As the first student-led energy and sustainable development conference in Turkey, the Graduate Student Conference on Energy and Sustainable Development (GS CESD) aims to forge a link between professionals, academics, and students in the energy field.

Our conference series, the first of which was held in 2018, gives chances to graduate students to present papers on energy-related topics. In 2020, 2021, as well as 2022, our conference was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students from several universities had the opportunity to attend online conferences. It is a unique conference which students organize for students. The conference will be held online this year as well.

The Center also contributes to the education of the human resources necessary to solve the various energy problems faced in the 21st century. Energy and Sustainable Development Master’s Program and the CESD are working coordinately for this purpose.

Considering the fact that energy companies are generally located in Istanbul and its surrounding area, it is necessary to open new higher education programs specifically focused on energy. Even though a number of graduate programs on energy have been opened in recent years, these programs are far from meeting the needs of the sector due to their contextual and structural features. They generally focus on a certain aspect of energy, neglecting its interdisciplinary nature. It is expected that Energy and Sustainable Development (ESD) Thesis/Non-Thesis Master’s Program, which was opened in the 2016-2017 academic year at Kadir Has University, will fill the gap in this area as it brings together several disciplines in social sciences, physical sciences, and engineering.