GR STUDENT ADUATEPROFILES STUDIES PROFILES
Naci Saldi PhD candidate, Mathematics and Engineering As a boy growing up in Turkey, Naci Saldi had a strong affinity
mathematics involving the quantification of information that is
for mathematics. Inspired by a high school teacher who
used primarily for communications technology.
fuelled his love for “a fascinating and exciting discipline,” as he calls it, he decided to study engineering at Bilkent
Overall, Naci’s experience at Queen’s has been positive. Faculty
University in Ankara.
and students alike helped him settle into a smaller university and a much smaller city. Moving from the metropolis of Turkey’s capital
After completing a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics
city has involved a cultural shift for him—but a good one.
Engineering, Naci found himself hankering for his first passion— mathematics. Fortunately, he heard about Serdar Yuksel, a
“Kingston is small compared to Ankara, but it’s a great place to do
fellow Bilkent graduate who’s a professor in the Mathematics
a doctoral degree,” says Naci. “People are friendly and helpful, and
and Statistics Department at Queen’s. With Yuksel’s help, Naci
it’s a beautiful city.”
found his way to Kingston, where he enrolled in Queen’s doctoral mathematics and engineering program.
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Naci plans to remain in North America after he completes his PhD, and possibly pursue further studies in a postdoctoral program. He
Naci’s research involves both stochastic control, a subfield of
lives with his wife in Kingston, but plans to move to Ottawa where
control theory that deals with sequential optimization of stochastic
his wife is working on her Master’s in Translation and Interpretation
systems, and information theory, a branch of engineering and
at the University of Ottawa.
THE COMPLETE ENGINEER