ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE ORGANİZASYON KOMİTESİ
Yusuf Yüksekdağ
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Yusuf Yüksekdağ
Istanbul Bilgi University, TurkeyYusuf Yüksekdağ is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University. He works and teaches in applied ethics and media studies. He has worked on migration ethics in particular, and recently, he has been concerned with the ethics of urban space, smart city and datafication ethics. Yüksekdağ received his PhD in 2019 from the Department of Culture and Communication, Linköping University, Sweden. Later, he worked as a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Bern, for a year before joining Istanbul Bilgi University.
Sarper Durmuş
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Sarper Durmuş
Istanbul Bilgi University, TurkeySarper Durmuş previously held positions in journalism and publishing prior to embarking on his postgraduate studies. He now has a Ph.D. in communications from Istanbul Bilgi University, where he teaches undergraduate media studies and journalism courses. His general interests are digital platforms and global media.
Cansu Koç
After graduating from Istanbul University English Language Teaching in 2017, Cansu Koç received a master’s degree in Women's Studies at Istanbul University with her thesis which focused on the representation of older women in TV series. Currently, she is a doctoral student of PhD in Communication program at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her research interests include gender studies, aging studies, and media studies.
Berna Çelikkaya
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Berna Çelikkaya
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Berna Çelikkaya is a doctoral candidate in Communication at Istanbul Bilgi University. She completed her second M.A. at the Center for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Her first Master’s degree in Film and Drama is from Istanbul Kadir Has University. As a scholartist, her primary research interests include dramaturgy, writing, performance, and acting.
Rahmi Uysal
After graduating from Kadir Has University Public Relations and Information in 2019, Rahmi Uysal received a master’s degree in communication sciences at the same university with his thesis, Hate Speech as an Abuse of Freedom of Speech. He is a doctoral student pursuing a PhD in Communication program at Istanbul Bilgi University. His research interests include AI companion apps, social theory, free speech, and media studies.
Seda Naniç Zeybek
Seda Naniç Zeybek is a freelance researcher conducting her doctoral studies on Cultural Heritage and Conservation practices at Istanbul Bilgi University. She holds a master's degree in Cultural Studies and Cultural Management. Her research focuses on urban memory, cultural memory, cultural heritage, conservation, participatory approaches in culture and art, and cultural policies.
Ezgi Altınöz
After receiving her BA in English language and literature from Bilkent University in 2020, Ezgi Altınöz obtained a master’s degree in Media and Visual Studies from the same university in 2022. She is now pursuing a PhD degree in Communication at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her research interests include animal studies, documentary practices, and visual studies.
Nurhak Atar
Nurhak Atar completed his undergraduate studies in Sociology at Marmara University with a double major in Political Science, and International Relations, along with a minor in Radio, TV, and Cinema; additionally, he participated as an Erasmus student at Södertörns Högskola during the 2017-2018 academic year. Having successfully obtained his master's degree in "Political Communication" at Galatasaray University between 2020 and 2023, Atar is currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Communication Studies at Istanbul Bilgi University.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE DANIŞMA KOMİTESİ
Nazan Haydari Pakkan
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Nazan Haydari Pakkan
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Nazan Haydari is Associate Professor of Media School at Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey. Her research and teaching areas consist of intercultural communication, feminist media studies, critical media pedagogy, and radio studies. She is particularly interested in the media practices of peace building and conflict resolution, collaborative research, critical media pedagogy, and the relationship between radio, gender and identity. She has participated in the development of various media projects with street-involved children, and disadvantaged youngsters in collaboration with İstanbul Bilgi University Children Studies Unit and Maltepe University Research and Implementation Center on Street Children (SOYAÇ). She serves at the editorial board of Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, advisory board of Center for Intercultural Dialogue and , and an active member of Women’s Radio in Europe Network (WREN). She has a PhD in Telecommunications and MA in Communications and Development from Ohio University. Currently she is working on an oral history with women radio broadcasters of 1970s in Turkey.
Salvatore Scifo
Bournemouth University, England
Salvatore Scifo
Bournemouth University, England
Salvatore Scifo is a Deputy Head of Department of Communication of Journalism at the Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University (United Kingdom). He has published a series of articles and book chapters on British Community Radio and European Community Media. He is the current vice chair of the ECREA Radio and Sound Section (former Radio Research Section) (2018–present), and a former chair (2012–13) and steering group member (2016–19) of the MeCCSA Radio Studies Network. Salvatore is also an International Editorial Board member of the Journal of Radio and Audio Media (Taylor & Francis). He has been an invited speaker on British community radio to events as the 10th International Radio Biennale (Mexico City, 2014, keynote) and RadioDays Europe (Berlin, 2013). Among his most recent work, as a co-author, is the 2018 report Spaces of Inclusion – An Explorative Study on Needs of Refugees and Migrants in the Domain of Media Communication and on Responses by Community Media for the Council of Europe.
Aslı Tunç
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Aslı Tunç
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Aslı Tunç is a professor at the New Media and Communication Department at Istanbul Bilgi University and currently serves as Vice-Rector. She has a BA in communication sciences from Istanbul University and an MA in film and television studies from Anadolu University. She received her Ph.D. in media and communications at Temple University in Philadelphia. She was on sabbatical serving as a visiting professor at the University of South Florida in 2020. During her academic career, Prof. Tunç gave lectures and seminars at universities in the USA, the UK and Greece and has written numerous academic articles, book chapters, and international country reports on the areas of media and democracy, digital activism, social media, and freedom of expression. Her most recent research is on gender issues and media where she is the co-editor and the contributor of the collected volume, Female Agencies and Subjectivities in Film and Television (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020).
Onur Sesigür
Onur Sesigür is Assistant Professor and vice-dean at The Faculty of Arts and Design at Beykoz University. He received his B.Sc. in physics from Middle East Technical University, his MA in audio production from the University of Westminster and his Ph.D. in communication fromIstanbul Bilgi University. Prior to his current occupation, he worked as a sound designer, music producer, post-production coordinator and as client relations manager in the media and music industries. His research interests include digital cultures, sound studies, popular music and culture industries.
Melike Özmen
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Melike Özmen
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Melike Özmen completed her B.A. in Visual Arts and Design/Graphic Design at Başkent University in 2008, and her M.A. in Visual Communication Design at Yeditepe University in 2012. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Design and Management Department, Visual Communication Design Program at Istanbul Bilgi University and has obtained a PhD in Communication from the same institution, with her thesis concentration on information design. Her research interests include information design, transmedia storytelling and urban communication. More specifically, her work examines the designer’s personal experience as a user in the context of designing information.
Dilek Gürsoy
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Dilek Gürsoy
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Dilek Gürsoy is a faculty member at Visual Communication Program in Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey. She received her Ph.D. degree in communication studies from Istanbul Bilgi University with the thesis titled ‘Transmedia Journalism Toolkit (TJT): A design thinking guide to creating transmedia news stories’ (2018). As a Parsons School of Design (The New School) graduate, her academic background embraces both design thinking and communication studies. She is the author of Transmediality in Independent Journalism: The Turkish Case (Routledge, 2020). She is also an active organizational committee member of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Communication Conference (IPCC), which takes place every year at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her academic interests are design thinking and transmedia studies in Turkey, where she currently resides.
Ayça Ulutaş
Ayça Ulutaş has a BA degree in Business Administration from Istanbul University and received her Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from San Francisco Golden Gate University. She started her professional career in a public relations agency in 2006 and continued to work as a Marcom M. in many leading brands of the technology industry until 2014. Today she is a PhD candidate in Communication at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her academic interests include digital media and communication, gender studies and transformative consumer research.
Sarper Durmuş
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Sarper Durmuş
Istanbul Bilgi University, TurkeySarper Durmuş previously held positions in journalism and publishing prior to embarking on his postgraduate studies. He now has a Ph.D. in communications from Istanbul Bilgi University, where he teaches undergraduate media studies and journalism courses. His general interests are digital platforms and global media.
Adil Serhan Şahin
Universität Hildesheim, Germany
Adil Serhan Şahin
Universität Hildesheim, Germany
Adil Serhan Şahin began with his dissertation entitled "A new approach to the transformation of cultural heritage areas: Yeldeğirmeni case" a doctoral programme in Communication Sciences at Istanbul Bilgi University. At the same time, he has been working there since 2013, first as an administrative assistant at the Research Centre for Cultural Policy and Management (KPY) and later as a research assistant at the Institute for Arts and Culture Management. He is editor of the KPY Yearbooks 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Review Sections. He is also a doctoral candidate at the Institute for Cultural Policy at the University of Hildesheim. He continues his research and work in the fields of cultural policy, cultural management, communication sciences and masculinities.
Begüm Irmak
Begüm Irmak received her MSc degree from London School of Economics in Sociology- Contemporary Social Thought in 2011 after graduating from Sabancı University’s Social and Political Sciences Programme in 2010. She received her PhD in Communication from Bilgi University. Until 2015, she worked in an advertising agency as the project leader of an international brand. Currently, she is working as an executive manager in education and a part time lecturer at Istanbul Bilgi University and Bahçeşehir University. Her research interests include gender studies, media and technology studies and sociology of digital media.
Can Koçak
University of Sussex, UK
Can Koçak
University of Sussex, UK
Can Koçak is a Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex. Before his current post, he taught at King's College London, Department of Digital Humanities. He received his PhD in Communication from Istanbul Bilgi University with a thesis that focused on the representation of intellectual in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films before receiving his master’s degree in Film and Drama at Kadir Has University with an interdisciplinary research derived from Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966).
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE BİLİMSEL KOMİTE
Abrar Ali Saiyed
Ozyegin University, Turkey
Abrar Ali Saiyed
Ozyegin University, Turkey
Abrar Ali Saiyed is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management at the Business School of Ozyegin University. Abrar Ali Saiyed earned his Fellowship in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA). His specialization is in strategic management, entrepreneurship and international business. He is teaching in top business schools and universities in India. He is currently studying the migration of Muslims in the backdrop of four major communal violence in Ahmedabad City. He is also studying the process of self-development in Muslims of Ahmedabad post-2002 riots. He is running a public health center for 2002 riots victims in Ahmedabad and using their pre riots and post riots health survey and oral history he is also studying how violence and precocity structures organizational and institutional arrangements, and reciprocally, how organizations and institutions constitute precarious lives. He is writing about the issues and challenges of Muslims in India. He was also teaching a module on “Muslims in Urban India” as a part of the City program of the International Honors Program organized by the world learning organization. He is teaching courses; like Sociology of Bazaar, Conflict and Coexistence in the City and Sound in the City beyond teaching courses on strategy, innovation and international business. He works with more than 60 schools run by Muslims in Gujarat State and is trying to improve school education through teacher’s education. He is the founder of Heritage Club and the Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs. He was also selected by US Consulate General India for the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the Department of States US Government.
Ayşegül Kesirli Unur
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Çiğdem Bozdağ
Journalism and Media Studies University of Groningen & Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow University of Bremen, Germany
Çiğdem Bozdağ
Journalism and Media Studies University of Groningen & Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow University of Bremen, Germany
Diğdem Sezen
University for the Creative Arts, School of Games and Creative Technology, England
Diğdem Sezen
University for the Creative Arts, School of Games and Creative Technology, England
Dr. Digdem Sezen is a senior lecturer at UCA School of Games and Creative Technology. Her research focuses on the history, theory, and practice of interactive media and transmedia storytelling. She holds a PhD from Istanbul University. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship for her doctoral studies and visited the Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Digital Media. For the last two years, she has been involved in EU-funded research projects in Germany. She focused on the implementation of interactive storytelling and gamification for cultural heritage places and educational settings. She co-edited three books and published book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, and encyclopedia articles from publishers including Routledge, Springer, LIT Verlag, and Palgrave MacMillan.
Ebru Çiğdem Thwaıtes Diken
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Ebru Çiğdem Thwaıtes Diken
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Ebru Thwaites Diken is an assistant professor in the Department of Cinema and Television at İstanbul Bilgi University. Her research interests include film, director's ethics, film and social theory, gender, Scandinavian cinema and digital visual cultures. She has published a book, 'The Spectacle of Politics and Religion in Contemporary Turkish Cinema' (2018) by Palgrave Publications, edited a book 'Female Agencies and Subjectivities in Film and Television' (2020) and published several articles in international peer reviewed journals.
Esra Ercan Bilgiç
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Feride Çiçekoğlu
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Satarupa Dasgupta
Ramapo College of New Jersey, USA
Sercan Şengün
Illinois State University, USA
Sercan Şengün
Illinois State University, USA
Dr. Sercan Sengun is a researcher, teacher, and game designer, exploring phenomena at the intersections of video game studies, gamer communities, cultural informatics, virtual identities, and interactive narratives. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Creative Technologies (Game Design) at Illinois State University. In the past, he conducted research as a part of MIT CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory), MIT ICE Lab (Imagination, Computation, and Expression Laboratory), and Hamad Bin Khalifa University's QCRI (Qatar Computing Research Institute), and taught graduate and undergraduate game design courses at Northeastern University, Bahcesehir University, and Istanbul Bilgi University.
Wendy Leeds Hurwitz
Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Professor Emerita, Communication Department, University of Wisconsin-Parkside , USA
Wendy Leeds Hurwitz
Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Professor Emerita, Communication Department, University of Wisconsin-Parkside , USA
