Our PhD Students

He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2001 from the Department of Business Administration at Middle East Technical University (METU) and his master’s degree in 2005 from the Department of International Relations at METU with the thesis titled “Palestine Refugees in Lebanon: The Policies of the Lebanese State and the Role of the UNRWA.” He worked as a career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2007-2022. He served at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Turkey Office in 2023-2024.

Gökçe Pişkin is a PhD student in the Political Science and International Relations program at İzmir University of Economics. She completed her undergraduate studies in Global Politics and International Relations at Middle East Technical University and the State University of New York, and received her master’s degree from İzmir University of Economics. Her academic interests include comparative politics, political philosophy, and Turkish foreign policy. In her master’s thesis, she completed a study titled “Deconstructing the Syrian and Yemeni Civil Wars through a Postcolonial Lens.”In addition to her academic work, she has active experience in the political and public sphere in Turkey. The relationship between politics and academia constitutes an important foundation that shapes her research approach and academic motivation. She is married and has two children.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Social Services and Community Development from Diak Helsinki University of Applied Sciences. I completed my master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at İzmir University of Economics, where I wrote my thesis on political theory. I am currently pursuing a PhD in the same department, focusing on political theory and political memory studies. My academic interests include modern political thought, citizen-centered democratic theory, and Turkish politics. Contact information: anni.vihera@std.ieu.edu.tr

Ata Demirus graduated from our department in 2021. He earned his Master degree in 2024. Currently, he is a PhD student at the Political Science and International Relations at the İzmir University of Economics. His research areas are People's Republic of China, Asia-Pacific Foreign and Security Policies and Status-Seeking in International Relations. Some of his previous works include Shifts in China's Foreign Policy during Xi's Second Term: An Analysis from the Perspective of Hard-Soft-Sharp Powers; Polarity and Stability in International System, Facing the Past: Remembering or Forgetting? and China's Status Seeking in World Politics: The Case of Middle East.

Begum Buyuksavas Ozbudakli graduated as the top student of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Izmir Economy University in 2018. During her undergraduate years, she completed her minor programme in Logistics Management and spent a semester in Germany at Albert Ludwigs University within the scope of the Erasmus program. In 2019, she began her master's degree in Political Science at Sabanci University with a full scholarship. During those two years at Sabanci University, she worked as a Teaching Assistant for the World History course. Her master's thesis focused on An Analysis of Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles from the Perspective of Domestic Audience Costs. Since her Bachelor’s degree graduation, Begüm has been working in the private sector as a Recruitment Specialist in the Human Resources field. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD degree in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Izmir University of Economics. Her academic research interests revolve around arms trade, security studies, and international organizations.

Dilan Elif Aksu completed her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Ege University. She received a master's degree in International Relations with her thesis on "The Role of the European Union on Separatist Movements in Europe: The Case of Basque Country and Northern Ireland" at Dokuz Eylül University. During her undergraduate studies, she was an exchange student in Poland and Hungary within the scope of the Erasmus program. As of 2022, she continues her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations at Izmir University of Economics. Her academic interests include European Union, Turkish Foreign Policy, and Political History.

Ecem Gacener graduated in 2019 from the Department of International Relations at Yaşar University with a merit-based scholarship. During her undergraduate studies, she actively participated in various academic and volunteer projects. Following graduation, she pursued a fully-funded Master's degree in International Relations at Yaşar University and completed the program in 2022 with a thesis titled "Democratic Backsliding in the European Union: The Cases of Hungary and Poland." Throughout her graduate studies, she presented papers at several national and international conferences. She is currently continuing her doctoral studies with a full scholarship in the Political Science and International Relations PhD Program at İzmir University of Economics. Her academic research primarily focuses on democratic backsliding, environmental politics, international organizations, and the European Union. She has taken part in numerous Erasmus+ projects, contributed to volunteer initiatives, and participated in international training programs in the field of youth work.

Born in Izmir, Ege Doğaç Erdoğan attended The American School in England (TASIS) for his high school education. He received his B. A from The George Washington University (GWU), majoring in Political Science, minoring in Philosophy, and History. Erdoğan began his studies at the Izmir University of Economics in 2018 as a PhD student in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs. In addition to being a scriptwriter, and an editor, Erdoğan takes an active role in various NGO’s and associations. He is the 2020 President of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Karşıyaka chapter.

After graduating from the Faculty of Political Science, International Relations Department of Ankara University, Gül Yalçın worked in Ankara and in different foreign capitals (Copenhagen, the Hague, Baghdad, Moscow and Sofia) as a career diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye for 20 years. Following early retirement from diplomacy, she completed her M.A. degree in the Faculty of Sociology, Department for Women and Gender Studies, of Hacettepe University. The focus of her M.A. thesis was gender and disaster risk management. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the Political Science and International Relations Department of the Izmir University of Economics and at the same time gives the course entitled “Diplomatic Correspondence” as a part-time lecturer. Her areas of academic interest include diplomacy, digital diplomacy, international relations, and gender.

Irem Dumlu Taylan received her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Izmir University of Economics, where she studied on a full scholarship and graduated as a high honors student. During her undergraduate studies, she attended Vrije Universiteit Brussel as an Erasmus exchange student. She then earned her M.A. in International Relations from the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna with a full merit-based tuition waiver, completing her degree with the distinction of 110 e lode. Her master’s thesis offered a theoretical analysis of Turkey’s relations with NATO. She has participated in several international summer schools and presented her research in academic forums. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations at Izmir University of Economics. Her main field of specialization is international security, with a particular focus on arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament. Contact information: irem.dumlu@std.ieu.edu.tr

Mustafa Murat Uluer graduated as the top student of the Department of Cinema and Digital Media at Izmir University of Economics in 2021. In the same year, he successfully completed a minor program in the Department of Sociology. He received his MA in Political Science and International Relations at Izmir University of Economics with a full scholarship in 2024, with a thesis titled "Neo-Ottomanism and Nation (Re)Branding in Turkey: The Case of Media". He is currently pursuing his PhD in the same department with a full scholarship and working as a researcher in a scientific research project (SRP) called "Populism in Pictures: A Comparative Analysis of Trump's and Erdoğan's Visual Communication". His academic interests include Critical Security Studies, Critical Media Studies, Turkish Politics, and Foreign Policy. Contact information: murat.uluer@std.izmirekonomi.edu.tr.

Nazlı Ece Baltepe has received her Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Ege University, and her Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the İzmir University of Economics with her thesis titled “Estonia's influence on the implementation of the European Union's Digital Single Market Strategy during its Council Presidency”. During her Bachelor’s studies, she spent a semester at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and during her Master’s studies, she visited Niccolò Cusano University, both as an Erasmus+ exchange student. She also conducted a research internship at the University of Bamberg. Her research interests include the digital transformation processes in Europe, the emerging digital collaborations and their effects on the European digital transformation agenda, the global changes that are coming with the information revolution, and its effects and responses were given to it in the political and economic sphere. In addition to her formal studies, she is an active student who is an AEGEE (European Students' Forum) member since 2013, has participated in many international events/trainings/conferences as a full scholarship holder including the Bucharest Summer University organized by Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in 2018 and Peace Conference of Youth in Osaka in 2016.

Tuğba Singör completed her undergraduate studies in American Culture and Literature at Hacettepe University in 2004. She continued her professional career as an English Instructor until 2016 and later worked as an English teacher at a private college. In 2024, she completed her master’s degree in International Political Economy at İzmir Katip Çelebi University. Her thesis focused on the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war on the Turkic Republics. Singör is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at İzmir University of Economics.

Tonguç Berke Kaya completed his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at İzmir University of Economics and his master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at the same university. His areas of interest include political philosophy, modern political theory, populism, and Turkish politics.