Yusuf Leblebici
President, Sabancı University
Opening Ceremony of the 1st Semester 2026-27
Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 5 pm
Aula Magna
Opening Remarks
Amb. Umberto Vattani, President of Venice International University
Prof. Carmelo Marabello, Dean of Venice International University
Venice International University is honored to welcome Prof. Yusuf Leblebici as the distinguished speaker for the Opening Ceremony of the First Semester.
Lectio Magistralis
A View of Revolutionary Technologies in Human History: Our Collective Responsibilities
The rapid advancements of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in recent years have surprised (and continues to surprise) the general public as well as the decision makers in industry, commerce, and world economics. The accelerating evolution of this field is mainly driven by the hardware technologies (i.e. semiconductors) which have enjoyed sustained exponential growth over the past 60 years. For careful observers of technology and industry, the current state of affairs is a natural outcome of the steps that were taken over the past decades but the developments are rapidly becoming very difficult to manage, given the “linear” fashion of progress that was assumed throughout human history. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the dynamics that underlie the latest developments, and to assume our collective responsibilities that are needed to face this new era.
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The Globalization Program this semester offers students of the member universities the opportunity to take courses on intercultural communication, global governance, and other critical aspects of globalization, which will provide insights into the complexities of cultural exchange and identity in a globalized world. Specialization tracks focus on Economics, Management and Digital Technologies for Cultural Heritage, Science and Society and History and Memory, covering topics such as health, art and anthropology, the role of arts in the totalitiarian regimes, sustainable tourism and cultural heritage, scientific communication and sustainability, genetics, eugenetics and pandemics. This dynamic curriculum equips students with a global perspective, critical analytical skills, and a deeper understanding of pressing contemporary issues. Every semester of the program there is a core course offering through which students can study Venice’s history, architecture, and artistic heritage, and examine Italian contemporary history through film, while language learners can enhance their proficiency in Italian at various levels.
Prof. Yusuf Leblebici received the BSc and MSc degrees in electrical engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, and the PhD degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Between 1991 and 2002, he worked as a faculty member at UIUC, at Istanbul Technical University, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and at Sabancı University.
In 2002, Yusuf Leblebici became a Chair Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and Director of the Microelectronic Systems Laboratory which he led for more than 16 years. In November 2018, he was appointed as President of Sabancı University. His research interests include design of high-speed CMOS digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits, computer-aided design of VLSI systems, intelligent sensor interfaces, modeling and simulation of semiconductor devices, and VLSI reliability analysis. He is the coauthor of nine books as well as more than 350 scientific articles.
Yusuf Leblebici was elected as an IEEE Fellow in 2009, and as a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society for 2010–2011. In 2020, Yusuf Leblebici has received the Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He was elected as a Member of Academia Europaea in 2023, and as a Member of the European Academy of Engineering (EAE) in 2026.
How to get to VIU | Line 20 Timetable
