Rector's Biography

 

Professor Murat Yülek, the founding Rector of OSTİM Technical University, continues his mission to position the University among the world’s leading higher education institutions. He is recognized as an engineer, banker, and development economist, with numerous international publications, policy documents, and extensive experience in project development and finance. 

Professor Yülek earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boğaziçi University in 1988. He then obtained master’s degrees in Business Administration from both Yale University and Boston University, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Economics from Bilkent University. 

Before his tenure at OSTİM Technical University, Professor Yülek was a researcher at Columbia University (Center for Development Economics and Policy) and served as the Director of the Center for Industrial Policy and Development at Istanbul Commerce University. He has taught at several prestigious institutions, including Georgetown University and Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Germany). Professor Yülek also held a position as a teaching assistant at the Yale University School of Management, where he worked alongside Nobel laureate Prof. Robert Shiller as a research assistant for the book Macro Markets, published by Oxford University Press. 

Murat Yülek has worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC, and as a project evaluation specialist at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Jeddah. He has held various leadership roles, including general manager, board member, and chairman, at investment banks and financial and industrial companies. He has also served as a researcher at esteemed institutions such as Columbia University (New York), APU Ritsumeikan University (Japan), and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (Seoul). Additionally, he has worked as an international consultant for organizations such as the World Bank, UNCTAD, the Islamic Development Bank, the EBRD, and various multilateral development banks (MDBs). He has led the preparation of numerous feasibility studies, impact analyses, macroeconomic and sectoral reports, and project documents, and has served as an expert or manager in over 15 countries. He has been invited as a speaker, moderator, and guest researcher at international conferences and institutions, including the Global Economic Symposium, COMCEC, Yale University, Duke University, the Economic Cooperation Organization, Dubai Economic Council, CFO Forum-Vienna, Khazanah Megatrends Forum, the China Institute for International Relations, the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, Ewha Womans University, APU Ritsumeikan University, The Economist Round Tables, Wirtschaftsrat, and the G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Forum. 

Murat Yülek has authored numerous articles on macroeconomics, finance, and economic and financial development, both in Turkey and internationally. His work has focused on contemporary industrial policies, the effects of public procurement policies on technological advancement, and science, industry, and innovation policies. He has written six books on these topics with publishers such as Palgrave Macmillan and Springer. He has contributed to policy documents prepared by the United Nations (UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNOPS) and various nations, including Qatar, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Turkey. 

Professor Yülek’s 2018 book, How Nations Succeed: Manufacturing, Trade, Industrial Policy, and Economic Development, published by Palgrave Macmillan, has been translated into Chinese and published by Tsinghua University Press—one of the top ten universities in the world. The book has also been translated into Turkish, Bosnian, and Pashto. 

In the 1980s, Murat Yülek taught physics at EEC International School and interned at the European Commission (EU) in Brussels. He holds a Private Pilot License (PPL) for lightweight aircraft and has practiced gliding, parachuting, and aircraft modeling. In the 1984 Turkish university entrance exams, he ranked 279th out of approximately 1.5 million students.

Having completed his primary and secondary education at TED Ankara College, Murat Yülek earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boğaziçi University in 1988. He subsequently obtained master’s degrees in Business Administration from Yale University and Boston University, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Economics from Bilkent University.