built at Sivas Cumhuriyet University under the World Bank-financed PUMREP/KAYEP project in 2026. Her research covers smart grids, renewable energy integration, artificial intelligence in power systems, microgrids and power system cybersecurity. She has authored more than 50 publications, including three Highly Cited Papers. She is a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, the IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Women in Engineering. She founded and the academic advisor of IEEE Student Branch in SCU and she also founded and chaired the International Energy Days Symposium for five consecutive years.