Guest Lecture: Bridging Academia and Industry
On February 14, 2026, Turan University hosted an online guest lecture titled “Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Research into Real-World Solutions.”
The lecture was delivered by Samir Rustamov, Assistant Professor at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Head of the AI Laboratory at MegaSec Company.
Dr. Rustamov is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Institute of Cybernetics and later continued his academic career as a post-doctoral researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA). His academic and professional work bridges fundamental research and large-scale industrial implementation.
His research interests include natural language processing, speech technologies, large language models, and AI systems for low-resource languages. He has led numerous national-level AI initiatives in collaboration with government institutions and industry partners. These projects include intelligent speech recognition systems, advanced video analytics platforms, and the development of domain-specific large language models.
In addition to his research achievements, Dr. Rustamov actively contributes to shaping AI strategy and digital transformation processes, while mentoring young researchers within Azerbaijan’s rapidly developing AI ecosystem.
The event brought together faculty members of Turan University, as well as lecturers from other higher education institutions. Students of the Information Systems (IS) program actively participated in the discussion, demonstrating strong academic interest and engagement in applied AI research.
The session was moderated by Belginova Saule Askerbekovna and Nazerkе Bilimzhankyzy, who guided the discussion and coordinated the interactive Q&A segment.
During the lecture, participants explored practical mechanisms for transforming academic research into real-world technological solutions, discussed collaboration models between universities and industry, and reflected on the evolving role of higher education institutions in innovation-driven economies.
The lecture concluded with an active discussion, where students and faculty members addressed questions related to AI commercialization, research impact, and future career trajectories in the field of intelligent systems.
Turan University continues to strengthen international academic cooperation and provide platforms that connect research, education, and industry practice.
