Pelin Bolat, PhD, is the Faculty Research Coordinator, Faculty Senator, and Head of the Maritime Studies Graduate Program at Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty (ITU-MF). She is an Associate Professor specializing in maritime security and cyber security focusing on shipboard system vulnerabilities and risk-based security modelling. She also directs the Maritime Security and Cyber Threats Research Laboratory at ITU-MF. She completed her PhD in Vessel Operation Engineering at Shanghai Maritime University. Based on her bachelor in nuclear engineering, she has also contributed to researches and projects related to maritime decarbonization and energy system modelling.

Dr. Bolat serves as an advisor in selected MEPC/MSC meetings within the Turkiye Delegation. She is a Committee Member of the International Maritime Lecturers Association (IMLA). Dr. Bolat believes that digitalization is reshaping maritime sustainability into an integrated cyber-physical framework, and that this transformation can be effectively managed and strengthened through MET. She continues to support this vision through her research leadership, project involvement, and ongoing academic contributions.