Mehmet Kursunlu

Led the complete renewal of the airline’s most mission-critical software system — the Crew Tracking and Operations Management platform, valued at approximately $350–400 million. This program directly impacted flight operations, crew safety, scheduling efficiency, and international compliance.

Key Roles & Contributions

• Led the end-to-end execution of the Crew Tracking program, coordinating requirements, timeline, design, technical evaluations, and vendor interactions.
• Oversaw 60–65 cross-functional engineers, analysts, architects, and subject-matter experts.
• Served simultaneously as Product Owner, managing backlog, user stories, sprint planning, and prioritization.
• Conducted comprehensive gap analysis to map legacy system limitations vs. future-state requirements.
• Authored extensive RFI/RFP documentation, including technical, functional, integration, support, and SOW sections.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Managed workshops with Airbus, Boeing, CAE, Jeppesen, IBS, and AIMS.
• Created an advanced Proof of Concept (PoC) evaluation framework to assess performance, scalability, uptime, resilience, and integration compatibility of products from global vendors.
• Negotiated technical clarifications and orchestrated evaluation sessions to protect Turkish Airlines’ operational interests.

Technical & Analytical Leadership

• Built data visualizations and dashboards using SQL, Power BI, Tableau, supporting C-level reporting.
• Provided weekly executive reports to senior leadership on program health and risk.
• Led additional R&D efforts including:
• AI/ML-based IROPS optimization for delay and disruption management
• Experimental Quantum Computing research for crew pairing and rostering performance enhancement

Impact

• Delivered a complete strategic renewal plan for one of the world’s largest crew management ecosystems.
• Standardized documentation, technical processes, and evaluation methodologies for future THY enterprise programs.

Founded Mars Labs to advance high-impact biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and neurotechnology R&D in Turkey. Led all engineering, product, and scientific operations, and developed Turkey’s first native clinical-grade neuromodulation device, achieving results surpassing global benchmarks.

Company Leadership & Growth

• Founded the company and established its technical vision, R&D strategy, and operating structure.
• Scaled the organization from 4 to 25–28 engineers, covering embedded systems, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, electronics, software, and AI.
• Built partnerships with universities, clinicians, and research institutions; established a strong innovation and experimentation culture.
• Managed budgeting, hiring, engineering workflows, performance processes, and IP development.

Technical Achievement

Clinical-Grade Neuromodulation Device (Full Lifecycle Ownership)

• Led end-to-end development of a CE-compliant neuromodulation device used for treatment-resistant neurological and psychiatric conditions.
• Designed over 90% of electronic circuitry, including stimulation modules, sensing, power systems, and safety components.
• Developed embedded firmware for real-time signal processing, stimulation control, communication protocols, and safety monitoring.
• Built a complete desktop control application with real-time visualization, session management, analytics, and clinician-oriented UX.
• Created secure, reliable device–software communication with medical-grade traceability and logging.

Neuroscience & Clinical Research Impact

• Ensured all hardware, firmware, and software met medical CE certification requirements for safety, usability, and compliance.
• The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) awarded:
• 600,000 TL R&D grant for the prototype
• 8 million TL for serial production after technical validation
• Conducted early clinical work at Konya Selçuk University; personally administered treatments for 20 voluntary chronic pain patients with an ~80% success rate.
• System demonstrated improvements in depression, anxiety, cognitive function, and chronic pain.
• Contributed to academic publications advancing neurostimulation research and Turkey’s position in neurotechnology.

Project & Product Management

• Served as Product Owner: defined product requirements, UX workflows, clinical features, safety constraints, and roadmap.
• Managed multidisciplinary teams with agile hardware–software hybrid processes.
• Oversaw regulatory documentation, traceability logs, test procedures, and engineering change control.
• Coordinated with clinicians and researchers to translate medical needs into technical features.

Key Achievements

Developed Turkey’s first CE-grade neuromodulation device (hardware + firmware + software)

• Led entire R&D cycle, clinical validation, and manufacturing transition
• Achieved 80% clinical success vs. typical 30–40% medication outcomes
• Secured 15+ million TL in production funding
• Built a high-diversity engineering and scientific team from scratch
• Contributed to advancing national neuroscience and biomedical R&D capabilities

Founded a neuroscience and AI-focused company developing new approaches to understanding brain function and applying these insights to real-world products.

Leadership & Strategic Impact

• Scaled the company from 5 to 35+ engineers and scientists in 2 years.
• Raised venture capital from Silicon Valley investors.
• Established the company as a recognized innovator in neuromodulation and AI-driven research.

Key Technical & Scientific Contributions

• Developed original theoretical research on neural activation patterns and brain region modeling.
• Designed prototypes to stimulate or inhibit specific brain regions using both hardware and software systems.
• Applied neuroscience insights to:

- Search algorithm efficiency optimization

- Large-scale data storage modeling

- Neural-inspired machine learning

Outcome

• Sold the company in a multi-million-dollar exit.
• Returned to Turkey to establish Mars Labs and continue R&D work.
• Developed groundbreaking theories on brain function and applied these insights to new medical devices and software algorithms; including search optimization and efficient data storage methods.

• Developed TURK, an enterprise-grade network security system detecting data leaks, monitoring anomalies, and blocking attacks in real time.
• Improved database performance and search algorithms for corporate systems.
• Used Python, Java, C/C++, Bash, and JavaScript to build defensive software.
• Implemented automated alerting and real-time threat categorization.

Solar Junction was a leading semiconductor and photovoltaic R&D company specializing in high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells for aerospace. During my tenure, the team achieved two world records with the SJ3™ solar cell (44% efficiency)—later used on the International Space Station and multiple satellite missions.

Software Engineering Contributions

1. High-Performance System Optimization (130× Faster Platform)

• Re-engineered the internal solar-cell testing platform used by scientists and engineers.
• Designed a multi-layer caching architecture (reverse proxy, opcode, and data caching) and implemented a custom load balancer.
• Results:

- 130× faster application performance

- Dramatic reduction in server load

- Real-time accessibility of test data for research teams

2. Automated Testing Infrastructure (300+ Modules)

• Built an automated testing suite covering 300+ internal modules, using PHP, JS, Python, and Git integration.
• Automated regression tests, improved release quality, and reduced manual QA workload.

3. ML-Based Solar Cell Defect Detection

• Built an automated OpenCV-based inspection system for high-resolution wafer images.
• Detected micro-defects, alignment errors, and material inconsistencies; provided automatic PASS/FAIL output.
• Reduced inspection time and minimized human error during manufacturing.

Technical & Scientific Support

1. Support for World-Record SJ3™ Solar Cell Development

• Collaborated with materials scientists and semiconductor engineers to optimize testing pipelines.
• Worked on IV curve acquisition, spectral response analysis, and multi-junction characterization tools.
• Directly supported workflows that contributed to Solar Junction setting two global efficiency records.

2. Database Optimization & Backend Improvements

• Optimized MySQL queries, improved schema design, and increased throughput for large-scale test datasets.
• Enhanced reliability and speed of internal data retrieval systems used in R&D operations.

• Researched microcontrollers and FPGAs with emphasis on embedded systems, digital logic design, and hardware acceleration.
• Implemented and optimized Verilog-based digital designs on the Altera DE2 FPGA board for improved real-time processing.
• Developed and tested firmware for PIC16F/PIC18F microcontrollers using mikroC, increasing system stability and efficiency.
• Simulated and verified electronic circuits in Proteus to ensure functional accuracy before hardware fabrication.
  Designed and prototyped custom PCBs using Proteus PCB tools, delivering reliable hardware modules integrated into larger systems.
• Collaborated with engineering teams to refine microcontroller programming, FPGA workflows, and embedded development practices.

• Led an interdisciplinary engineering project to design a sustainable soil-erosion mitigation system for High Park.
• Managed a team of environmental, mechanical, and chemical engineers; coordinated directly with city officials and conservation experts.
• Conducted field assessments, slope and water-flow analysis, and GIS-supported erosion modeling.
  Produced high-accuracy 3D terrain models and engineered solutions such as terracing, bioengineering reinforcements, and natural water-channeling structures.
• Delivered a full project plan, engineering documentation, cost analysis, and implementation recommendations to municipal stakeholders.
• Key Achievement: Delivered a sustainable, regulation-compliant erosion-control system design approved by city authorities.

• Worked as a full-stack software developer delivering custom applications and leading one of Turkey’s earliest large-scale real-time public transportation information systems, later adopted across major cities.
• Public Transportation System (Flagship Project)
  - Designed and developed a multi-city real-time bus tracking and passenger information platform supporting GPS tracking, ETA prediction, seat availability, and optimal route recommendations. - Built the full backend architecture, real-time data pipeline, and front-end user experience.
  - Deployed initially in Istanbul and expanded nationwide in partnership with the Turkish Government; the system is now used by millions of daily passengers. - Received multiple international awards for innovation and societal impact.
• Custom Software Development
  - Delivered bespoke applications for desktop, web, and mobile platforms, optimizing workflows and user experience.
  - Implemented scalable architectures, optimized database performance, and built reusable code libraries to accelerate development.
  - Provided end-to-end project delivery including requirements gathering, UI/UX design, implementation, testing, and support.
• Key Achievements
  - Built one of Turkey’s first large-scale real-time transit systems
  - Developed high-performance algorithms for GPS tracking, ETA estimation, and routing
  - Delivered numerous custom software solutions with strong client satisfaction
  - Earned multiple awards in national and international engineering competitions