Orkan Telhan

Orkan Telhan has a diverse work experience in various roles and companies. Orkan is currently serving as the Chief Information and Data Officer at Ecovative, a mycelium technology company. Prior to this, they worked as the Head of Foundry Engineering at Ecovative. In addition to their corporate roles, Telhan holds the position of President at Biodesign Challenge. Orkan also has a background in academia, having served as an Associate Professor of Fine Arts; Emerging Design Practices at the University of Pennsylvania. Telhan has also held leadership positions at Biorealize, including Chief Design and Technology Officer and Co-Founder. Orkan has been involved in research and experimentation during their time at MIT as a researcher at the MIT Design Laboratory and at the University at Buffalo as a student/researcher. Telhan's career began as a Design Director at XXI. Journal of Architectural Culture, Tepe Architectural Culture Centre.

Orkan Telhan received a Ph.D. in the Dept. of Architecture - Program in Design & Computation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013. Prior to that, they obtained an MFA in Media Arts Production from the University at Buffalo between 2003 and 2008. In addition, they earned an SM in Media Arts and Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2005 to 2007. Telhan's education history also includes a prior MFA degree in Graphic Design from Bilkent University, which they completed between 2000 and 2002.