We are deeply saddened by the passing of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Asatekin, a founding member of the Industrial Design Department at Middle East Technical University, on January 18th. His funeral was held on January 22, 2026, at İstanbul Ayazağa Cemetery, attended by his loving family, friends, colleagues, alumni, and students. Professor Asatekin was an important opinion leader who made significant contributions to the development of industrial design as a profession and an academic discipline in Turkey.

Mehmet Asatekin was born in İstanbul on January 2, 1946. He completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara and graduated from Kurtuluş High School in 1963. He received his Bachelor's degree in 1969 and his Master's degree in 1971, both from the Department of Architecture at METU. He received his PhD from the Faculty of Architecture at İstanbul Technical University in 1993. During his student years at METU, he took industrial design courses taught by the American visiting faculty member, David K. Munro, at the Department of Architecture. In 1971, he began working as a research assistant in preparation for the establishment of the METU Department of Industrial Design within the Faculty of Architecture. In the 1973-74 academic year, he conducted research in Italy on industrial design and seating ergonomics, funded by a scholarship from the Italian government. Upon his return to Turkey, he continued his teaching activities at METU Department of Architecture and, together with Güner Mutaf, worked to establish the Department of Industrial Design. Following its foundation in 1979, he served as the first Department Head. Between 1982 and 2001, he worked as a part-time design consultant at ASELSAN. At METU, he served as the Department Chair at various times until 1994, and as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Architecture between 1994 and 1997. He retired from METU in 2009 and continued teaching in Bahçeşehir University Department of Industrial Design in İstanbul until 2025.

Mehmet Asatekin was a member of the Chamber of Architects, Middle East Teaching Members Association, and Industrial Designers Society of Turkey (ETMK). He was also among the founding members of the Industrial Design Association, the first professional association in the field of industrial design in Turkey. He made pioneering publications in the areas of industrial design education and practice, industrial design criteria, and ergonomics in product design. He made significant contributions to the METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture.

Having devoted his life to industrial design education, Mehmet Asatekin effectively conveyed the values of his generation to his students. His modest personality was an essential part of these values. We honor our beloved Professor Mehmet Asatekin with love and respect, and we extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt wishes for patience and strength to his wife, Professor Gül Asatekin, his daughters Ayşe and Çiğdem, all his relatives, colleagues, students, and everyone who loved him.

Members of the METU Department of Industrial Design