Our PhD Students

Altan KAYACAN was born in 1995 and he is a lawyer registered at Izmir Bar Association in Turkey. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2017 in Law Program with Full Scholarship from Izmir University of Economics and his LL.M. Degree in 2018 on Private Law Program with Thesis also from Izmir University of Economics. During his LL.M., Kayacan wrote his thesis on “Consequences of Occupational Accidents and Diseases in Terms of Labor Law”. He has an article titled "Investigating the Trends in Arctic Research: The Increasing Role of Social Sciences and Humanities", a book chapter regarding “Economic Effects of Occupational Accidents and Diseases on Employers, Employees, and States” and a publication on “Comparison of Precautionary Costs and Compensation Costs Regarding Occupational Accidents and Diseases”. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Izmir University of Economics on Political Science and International Relations Ph.D. Program with Full Scholarship. Kayacan is a former project assistant at the Izmir University of Economics and he is currently working as a Jurist Clerk in Kemalpaşa Notary.

Graduating from the Izmir University of Economics in 2017, Berfu SOLAK gained two B.A. degrees from the departments of Political Science and International Relations, and English Translation and Interpreting. Following her graduation, she completed her M.A. in Sustainable Energy Division at the Izmir University of Economics in 2019. During her master's studies, she worked as a project assistant and researcher in the EU 2020 ECHOES project. Currently, she continues her PhD in Political Science and International Relations at the Izmir University of Economics. Besides, she works as a research scholar in a TUBITAK project called “Challenges and Opportunities in the Arctic Region: Designing a Strategic Roadmap for Turkey”.

I received my BA in Business Management from Marmara University, which was followed by 9 years of professional experience in the private sector. After having received my MA degree in Political Science and International Relations department of Bilgi University, I started my Ph.D. in Istanbul Technical University in the Political and Social Thoughts program. Now I feel blessed to go on with my doctoral studies at the Izmir University of Economics in the Political Science and International Relations department. My studies of interest, among many, are Turkish politics, identity studies, politics of environment, and ethnic studies.

Deniz Özbek Özyurt was graduated from our department in 2009. In 2010, she received the scholarship of Secretariat General for EU Affairs (ABGS) and started the master program on the EU, International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at College of Europe. In 2011 she was graduated from this program. In 2019 she completed the master's program in International Relations at Galatasaray University. Currently, she is a PhD student at the Political Science and International Relations department at the Izmir University of Economics. Thinking to be specialized in the Political Theory field; she is interested in gender and sexuality studies and memory studies.

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.

Lingkai Kong gained a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Beijing Foreign Studies University, China in 2019, and a Master's degree in Economics and Quantitative Finance from the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 2021. He feels honored to pursue his PhD degree in Political Science and International Relations in Izmir University of Economics. He went to the University of Barcelona in Spain, Solbridge Business School in South Korea for exchange studies, traveled or participated in volunteer or academic activities in India, Sri Lanka, USA, and continental Europe. He speaks Chinese, English and Spanish. He is a member of the Board of the Alumni Association of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Mahmut Akpınar graduated from Balıkesir University, Department of International Relations in 2015. He studied Finance and Management at the University of Finance and Management Bialystok/Poland for one semester with the Erasmus program, and International Relations at the University of Lodz for another semester with the same program. He received his master's degree from Dokuz Eylül University Principles of Ataturk and Turkish Revolution History with thesis titled "Russian Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean after the Second World War". He continues his education at Izmir University of Economics, Political Science and International Relations doctorate program. His academic interests include Political History, International Security, European Union, Diplomacy, Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

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.

Nihan Duran is awarded the Diploma of the International Baccalaureate (IB), at the American Collegiate Institute, Izmir. She holds a dual bachelor's degree in International Relations (Anadolu University), and American Culture and Literature, along with a minor degree in German Translation and Interpretation (Ege University). She received her M.A. degree in the International Relations department at Istanbul Bilgi University with her thesis, Living in ‘the State of Exception:’ Experiences of Syrian Refugees in Berlin (2019). She has also visited Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) as an exchange student. Currently, she continues her PhD in Political Science and International Relations at the Izmir University of Economics. Her research interests include migration research, cultural studies, identity politics, and gender politics. Her research article concerning, “Dual Discrimination of Syrian RefugeeWomen in the Labour Markets in Europe and Turkey: Identifying the Challenges” wins the prize at the competition organized by the Jean Monnet Chair at the European Institute of Istanbul Bilgi University and is published by the Journal of Social Policy Conferences in December 2018.

He received his bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Middle East Technical University and completed a part of his undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He also completed a minor in history. He received his master’s degree in Middle East Studies from Middle East Technical University. He wrote his thesis on the Lebanese Civil War between 1975 and 1990. He is currently studying in the Political Science and International Relations Ph.D program at the Izmir University of Economics. He also participated in a variety of training programs in Australia, Canada, and the USA. Sunay’s areas of interest include Security Studies, Middle East Politics, and International Organizations. He speaks English and Arabic.

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.