Hasan Mert ÖZKARSLI

I graduated top of my class in geological engineering from Hacettepe University in 2018. In 2019, I completed a second undergraduate degree in economics at Anadolu University. My professional journey began with an internship at the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in 2017. I earned my MSc in Geological Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (ITU), where my thesis was awarded “Best Master’s Thesis in Engineering Geology.”

During my academic career, I participated in various language and computer courses, including Chinese (A1 level), and was selected for the Erasmus program at La Sapienza University in Rome. At ITU, I actively contributed to multiple research projects, notably with the ITU Rover Team on Mars exploration initiatives, including vehicle deployment, surface analysis, and habitability assessments. Our team achieved 3rd place globally at URC’21 (USA, Utah), 1st place in the “Robotic Arm” category, and 2nd overall at ERC’21 (Poland, Kielce), and 1st place in “Presentation” and 3rd overall at ERC’22.

In the TÜBİTAK-supported Teknofest competitions, I served as reporting lead in electric and autonomous vehicle projects, reaching the finals. Following my MSc, I worked as a project assistant on a TÜBİTAK-funded doctoral research project at Hacettepe University. I have authored one conference paper, one poster presentation, and one forthcoming publication.

Professionally, I serve as a wellsite geologist at TPAO/TP-OTC, where I have worked on approximately 100+ oil rig sites since 2022, including the Şehit Esma Çevik and Şehit Aybüke Yalçın wells.

• Poster and Paper Presentation – MUHJEODER’21 Symposium on Engineering Geology and Geotechnics (June 2022) "Investigation of Post-Failure Strength of Muğla-Kavaklıdere Marble by Continuous Failure State Triaxial Tests"
• YLSY Scholarship (Full-Funded) – Sponsored by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MTA) and Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey (MEB), for graduate degree in the United States
• Best MSc Thesis Award – Presented by the Turkish Association of Engineering Geology (Kemal Erguvanlı Awards), Istanbul Technical University, Nov 2022
• Department Valedictorian – Geological Engineering, Hacettepe University (GPA: 3.04/4.00), Jun 2018
• Honor Student – Hacettepe University (July 2018), Anadolu University (Jan 2016).
• ERC’22 – European Rover Challenge (Poland, Aug 2022), 1st Place in Presentation Category, 3rd Place Overall (among 58 universities from 15 countries)
• ERC’21 – European Rover Challenge (Poland, Aug 2021), 1st Place in Robotic Arm Category, 2nd Place Overall
• URC’21 – University Rover Challenge (USA, Apr 2021), 3rd Place Worldwide (Score: 93.5)
• International Mars Hackathon’20 – ITU Rover Team (Nov 2020), 2nd Place in Asia (among 24 countries)
• Teknofest Efficiency Challenge & Robotaxi Autonomous Vehicle Competition – Team Member and Reporting Lead (2020–2021)
• ITU Rover Team Member (2020–2022) – Scientific Research Team: Mars surface analysis, habitability studies, and life detection
• Occupational Health and Safety Training – TP-OTC (Jan 2023), TPAO (Oct 2022)
• Wellsite Geologist Training – TPAO (June 2022)
• Instructor Certification – GEOLOG International (Junior Mudlogger Training, Aug–Sep 2022)
• Sensors Level-1 Certificate – GEOLOG (Jan 2022)
• Well Logging & Formation Evaluation – Petroleum School (Jan 2022)
• Mudlogger Training – GEOLOG (May 2021)
• QHSE Training – GEOLOG (May 2021)
• Webinars & External Resources – GEOLOG (July 2021)
• IWCF Level 1 Certificate – International Well Control Forum (May 2021)
• WOCRM Certificate – Well Operations Crew Resource Management (May 2021)
• GIS Certificate – Netcad 7.6 GIS, Bilkent University (Feb 2017)
• Model Aircraft Design Certificate – Hacettepe University & Turkish Aeronautical Association (May 2015)
• Web Design & Programming – KEÇMEK (HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, 2014–2015)
• Computer Operator Certificate – KEÇMEK (2013)
• English Language Certificate – KEÇMEK (2013)
• B, B1, D1, F, M Category (Passenger cars, Quadricycles, Minibuses, Tractors, Mopeds)

• Basketball, Trekking, Travel
• I have had the opportunity to travel extensively across Europe.
• I have been actively engaged in basketball since my early youth, having played in developmental leagues, and I have pursued piano for over 14 years as a dedicated personal interest.