Mert Akay is a PhD candidate at the Department of Human-centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. His research integrates big data and thick data through AI methodologies to develop a framework for urban climate research. By combining urban data science with machine anthropology, he seeks actionable insights to enhance urban climate resilience, particularly in mitigating urban heat and reducing heat vulnerability.

He is an Urban Planner and Urban Designer with practical and academic experience that touches upon different aspects, mediums, and scales of urban planning and design practice. In addition to the awards received in national and international design competitions, he has been involved in several research projects and planning practices at the local and national levels. His current research interests cover urban climate, urban analytics, machine anthropology, urban morphology and climate-resilient city-making