About Me

I am a Master's graduate in Computer Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU), working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sinan Kalkan and Assist. Prof. Dr. Emre Akbas at the Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Laboratory (ImageLab).

My research advances the integration of combinatorial optimization algorithms into deep neural networks through novel differentiable frameworks. I specialize in ranking-based losses, optimal transport theory, and their applications to object detection systems. My master's thesis develops innovative methods for incorporating piecewise linear functions with constant regions in backpropagation, enabling sophisticated end-to-end training of complex neural architectures with improved performance and interpretability.

I have contributed to cutting-edge research through collaborations with leading institutions: at ETH Zürich's Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab, I developed deep learning architectures for real-time cybersickness detection in virtual reality environments using EEG signals; at UC Irvine's Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory, I designed multi-modal deep learning systems for cardiac abnormality detection from physiological signals, achieving state-of-the-art performance in beat-by-beat classification.

News

  • Jun 2026"Frequency-Weighted Neural Kalman Filters" accepted at IEEE/ICRA 2026publication
  • Mar 2025Started research internship at ETH Zürich SIPLab [link]internship
  • Mar 2025"Beyond Subjectivity" accepted at IEEE/TVCG [link]publication
  • Jan 2025Defended my M.Sc. thesis at METU [link]degree
  • Aug 2024"Bucketed Ranking Losses" accepted at ECCV 2024 [link]publication
  • Sep 2022Best Paper Award at IEEE/SRMC'22 [link]awardpublication
  • Sep 2022Started M.Sc. in Computer Engineering at METUdegree

Selected Publications

ICRA 2026
Frequency-Weighted Neural Kalman Filters
Dogan, A. H., Demirel, B. U., Holz, C.
International Conference on Robotics and Automation (IEEE ICRA), 2026
IEEE/TVCG 2025
Beyond subjectivity: Continuous cybersickness detection using eeg-based multitaper spectrum estimation
Demirel, B. U., Dogan, A. H., Rossie, J., Möbus M., Holz, C.
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2025
Yavuz, F., Cam B.C., Dogan, A. H., Oksuz, K., Kalkan, S., Akbas, E.
European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), 2024

Open Source

torchestratoradnanhd/torchestrator

A Dockerfile-like declarative experiment runner for PyTorch with a content-addressed pickle hub for layered finetune workflows.

PythonPyTorch
paper-reproductionsadnanhd/paper-reproductions

Monorepo of from-scratch PyTorch reproductions of selected ML papers, each as domain code plus a declarative torchfile config.

PythonPyTorchDockerApptainer
registry-patternadnanhd/registry-pattern

Name-based class/function registries plus a recursive factory that builds object graphs from JSON-friendly {type, repo, data, meta} envelopes.

PythonDesign Patterns
observer-patternadnanhd/observer-pattern

Message-driven execution library (eventforge): pub/sub queues, a competing-consumer work queue, executors, queue-RPC and remote queues behind one @task decorator.

PythonDesign Patterns
torchdatasetsadnanhd/torchdatasets

Extends PyTorch's Dataset API with TensorFlow-data-style map transforms and RAM/disk caching.

PythonPyTorchData

Blog Posts

Education

Master of Science in Computer EngineeringSeptember 12, 2022 - January 10, 2025
Middle East Technical University (METU)
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Sinan Kalkan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Akbas

Developed novel differentiable frameworks integrating combinatorial optimization algorithms into deep neural networks. Research focus: optimal transport theory, ranking-based losses, and advanced object detection architectures. Funded by TUBITAK 2247-C STAR National Scholarship Program.

Bachelor of Science in Computer EngineeringSeptember 10, 2018 - July 17, 2022
Middle East Technical University (METU)

Capstone Project: Designed and implemented a Transformer-based question-answering system utilizing T5 pre-trained architecture for extractive and abstractive text comprehension. Comprehensive curriculum spanning algorithms, systems programming, machine learning, and software engineering fundamentals.

Graduated in the first quantile of the class - Middle East Technical University (METU)

Publications

Dogan, A. H., Demirel, B. U., Holz, C. (2026). Frequency-Weighted Neural Kalman Filters. International Conference on Robotics and Automation (IEEE ICRA).
Demirel, B. U., Dogan, A. H., Rossie, J., Möbus M., Holz, C. (2025). Beyond subjectivity: Continuous cybersickness detection using eeg-based multitaper spectrum estimation. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.
Yavuz, F., Cam B.C., Dogan, A. H., Oksuz, K., Kalkan, S., Akbas, E. (2024). Bucketed Ranking Loss for Efficient Ranking-based Training of Object Detectors. ECCV 2024.
Amin M. A., Dogan, A. H., Kuru E. S., Sever Y., Angin P. (April 2024). Misuse Detection and Response for Orchestrated Microservices Based Software. International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications (AINA 2024).
Karagoz, P., Cekinel, R. F., Dogan, A. H., Oktay, B., Ozturk, A. U., Tonay, S. T., Tunel, B. M. (2024). Enhancing Underground Built Heritage Analysis with Text Mining: A Case Study on Cappadocia. In Valorising Underground Built Heritage in Cappadocia, pp. 61-92.
Sever Y., Dogan, A. H. (August 2023). A Kubernetes dataset for misuse detection. ITU Journal of FET.
Sever, Y., Ekinci, G., Dogan, A. H., Alparslan, B., Gurbuz, A. S., Jabrayilov, V., Angin, P. (September 2022). An Empirical Analysis of IDS Approaches in Container Security. IEEE/SRMC'22, September 2022.
Best Paper Award - IEEE/SRMC'22
Demirel, B. U., Dogan, A. H., Al-Faruque, M. A. (2021). Two Might Do: A Beat-by-Beat Classification of Cardiac Abnormalities using Deep Learning and Domain-Specific Features. CinC 2021.
Buyukbas, E. B., Dogan, A. H., Ozturk, A. U., Karagoz, P. (September 2021). Explainability in Irony Detection. Big Data Analytics and Knowledge Discovery (DaWaK 2021), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12925, pp. 61-92.
Dogan, A. H., Dogan, A. (June 2021). An Assembled Deep Learning Approach for Flow Field Prediction.

Experience

Graduate InternMarch 2025 - October 2025
Sensing, Interaction, & Perception Laboratory (SIPLab), ETH Zürich Full-time, 8 months
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Christian Holz

Advanced research on continuous cybersickness detection in virtual reality environments using EEG-based multitaper spectrum estimation. Pioneered novel deep learning architectures achieving 30% performance improvement over baseline methods in real-time cybersickness prediction from brain signals, with potential applications in adaptive VR systems and user experience optimization.

Research AssistantFebruary 2023 - Present
Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Laboratory (ImageLab), METU Full-time
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Sinan Kalkan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Akbas

Pioneering research on differentiable optimization frameworks for deep learning in computer vision. Developed novel methods for incorporating combinatorial optimization algorithms into neural network training pipelines, achieving state-of-the-art performance in object detection.

  • Contributed to Bucketed Ranking Loss, speeding up ranking-based training of DETR/transformer detectors by up to 6x
  • Developed optimal-transport (Sinkhorn-Knopp) and ranking-based loss formulations for end-to-end object detection
TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'23 Scholarship - The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)
Undergraduate InternOctober 2021 - February 2022
Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (ROMER), METU Term project course: ME460
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erol Sahin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bugra Koku
  • Built a self-driving stack for a physical RC car, and trained RL agents for autonomous navigation task in ROS/Gym/PyTorch
  • Simulated a Hector-quadrotor swarm in ROS/Gazebo, approximating numerical solvers for multi-agent localization
Undergraduate InternJune 2021 - September 2021
Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory, University of California, Irvine Remote collaboration, Full-time, 4 months
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mohammad Abdullah Al-Faruque

Developed sophisticated multi-modal deep learning systems for cardiac and sleep abnormality detection from physiological signals. Designed novel architectures integrating time-series analysis with spectral feature extraction for beat-by-beat cardiac arrhythmia classification, achieving competitive performance in international challenges. Published research findings at Computing in Cardiology (CinC) 2021.

  • Built multi-modal deep models for beat-by-beat cardiac and sleep abnormality detection from physiological signals
  • Fused time-series and spectral features for arrhythmia classification, competitive in international challenges

Research Internships

Undergraduate Research ProjectJanuary 2020 - June 2022
Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Laboratory (ImageLab), METU
Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Hande Alemdar, Assist. Prof. Dr. Baran Ugras

CNNFOIL: Approximating HLLC Riemann solver for flow prediction around airfoils via encoder-decoder neural networks. Engineered state-of-the-art neural network models achieving 4.4% performance improvement in predicting critical flow field parameters around airfoil geometries.

  • Approximated HLLC Riemann solver for airfoil flow prediction via encoder-decoder networks
  • Achieved 4.4% improvement in predicting flow field parameters around airfoil geometries
Undergraduate Research ProjectSeptember 2021 - June 2022
Cyber Security Research Group, METU 6 hours/week
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pelin Angin

Advanced research on container security with intrusion detection systems (CONTSEC) for cloud-native environments. Designed and implemented high-performance IDS pipeline optimized for containerized cloud infrastructures. Collaborated on Kubernetes misuse detection research, contributing to novel datasets and detection methodologies.

  • Published at AINA 2024 on microservices security architectures
  • Received Best Paper Award at IEEE/SRMC 2022 for empirical analysis of IDS approaches
  • Co-authored ITU FET journal paper introducing a Kubernetes misuse detection dataset
TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'22 Scholarship - The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)
Undergraduate Research ProjectOctober 2020 - October 2021
Textual Event Graph HUB (TEGHub), METU 6 hours/week
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pinar Karagoz

Textual analysis for irony detection and research impact prediction. Implemented end-to-end neural pipelines integrating GCN and LSTM networks for analyzing citation patterns and textual content on Twitter datasets.

  • Published at DaWaK 2021 on explainability in irony detection
  • Developed graph-based models for information retrieval
Undergraduate Research ProjectFebruary 2020 - June 2021
School of Medicine, Koç University 6 hours/week × 60 weeks
Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Ozge Karanfil

Healthcare policy simulation for evidence-based decision making. Utilized simulation models focusing on mechatronics applications in healthcare. Developed GCN-based citation graph embeddings for healthcare policy papers.

  • Built simulation models for healthcare policy decision making
  • Developed GCN-based citation graph embeddings for healthcare policy papers
TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'21 Scholarship - The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)
Summer InternAugust 2021 - October 2021
TUBITAK BILGEM 40 hours/week × 8 weeks

Cloud infrastructure development at Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Lab. Contributed to Sapphire Cloud platform enhancements.

  • Contributed to Sapphire Cloud platform at Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Lab
Summer InternAugust 2020 - October 2020
Enocta Inc. 40 hours/week × 8 weeks

NLP and transformer model optimization. Engineered GPT-2 and T5 models using HuggingFace for enterprise learning management systems.

  • Engineered GPT-2 and T5 models using HuggingFace for enterprise learning management systems

Teaching Experience

Teaching AssistantFebruary 2022 - Present
Computer Engineering Department, METU 20 hours/week

Conducted recitations, graded assignments, proctored exams, and provided office hours.

  • CENG 460 - Introduction to Robotics for Computer Science (Fall 2024)
  • CENG 223 - Discrete Computational Structures (Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025)
  • CENG 213 - Data Structures (Spring 2024)
  • CENG 280 - Automata Theory (Spring 2024, Spring 2025)
  • CENG 424 - Logic for Computer Science (Fall 2023, Fall 2025)
  • CENG 382 - Analysis of Dynamical Systems (Spring 2023)
  • CENG 242 - Programming Language Concepts (Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2025)
  • CENG 334 - Introduction to Operating Systems (Spring 2022)
Undergraduate Teaching AssistantSpring 2019 - Fall 2021
Computer Engineering Department, METU 8 hours/week

Helped TAs in recitations and lab sessions, also organized social sessions during covid'19.

  • CENG 240 - Programming with Python for Engineers (Fall 2021)
  • CENG 111 - Introduction to Computer Engineering Concepts (Fall 2020)
  • CENG 230 - Introduction to C Programming (Spring 2019)

Scores, Honors, & Awards

TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'23 Scholarship2022-2023
The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Merit-based national scholarship awarded to students contributing to TUBITAK-funded research projects. Supported graduate thesis on differentiable combinatorial optimization at ImageLab, METU.

TOEFL iBT: 109/120 (R29 L29 S25 W26)October 2022
ETS
Graduated in the first quantile of the classJuly 2022
Middle East Technical University (METU)

For "Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering".

TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'22 Scholarship2021-2022
The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Merit-based national scholarship awarded to students contributing to TUBITAK-funded research projects. Supported undergraduate research on container security and intrusion detection (CONTSEC) at METU.

TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'21 Scholarship2020-2021
The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Merit-based national scholarship awarded to students contributing to TUBITAK-funded research projects. Supported undergraduate research on healthcare policy simulation at Koç University School of Medicine.

University Entrance Exam: ranked 1466th of 2.27M candidatesAugust 2017
OSYM, Turkey
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February 2023 - Present

Research Assistant

Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Laboratory ([ImageLab](https://image.ceng.metu.edu.tr/)), METU
TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'23 Scholarship - The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)
ECCV 2024Bucketed Ranking Loss for Efficient Ranking-based Training of Object Detectors2024
Yavuz, F., Cam B.C., Dogan, A. H., Oksuz, K., Kalkan, S., Akbas, E.
March 2025 - October 2025

Graduate Intern

Sensing, Interaction, & Perception Laboratory ([SIPLab](https://siplab.org/)), ETH Zürich
ICRA 2026Frequency-Weighted Neural Kalman Filters2026
Dogan, A. H., Demirel, B. U., Holz, C.
IEEE/TVCG 2025Beyond subjectivity: Continuous cybersickness detection using eeg-based multitaper spectrum estimation2025
Demirel, B. U., Dogan, A. H., Rossie, J., Möbus M., Holz, C.
September 12, 2022 - January 10, 2025

Master of Science in Computer Engineering

Middle East Technical University (METU)
M.Sc. Thesis 2025Incorporating Piecewise Linear Functions with Constant Regions in BackpropagationJan 2025
Dogan, A. H.
September 10, 2018 - July 17, 2022

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Middle East Technical University (METU)
January 2020 - June 2022

Undergraduate Research Project

Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Laboratory (ImageLab), METU
An Assembled Deep Learning Approach for Flow Field PredictionJun 2021
Dogan, A. H., Dogan, A.
September 2021 - June 2022

Undergraduate Research Project

Cyber Security Research Group, METU
TUBITAK 2247-C STAR'22 Scholarship - The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK)
AINA 2024Misuse Detection and Response for Orchestrated Microservices Based SoftwareApr 2024
Amin M. A., Dogan, A. H., Kuru E. S., Sever Y., Angin P.
ITU Journal 2023A Kubernetes dataset for misuse detectionAug 2023
Sever Y., Dogan, A. H.
IEEE/SRMC 2022An Empirical Analysis of IDS Approaches in Container SecuritySep 2022
Sever, Y., Ekinci, G., Dogan, A. H., Alparslan, B., Gurbuz, A. S., Jabrayilov, V., Angin, P.
Best Paper Award - IEEE/SRMC'22
October 2020 - October 2021

Undergraduate Research Project

Textual Event Graph HUB (TEGHub), METU
Book Chapter 2024Enhancing Underground Built Heritage Analysis with Text Mining: A Case Study on Cappadocia2024
Karagoz, P., Cekinel, R. F., Dogan, A. H., Oktay, B., Ozturk, A. U., Tonay, S. T., Tunel, B. M.
DaWaK 2021Explainability in Irony DetectionSep 2021
Buyukbas, E. B., Dogan, A. H., Ozturk, A. U., Karagoz, P.
June 2021 - September 2021

Undergraduate Intern

Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory, University of California, Irvine
CinC 2021Two Might Do: A Beat-by-Beat Classification of Cardiac Abnormalities using Deep Learning and Domain-Specific Features2021
Demirel, B. U., Dogan, A. H., Al-Faruque, M. A.