Kepenek, Emek | Turkey

Educational Background:
2001-present: Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, PhD/Department of Sociology
1998-2001: Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, MA/Interdisciplinary Program of Science and Technology Policy Studies
1993-1998 (February): Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, BS/Department of Sociology

Professional Experience:
December 2002-present: Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, Research Assistant/Science and Technology Policy Studies Research Center
November 2000- December 2002: Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, Research Assistant/ METU Technopolis

Project at IAS-STS: Research on the Content of National Policies on Technology and Sustainability for Developing Countries

As a candidate for the academic world, I always want to work on the issues that seem to me to be important for our lives. After graduation from the Department of Sociology at Middle East Technical University (METU), I therefore decided to deal with the concept of technology. This because I thought that technology will increasingly become one of the most crucial elements of our world in the near future. In addition, the social aspects of technology should be studied thoroughly in a developing country like Turkey.

National economies are very much dependent on a country’s technological capabilities and also ability to use it. The technological capacity of Turkish society and other developing countries are not so well developed. One should thus work on how the technological capability of developing countries could be improved in general. I think that research studies are indispensable in terms of integration with the developed world. Ideally, every country should have a fair and equal place in that process, making policies on technology and sustainable development one of the most crucial issues.

The main aim of this research is to find an adequate means for countries to establish the necessary policies regarding both subjects. In order to achieve this aim, the national innovation systems of some European countries and Turkey will be investigated and compared.

The main objective of my application is to investigate different perspectives about my areas of interest. I believe that Europe will become the most important and powerful region of the world in terms of academic and industrial research. The European Union’s Framework Programmes or the initiative of the European Research Area are the most visible examples for this. And Austria, which has a long history of philosophical and scientific thinking, is located in the heart of Europe. It will thus be very beneficial for my academic career to participate in Austrian research.

Selected Publications

Master’s thesis (2001), Ankara: Middle East Technical Univesity, Technological Changes and Trade Unions