Dr. Ülgen Mert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Gebze Technical University (GTU), bringing together extensive industry experience and academic expertise. After graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (ITU), she spent four years delivering structural projects for top-tier construction companies. She advanced her academic career with an M.Sc. in Earthquake and Structural Engineering from GTU (2005) and a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from ITU. Dr. Mert’s research specializes in the seismic behavior and performance evaluation of reinforced concrete buildings, performance-based structural design, and modern earthquake engineering methodologies. She joined GTU as a full-time faculty member in 2019, where she currently leads academic research, mentors graduate students, and teaches structural engineering courses.