Research

My research sits at the intersection of migration, nationalism, and ethnic politics: who leaves, why they leave, and how emigrants and diasporas stay politically engaged with their home countries.

Work in progress

Beyond Borders: A Global Dataset of Nonresident Voter Registration and Turnout

Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, April 2026.

Introduces the DEPART dataset.
Medical Doctors’ Emigration From Turkey: A Profession-Based Approach to Migration Reasons

Presented at the Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., November 2025.

Builds on my M.A. thesis, “Proceeding to the ‘Exit’: Medical Doctors’ Emigration from Turkey” (Central European University, 2023; passed with distinction).
Rebel Tactics, Diaspora Response: Exploring Diaspora Support in Civil Wars

With Seray Yalaz. Presented at the International Studies Association, Chicago, March 2025.
From Learners to Educators: Effect of Undergraduate Experiences on TA Pedagogies

Presented at the APSA Teaching & Learning Conference, Alexandria, VA, February 2025.

Earlier research experience

Global IR project

Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research, Ankara · with Prof. Ersel Aydınlı · 2021

Collected and analyzed data on 100+ political science and IR journals from 40 countries to assess English-language dominance in the discipline.
Albanian migration

Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz · with Dr. Rory Archer · 2020

Translated Turkish interviews, reports, and legal texts for a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Non-state armed actors and government concessions

Bilkent University · with Asst. Prof. Efe Tokdemir · 2019

Collected and coded data on how armed groups claiming to represent ethnic minorities affect government concessions.