Aslihan, an award-winning business woman, holds a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey. She has received several prestigious accolades, including the Accelerate HER Award in the Clean-Tech and Climate category, the Scottish Enterprise Unlocking Ambition Award, and recognition as a Finalist in the Young Professionals Green Energy Award. Having moved to Scotland 20 years ago, she built a successful career in Oil & Gas, working in expat roles across the Asia Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico as a Safety Lead. She was involved in complex subsea installation projects with FTSE 500 companies such as Subsea7, Technip, Aker Solutions, and Worley. She later transitioned into Renewable Energy, retraining at Napier University to bring her expertise into a more sustainable sector.
Aslihan’s journey in wave energy began in 2015 while working with an Israeli company on a breakwater-mounted Wave Energy Converter (WEC). However, through a study with the University of the Highlands and Islands, she realized that Scotland lacked the necessary breakwaters with Hs > 2m annual average wave height required for this technology to generate meaningful energy. This led to a crucial insight: if she could develop a WEC that worked in smaller sea states (Hs < 2m), she could unlock global potential.
At the Wave Energy Scotland Annual Conference, she discovered Umbra Group’s Power Take-Off (PTO) system,which showed promise for generating power in wave heights as low as 35cm. Shesecured funding through the SE:SMART Scotland Grant and collaborated with topwave energy engineers at the University of Edinburgh. Her efforts resulted in the development of a WEC capable of functioning in small sea states, and, more importantly, she solved the mechanical-end-stop problem, a critical flaw inmost existing WEC designs.
Finding the right market was just as important as developing the technology. While wave energy has long-term potential, Aslihan wanted to avoid the mistakes of previous developers by identifying a commercially viable market from the prototype stage. With funding from Unlocking Ambition, she conducted a product-market fit study, which identified aquaculture as the ideal sector. The aquaculture industry had a well-matched power requirement, suitable wave resources, low infrastructure costs, strong sustainability goals, and growing market demand. According to FAO, global aquaculture production grew by 527% from 1990 to 2018, compared to just 14% growth in wild-capture fisheries. As demand for seafood continues to rise, aquaculture is set to become the leading source of protein for human consumption, creating a strong and expanding market for sustainable energy solutions.
Aslihan is known for her resilience and leadership, having independently solved major WEC design challenges, secured funding, partnered with a leading engineering firm, gained Scottish Enterprise support, and won the trust of key clients in aquaculture. She is also a champion for diversity, standing out as the only female inventor in the wave and tidal energy sector. As a Turkish-born British national, she is committed to promoting equality and serves as a Turkish Talent Ambassador. She has participated in entrepreneurial programs through Unlocking Ambition and AccelerateHER, including one at Babson College, Boston, the world’s leading entrepreneurship school.
Her biggest inspiration comes from her two children, Zoe and Alex, for whom ZOEX was named. Zoe (meaning life in Greek) represents Aslihan’s vision to deploy her system on remote islands,providing clean wave energy and fresh water through desalination - two fundamental elements for human survival. Alex, meaning defender of humankind,symbolizes the ZOEX system’s robust design, which features a double-link arm mechanism that protects the device in storms by lifting the arm or submerging it in water.
Throughout her journey, there were moments when she felt like giving up. But knowing the urgency of climate change, which she has witnessed firsthand through SCUBA diving, and her responsibility as a mother, she remained relentless. She believes that if every mother takes action, we can make a real difference in building a better future for the next generations.
Her motto is simple yet powerful:
"If I can do it, you can do it."
Our team aims to make ZOEX a global force for good. Our strategic partners offer specific expertise and will support our in-house team to capture learnings and protect IP rights.
Join us on our journey to unlock the greatest untapped energy source on the planet and yield exceptional returns with ZOEX.
