The Digital Twin (DT) are set to enable artificial-intelligence (AI)-based control, real-time optimisation, and accurate what-if analysis in the upcoming 6G era. For this, DT handles data at high volume, velocity, and heterogeneity across radio access, transport, and core network domains. However, their scalability is challenged by the strict latency, bandwidth, and reliability requirements of AI-Native 6G Networks.

At this, the distributed deployment of DT across the edge-cloud continuum of 6G is vital. This challenges the real-time operation due to required synchronisation, interoperability, and contextual alignment across Distributed DT instances. Therefore, this talk will focus on the architectural requirements for the Distributed Digital Twin as a Service (DTaaS) from a network-specific perspective. Furthermore, the discussions will highlight key performance indicators, knowledge graphs, and edge intelligence.

Berk Canberk (Senior Member, IEEE) is a Full Professor and Head of Subject (Department Chair) for Cybersecurity and System Engineering at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. His research focuses on AI-powered Digital Twins, IoT communication, and Smart Wireless Networks, spanning Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 to 6. As a leading expert in Digital Twin technologies, he specializes in real-time synchronization, AI-driven orchestration, and semantic communication frameworks. He leads the Broadband Communication Research Group (www.bcrg.uk) with 5 PhD students, 1 postdoctoral researcher, 2 research associates, 1 visiting professor, and 1 visiting MSc student. He has previously supervised 7 PhD and 21 MSc graduates. His publication record includes more than 103 journal articles, 103 conference papers, and 23 patents, of which 48 journal articles, 43 conference papers, and 18 patents are specifically focused on Digital Twins.

This talk will present the evolution of my journey from childhood curiosity to an academic career through brief insights into the projects I have completed and the research I continue to develop. From chemistry to chemical engineering, analytical and forensic chemistry, and later to building batteries and supercapacitors, my academic path has gradually evolved toward sustainable materials and environmental technologies. In this talk, I will discuss my work on transforming biomass waste into advanced functional materials for applications including water purification, pollutant removal, photocatalysis, and energy storage systems. My research mainly focuses on developing low-cost, environmentally friendly, and high-performance carbon-based materials that can contribute to a more sustainable future.

Nil Özbek is a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She received her undergraduate degrees through a double major program in Chemistry (2009) and Chemical Engineering (2010) from ITU. She completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemistry at ITU in 2011 and 2017, respectively. During her doctoral studies, she conducted research in forensic chemistry at Universidad de Alcalá, Spain. In 2018, she was awarded the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from ITU.

In this presentation, the limitations of traditional approaches in managing flood and inundation disasters, which are increasingly intensified by climate change, will be discussed, and the solutions offered by data-driven and artificial intelligence-based approaches will be presented. Based on past flood events and social vulnerability analyses in Turkey, the potential of machine learning and deep learning models in application areas such as flood susceptibility mapping, early warning systems, and risk assessment will be conveyed through case studies. The presentation will also discuss fundamental obstacles to these approaches, such as data inadequacy, model interpretability, and inter-institutional data sharing, concluding by sharing information about an ongoing research project aimed at risk mapping prepared for the entirety of Turkey.

Ömer Ekmekcioğlu is a faculty member at the Disaster Management Institute of Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Ekmekcioğlu completed his undergraduate education in the Civil Engineering Department of Yıldız Technical University and received his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Civil Engineering Department of ITU.