2020 Academy Prize Laureates

A total of four scientists in three categories, Social Sciences and Humanities, Health and Life Sciences, and Basic and Engineering Sciences, have been awarded to the 2020 TÜBA Academy Prizes, which is held by TÜBA within the scope of the mission of appreciation and encouragement of eminent scientists and is open to all scientists in the world.

Scientists deemed worthy of TÜBA Academy Prizes by the TÜBA Academy Council as a result of domestic and foreign referee views and evaluation of field committees:

Prof. Wael B. Hallaq from Columbia University has been awarded with 2020 TÜBA Academy Prize in the Social Sciences and Humanities for his works on Islamic law studies within the scope of Islamic jurisprudence history; especially analyses on issues such as ijtihad-fatwa-qada, the problem of authenticity, production of legal knowledge, the closure of the gate of ijtihad, and new insights brought on the critiques of orientalism-modernity.

Prof. Murat Günel from Yale University has been awarded with 2020 TÜBA Academy Prize in the Health and Life Sciences for his works on identification of inherited genetic mutations that cause vascular diseases involving the nervous system and cortical developmental disorders and elucidating their mechanisms.

Prof. Erik Jeppesen from Middle East Technical University has been awarded with 2020 TÜBA Academy Prize in the Basic and Engineering Sciences for his works on the protection of fragile freshwater ecosystems, lakes and rivers on a global basis, and the effects of global climate change on aquatic ecosystems.

Prof. Okyay Kaynak from Boğaziçi University has been awarded with 2020 TÜBA Academy Prize in the Basic and Engineering Sciences for his works and contributions on the sliding mode control method developed by using artificial intelligence and artificial neural network techniques in his applications and studies in the fields of industrial process control, aviation, vehicle control, robotics, and automation.