Zuhal Didem Aytaç
Zuhal Didem Aytaç
hi, it's me

Welcome in.Mind the paint,stay a while.

Software engineer by day, painter on weekends, and the person behind zudiay studio — a growing shelf of small games and data toys.

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01About

I'm a software engineer in Istanbul. Most of my days go into data platforms and the people building them; most of my evenings go into whatever I'm curious about that week.

I studied computer engineering at Boğaziçi University and I'm doing a master's at Politecnico di Torino.

Outside of work I paint, bake, and go looking for new cities to get lost in.

Didem as a child
Then
Didem today
Now
02Studio

A growing shelf of small games, data toys and experiments — all in one place.

studio.zudiay.me
The zudiay studio home page: a grid of small games and data experiments
Visit studio.zudiay.me ↗
04Work

Mindsite

London, UK

Sep 2020 – Present

Head of Data Platform Team

Apr 2025 – Present

Leading a cross-functional team of 9 people within the Data Platform team.

  • —Scaled the team from 3 to 7 engineers while expanding its ownership across the product
  • —Shifted the roadmap from 0% to ~65% AI-focused initiatives, bringing AI into core product development
  • —Expanded the team's scope to include revenue-generating products and commercial outcomes
  • —Established roadmap planning, delivery, and KPI frameworks to improve execution and accountability
  • —Own the team's product and technical roadmap, working closely with Product, Growth, Account Management, and engineering teams

Microsoft

Istanbul, Turkey

Jul – Sep 2020

Software Engineering Intern

Jul – Sep 2020

Apps Domain Team — built full-stack tooling for internal use.

  • —Designed and coded frontend using ReactJS
  • —Developed backend with Flask and SQL database
  • —Worked on availability improvements and technology migration

QNB Finansbank

Istanbul, Turkey

Jun 2019 – Aug 2020

Data Science Intern

Jun 2019 – Aug 2020

Part of the newly established Advanced Analytics team.

  • —Organised and interpreted statistical data to generate client insights
  • —Developed machine learning models to automate banking processes
05Education
  • 2024 — Present
    Turin, Italy

    Politecnico di Torino

    Master's Degree, Computer Engineering

    In progress.

  • 2018 — 2022
    Istanbul, Turkey

    Boğaziçi University

    BSc, Computer Engineering

    Member of BÜYAK, the Operations Research Club.

  • 2013 — 2018
    Istanbul, Turkey

    Kadıköy Anadolu High School

    High School Diploma

    Graduated as a top student.

06Art

The lights are off in here. Scroll — the light will follow you.

Whispers of the Wild, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 01Whispers of the Wild
Skyward Dreams, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 05Skyward Dreams
Echoes of Presence, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 02Echoes of Presence
Silent Repose, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 03Silent Repose
Harmony in Motion, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 06Harmony in Motion
Mystique, painting by Zuhal Didem Aytaç
No. 04Mystique
07Contact

zudiay.dev@gmail.com↗