Mustafa Ergen
Born
Konya, Turkey
NationalityTurkish
Alma materMiddle East Technical University, University of California, Berkeley
Known forContributions to 4G and 5G technologies
AwardsGolden Pen Award (2014), Bülent Kerim Altay Awards
Scientific career
FieldsTelecommunications, Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship
InstitutionsMiddle East Technical University, University of California, Berkeley, Istanbul Technical University, Sabancı University

Mustafa Ergen is a academic and researcher specializing in telecommunications and entrepreneurship. His work spans academia and industry, with contributions to wireless communication technologies and innovation ecosystems.

Early Life and Education

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Mustafa Ergen was born in Konya, Turkey, and completed his primary education in Konya and İzmir. He ranked in the top 100 in Turkey’s university entrance exams and was admitted to the Middle East Technical University (METU), graduating in 2000 as valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA.

Ergen pursued further education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a master's and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences by 2004. His research focused on communication systems for autonomous vehicles, 4G broadband mobile networks, and statistical learning. He also completed a second master's degree in International Relations and participated in the Management of Technology program at the Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Career

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Industry

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In 2004, Ergen joined National Semiconductor (now Texas Instruments) as a fellow, where he contributed to research in smart sensors and autonomous transportation technologies. In 2005, he co-founded WiChorus Inc., a Silicon Valley startup specializing in 4G technologies, which was later acquired by Tellabs.

Upon returning to Turkey, he held advisory roles at Türk Telekom and served as an independent board member for institutions such as Güneş Sigorta and Turcas Holding. Ergen was involved in founding ULAK, a company developing local 5G base stations. His startup, Ambeent, received recognition from the Wireless Broadband Alliance for advancements in Wi-Fi technology in 2022 and 2023.[1]

Academic

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Ergen began his academic career by teaching part-time at UC Berkeley and later at Boğaziçi University. He held a part-time associate professorship at Koç University, where he facilitated the establishment of an incubation center and organized TEDxKoçUniversity.

In 2017, he joined Istanbul Technical University (ITU) as a full professor, focusing on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship. He also organized TEDxITU. In 2022, Ergen joined Sabancı University as Chief Innovation Officer and senior advisor to the rector, where he supported entrepreneurship and technology commercialization initiatives.

Awards and Achievements

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Ergen has received multiple awards, including the Bülent Kerim Altay Awards from METU and the Golden Pen Award from the Association of Economy Journalists in 2014. He has been listed among the top 2% of scientists globally by Stanford University's database of impactful researchers.[2]

Books

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  • Entrepreneurial Capital: The History of Silicon Valley and the Startup Economy. Alfa Publishing, 4th Edition, 2022.
  • 移动宽带系统——包括WiMAX和LTE. PHEI, Chinese, 2011.
  • Mobile Broadband: Including WiMAX and LTE. Springer, 2009.
  • Multi-carrier Digital Communications: Theory and Applications of OFDM. Springer, 2004.
  • Wireless Token Ring Protocol. California Path, 2002.

References

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  1. ^ "Ambeent Wins Best Wi-Fi Technology". Wireless Broadband Alliance. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  2. ^ "World's Top 2% Scientists". Stanford University. Retrieved 2024-11-02.