Irem Topsakal

Research Assistant & MSc Student in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, METU

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About Me

Hi, my name is Irem Topsakal. I am currently working as a research/teaching assistant in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Middle East Technical University while continuing my Master's degree. I am currently working on modelling and optimizing the leaching process for lithium-ion batteries with reinforcement learning. I love playing boardgames and long walks :)

Education

MSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Middle East Technical University | Ankara, Turkiye | 2024 – Present

  • Materials Informatics Strategies Laboratory
  • Current CGPA: 4.00/4.00

BSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Middle East Technical University | Ankara, Turkiye | 2021 – 2024

  • CGPA: 3.98/4.00 (graduated with High Honors)

Work Experience

Research and Teaching Assistant

Middle East Technical University | Ankara, Turkiye | Jan 2025 - present

  • Assisted courses can be found on the Teaching page

Candidate Engineer

Turkish Aerospace | Ankara, Turkiye | Dec 2023 - May 2024

  • Part time

Laboratory Intern

Technische Universtät Clausthal | Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany | Jun 2023 - Aug 2023

  • Recycling of lithium ion batteries with hydrometallurgical processes
  • Conducted several precipitation and leaching experiments with different parameters

Publications

Hopefully soon :)

Conferences

  • Topsakal, I., & Sargin, I. (2026, March). Kinetic Model Selection and Process Optimization for LIB Recycling Using Reinforcement Learning. Presented at the TMS 2026 Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Topsakal, I., & Sargin, I. (2025, Sept). Reinforcement Learning Framework for Optimizing Leaching Recovery from End-of-Life LIBs. Presented at the E-MRS Fall 2025 Conference