Academic Staff

Ece Kureli Gulpinar got bachelor's degree from Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Architecture, in 2010. In 2013 she received her MSc degree with her thesis entitled "Documentation, cartography and Pre-Assessment of Ankara Industrial Heritage (1925-1963)" from Gazi University, Ankara. She completed her doctoral studies in 2021 with her PhD dissertation entitled "Urban-Spatial Analysis of Mass Housing Environments: Mapping Batikent in search of alternatives to generic housing" at the Department of Architecture at the Middle East Technical University. During her Research Assistantship at Izmir University of Economics in 2012, she assisted and participated in the studio courses and did the organization/coordination of many workshops, exhibitions, and academic seminars as well as their graphic design. As of 2020, she continues to work as a Lecturer.

İlker Kahraman completed his undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees at Dokuz Eylül University. His main subject of study is sustainable buildings and built environments. He has publications in different journals and books on this subject. He is a board member of the International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment. Dr. Kahraman has completed two projects of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanism and Climate Change to promote sustainable built environments, supported by GIZ, with his research company. He also served as Turkey team leader in the Integrated Building Design Approach project supported by GEF, UNDP, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. He continues his work on sustainable built environment with COST project (CA 21103)- Implementation of Circular Economy in the Built Environment (CircularB), as a member of the board of directors,. He has research projects with doctorate and master's studies. He is married and has a child.

After graduating from the Middle East Technical University Department of Architecture, Dr. Oner has pursued her education and career in England and the U.S.A. She has a master's degree in City Space and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science where she developed her core research interest of globalization and global urban networks. Dr.Oner also has a Master's degree in Architecture from the Ball State University in Indiana, U.S.A. She commpleted her doctoral degree in Virginia Tech in Envronmental Design and Planning. Dr. Oner's core research interests are globalization, global urban networks, planning and governance of global cities, urban theory, metropolitan form and built enironment, and comparative urbanization specifically between US and European contexts.

Isik Ülkün Neusser is a graduate of Vienna University of Technology where she completed her Master of Science in Architecture degree with distinction. She started her second master’s degree at Harvard University and continued at the University of Pennsylvania from where she holds a Master of Architecture degree. Isik worked as an architect in New York,Vienna and İstanbul at several well known design studios on various internationally renowned projects. She gained extensive knowledge in a range of fields including architecture, urban design and product design. She also was an Assistant Professor at the Vienna University of Technology and taught design studios at the University of Pennsylvania and Pratt Institute, New York. Currently she is working on her PhD Thesis at Vienna University of Technology

After receiving an undergraduate degree in City and Regional Planning from the Middle East Technical University in 1998, he completed a master’s degree in Urban Design at the same university with his thesis on the gated communities in Istanbul. He later received a second master’s degree in Architectural History from University College London, Bartlett School of Architecture, with his thesis on theatre architecture in 19th-century London. He completed his Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Toronto in 2104. His Ph.D. dissertation is on the influence of American architecture on postwar Turkish architectural culture. His academic interests include: history of modern architecture, the architectural culture of the Cold War era, the representation of the city and architecture in art and literature, 20th-century Turkish architecture

Tuba Doğu holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture from Middle East Technical University; with one-year educational experience at The University of Bologna. Following her undergraduate studies, she completed the degree of Master of Design Science at The University of Sydney where she specialized on sustainable housing strategies in low-income settlements. Between her studies, she has worked at various NGOs and involved in action-research projects in Australia, Brazil and India respectively, and lectured at universities in Izmir. She was a Fulbright PhD visiting research fellow at Columbia GSAPP (2017-2018), a fellow at Design Trust Hong Kong (2018), and selected cultural manager under Tandem Turkey Program (2018-2019/2015-2016). In 2020, she completed her doctorate studies at IzTech. Her research interests include social interventions as a form of alternative spatial practices, centering on questions of human and material agency. She continues her research at UrbanTank (www.urbantank.org), which she is a founding partner of since 2013, developing research and intervention projects for human-oriented and participatory urban environments.

Dr Onur Mengi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an interdisciplinary academic with experience in teaching industrial design and design management since 2010, and an interdisciplinary designer with experience working on various scale projects ranging from product design to urban design in Turkey since 2006. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey. He has well-established leadership skills across education, business, and research, and uses an evidence-based and end-user driven design methodology both in his teaching practice and his research. Onur’s qualifications in design thinking underpin his strong appreciation of design as a catalyst for bringing about social change. His research and education background in the creative industries ecosystem give him ability to pioneer new ideas in the industrial design area using multi-level perspectives and systems thinking to generate innovative design strategies that deliver value, engagement, and impact. He is a research collaborator to QUT Design Lab in Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Derya Irkdas Dogu holds a PhD from Istanbul Technical University in industrial design education, MA in Product Design from Domus Academy, and BA in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design from Bilkent University. She has been a visiting scholar at the Parsons School of Design | Art & Design History and Theory during the 2016-17 academic year. She's been a full-time member of the department since 2010. She mainly teaches biomaterials, sketching & rendering, portfolio courses and coordinates the senior year Product Design Studio. She is also a member of the Design Research Centre (EKOTAM) at the University, where she undertakes design and research projects on co-design, new product development, graphic design and university-industry collaboration. She also sits on the IEU+KREA Creative Economy Research and Application Center board of management.

Esra Bici Nasır, who graduated from METU Industrial Design Department, completed her master's and doctoral degrees in ITU Industrial Design Department programs. In his master's thesis, Nasır examined the comparison of footwear design in terms of industrial design and fashion design disciplines. Five years of professional design experience, including promotional products, shoes and saddlery designs, brought Nasır patented designs registered to her name, Having been in academic work-life since 2008, Dr. Nasır worked as a research assistant in the Industrial Design departments of Doğuş and Bahçeşehir Universities, and became one of the founding faculty members of the Visual Communication Design Department of Istanbul Medipol University in 2016. Nasır, who has research focus such as design ethnography, domesticity, material culture and design history, has published articles, papers and book chapters in the specified fields. Nasır, whose major international journals are Home Cultures: Architecture, Design and Domestic Space, International Journal of Food Design and Intercultural Understanding, has also been a referee for academic journals such as Design and Culture, Artifact, Journal of Design History, Footprint. Nasır, who also has essays on design in contemporary magazines such as Arredamento, XXI, Betonart, Radikal Tasarım Newspaper, Manifold, has collaborated with institutions such as Design Workshop Kadıköy, Iyi Tasarım İzmir, Üretimhane with events such as workshops and seminars. Nasır, who has moved toIzmir in 2017, is currently, a faculty member at Izmir University of Economics, Department of Industrial Design, being the advisor of the department's student community, THINK-ID club as well. In 2021, Nasır has been one of the winners of the Salt Research Grants with the research project entitled as "Sumerbank Carpet Designs As A Path for Modernization in 1960s". Nasır took part in the SOGEP Social Development Support Program - Karabağlar Furniture Academy project for Women and Youth in 2021-2022. Nasır, is a member of the national professional organizations ETMK and 4T; and the Design History Society, an international society.

Deniz Sayar received her High School Diploma from Izmir Private American High School, Department of Science and Mathematics. She completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University, Department of Industrial Product Design in 2007. She completed her master's degree in Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Master's Program in 2011. His Ph.D. is still continuing at Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Doctorate Program. She is doing her PhD Research at Lancaster University (UK), ImaginationLancaster she. search fields; It is about service design, IoT, design management.

Dr. Ozcan received his B.I.D (Bachelor of Industrial Design) degree from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He then received his MSc and Ph.D. degrees from Dokuz Eylul University, Institute of Social Sciences, with his studies on semiotics. After working as a research assistant in Dokuz Eylul University between 1990 and 1996, he was transferred to Izmir Institute of Technology, Dept. of Industrial Design where he was also one of the co-founders of the department and worked as vice chairman between 1999 and 2003. He worked as a senior instructor at Yeditepe University, Dept. of Industrial Design in 2003-2004 fall semester. In February 2004, he was assigned to coordinate the establishment studies of the Dept. of Industrial Design at İzmir University of Economics where he was assigned as head of the department in 2006. He is the general director of EKOTAM, Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center. Having designed in numerous fields from product design to graphics and stage design, Dr. Ozcan is running courses related to project development, methods, history, technical and computer aided aspects of product design in undergraduate level, and courses related to advanced product development, semiotics, design management and design evolution in graduate level. He is also working as project manager for many university-industry cooperation projects including product and service design as well as brand development and franchising through design. Dr Özcan has numerous national and international published articles, presentations and design awards. He is the director of EKOTAM Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center running several local, national and international projects. He is also an active member of ETMK-Turkish Industrial Designers’ Association since its foundation in 1988.

After receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the field of Materials Science at New Mexico Tech, USA, Murat Bengisu worked in the automotive industry in engineering, R&D, and quality departments in Turkey and Italy. Dr. Bengisu started his academic career at Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, in 1999. For one year, he conducted research and taught as Visiting Professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla at the Materials Research Center. Dr. Bengisu completed various self-initiated multidisciplinary projects in collaboration with partners from different fields. He is the author of five books and he contributed to 37 articles in refereed journals. His research interest includes ceramic and glass materials, innovation management, working life and technological needs of disabled individuals, design history (Beykoz glassware), design management and materials for design. He joined the Industrial Design Department at Izmir University of Economics in March 2008. He was promoted to full professorship in February 2010. Currently he is teaching at the Industrial Design Department as well as the Head of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Committee.

Deniz Deniz was born in İzmir. Having completed her undergraduate education, she received master’s degree on Sustainability and Environmental Issues in Industrial Design. Upon completing the master’s degree, she completed her doctoral dissertation on Crime Prevention through Design. She was awarded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) as a post doctoral researcher and she completed her research at University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in 2008. She has been working in Izmir University of Economics as an Associate Professor. She has produced national and international published articles, research projects, and won design competitions through these years.

Born in Reading-England, she graduated from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Bilkent University in 1997. She worked in various architectural firms after graduation, and received her master’s degree in 2000, and PhD in 2005 from Bilkent University. As a Fulbright scholar, between 2001 and 2002, she worked with Prof. Henry Sanoff on the topics of “learning environments” at North Carolina State University. Her articles have been published in such academic journals as, Journal of Interior Design, Journal of Design History, The Journal of Creative Behavior, Creativity Research Journal, Journal of Academic Librarianship, METU Journal, Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Children, Youth and Environments, Arkitekt and Popüler Bilim; and also in literature and film periodicals such as, Geceyarısı Sineması, Düşe-Yazma, Patika, and Koridor. She is on the editorial board of Koridor where she continues to write as well as illustrate. Between 2005-2008, she worked on a World Bank (program for social progress) funded project named, “Child Attraction Center” with colleagues from Bilkent University. She does consulting work for schools, children’s museums and other environments, and works with children as the potential users to the decision-making and design processes. Up until this point in her career, she has taught Basic Design, Art and Design Studio, Human Factors, Drawing and Representation, History of Art and Design, Project Preparation Techniques, Model Making, Applied Workshop in IAED, Graduation Thesis, Environmental Psychology, Design Semiotics, Individual Study (master's), and Seminar (master's) courses. She began working at Izmir University of Economics in 2006 as an Asst. Professor, and became Professor in 2019. She is the coordinator of the second year Design Studio and teaches the PhD courses, Integrated Design Approaches and Environment-Behavior Research. Her research fields include, history of interior design, modern interior design, Turkish modern furniture, and environment-behavior studies. She has given several lectures on history of modern interiors in Turkey and Turkish modern furniture at universities and conferences. She was the head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at İzmir University of Economics, between 2010-2017, where she continues to work. She is one of the two project coordinators of the DATUMM: Documenting and Archiving - Turkish Modern Furniture (datumm.org) project. Through DATUMM, it was possible to create a documentary, a digital working archive, a book in both English and Turkish, a large-scale colloquium with designers, and a large-scale exhibition of modern furniture. She is also one of the founding members of the Docomomo-Turkey, Interior Design Committee (est. 2019), along with Asst. Prof. Dr. Umut Şumnu and Asst. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Tuna Ultav. She is the leader of a scientific research project that focuses on contributing to the interior design history of Turkey, by highlighting three prominent designers, by oral history. The vast amount of interviews will be collected and presented as a documentary, and three books and articles will be other outputs of the project. She is also a member of The Fulbright Alumni, Chamber of Interior Architects of Turkey, EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association), 4T (Turkish Design History Society), TAPLAK Design and Planning Accrediting Association, Bilkent University Alumni, and has been chosen committee member of Docomomo ISC-ID International Specialization Comittee-Interior Design in 2021. She has two children.

She was born in Izmir in 1984. She finished her high school education in Bornova Anatolian High School in 2002. Between 2002 and 2006, she studied Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Bilkent University with full scholarship. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she has got her Master of Science degree in Product-Service System Design from Milan Polytechnic University (Politecnico di Milano). Then she worked at DEGW Italy, a company specialized in space planning, interior design and architecture of workspaces, in Milan for 9 months. During this period, she participated in the office projects of Deutsche Bank, Roche, British Council, Vodafone Village Italia, SEB, Bouygues Telecom France and Lexmark in Rome and Milan. From the 2011-2012 academic year to 2015-2016 academic year fall semester, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Izmir University of Economics and assisted 4th year design studio. She continues working as a Lecturer from 2015-2016 academic year spring semester. She is currently doing Ph.D. in Industrial Product Design at Istanbul Technical University.

Dr. Turhan graduated from the Izmir University of Economics, Department of Architecture (B.Sc-hons.) in 2014. She completed Master in Advanced Architectural Design (M.Arch.) program in Fall 2016 with a focus on scripting languages in architectural design processes, natural algorithms and interactive cities; and Master of Science in Architecture (M.Sc.) program in Spring 2016 with a focus on time-space compression and its effects on global urban space. She studied Ph.D. in Design Studies with a specific focus on biobased material studies, computational design and digital fabrication. Her current interests also include machine learning (ML), diffusion models (DMs) and large language models (LLMs) for design applications. She has been working as a Research Assistant at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Izmir University of Economics since September 2017.

Yasemin Albayrak Kutlay is an interior and spatial designer, a design researcher and PhD candidate. She studied Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at the Izmir University of Economics with a full scholarship. While continuing her bachelor, she worked as a student assistant at the university for two years. Additionally, she carried out one of her internship in Japan with JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization) scholarship. There, as an exchange intern, she worked in a project for ''A Cultural Exchange Centre'' in Chiba University together with Prof. Kaname Yanagisawa Lab. in the summer of 2014. After she graduated in 2016, she moved to Milan in 2017 and got her MSc. degree from Politecnico di Milano in Interior and Spatial Design. During her education, she dealt with contemporary interior spaces, design of urban interiors and ephemeral places, with a particular interest in new technologies. Until 2020 she lived and studied in there and worked as an intern design researcher at PoliMi Desis Lab. Based in the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano, Polimi Desis Lab is a branch of an international network of Desis Network and she worked with a group of researchers adopting a strategic and systemic approach to design about interior and spatial design, service-system design for sustainability, design for social innovation and co-design strategies. Collaborating with PoliMi Desis Lab., she developed her master thesis about ''Temporary Design Solutions and the new approaches to design''. Currently, she is working as a research assistant at the Izmir University of Economics and assisting 4th year Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Studio.

Born in 1995 in İzmir/Bergama, Hande Yıldız Çekindir completed her undergraduate education at TOBB UET Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in 2018. In 2019, she started her integrated PhD program in Design Studies at Izmir University of Economics and continues her studies in the field of Design Thinking. Since 2019, she has been a researcher and facilitator at Izmir Design Factory, an education, design and research center. Between 2021-2022, she worked as an event and content designer at Originn, a center for creative industries in Izmir and a facilitator at Originnovation, an innovation platform. Since December 2022, she has been working as a research assistant at Izmir University of Economics, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. She is also a member of Depo Pergamon Association, which continues its activities as a Mediterranean Cultural Lighthouse, and a volunteer for local restoration works.

Emre Ergül, born in Manisa in 1962, completed his high school education at Turkish College of İzmir. In 1985, he was graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture with masters degree. He has been in military service and worked in various firms and architectural offices until 1990. He started to work at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture as a Research Assistant in 1990. After completing his PhD thesis in 1998, he has begun to work at İzmir Institute of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture as an Assistant Professor. Starting from October 2007, he is now working in İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design as an Assistant Professor. Ergül, whose major research area is Ottoman House in Urban Pattern, has written articles and proceedings of which mostly in this field after his PhD thesis titled The Mechanism of Homogenization of Ottoman House in Anatolian Cities. Besides, he has some studies in two different topics, one is Computer Aided Design and the other is Transformable Structural Systems. Special award in Bandırma Cinçukuru City Center Competition, 3. prize in Kadıköy Harem Haydarpaşa Near Environment Urban Design Competition, Honorable Mention in Earthquake Conscious Settlements and 2. Honorable Mention in Eskişehir Tepebaşı Municipality Building Competition are the awards given to the projects by Ergül in his ongoing design practicing. İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi Sakarya Caddesi No:156, 35330 Balçova - İZMİR +90 23

Born in Denizli in 1982. Received her bachelor degree in Architecture from İZTECH in 2006; her M.Des degree in Design Studies from İUE in 2009 and completed her thesis process in Scotland, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. She received her Ph.D degree in Architecture from İZTECH in 2016 and completed her PhD thesis process in Lisbon. Between the years 2006-2011, she worked as a research assistant at IUE Department of IAED, between the years 2011-2017 she worked as an instructor and until 2017 and she has been working as Assistant Professor at the same department. She teaches "Future Interior Architecture Studies", "Graduation Project", "Graduation Thesis" and "Collective Act-Social Responsibility Project". "Cognitive design" and "non-visual aspects of spatial knowledge" are among her research interests.

Deniz Avci is an Associate Professor of Architectural History (2025). Cultural heritage preservation specialist, interior architect and environmental designer (MSc, METU; BSc, Baskent University) and architectural historian (PhD, METU) Associate Professor Dr. Deniz Avci (Izmir University of Economics, IAED) specializes on the architectural historiography and conservation of the twentieth-century Modern Movement architecture/interiors/furniture in Turkey by the assessment of different building typologies, especially housing and healthcare architecture, and utilizes films as archives in her research. Her PhD dissertation (2018) titled ‘Housing the modern nation: The transformation of residential architecture in Ankara during the 1920s’ contributed to the missing gap in the literature of the 1920s’ housing in Ankara. Researcher in the projects titled ‘Architects who left their marks in Ankara’ and ‘DATUMM – Documenting and Archiving Modern Turkish Furniture’, and committee member in ‘docomomo_turkey Interior Design’, she is currently co-leading two projects, one titled ‘Architecture of Convalescence: Mapping the Sanatorium Heritage of Turkey’ supported by the Turkish Architects’ Association-1927 with Modern Architecture Research Award and the other titled ‘Between Medicine and Architecture in Mid-Century Turkey: Ankara’s Atatürk (Keçiören) Sanatorium’ supported by VEKAM with Ankara Research Awards. Avci is an editorial assistant in the International Journal of Islamic Architecture (Intellect - IJIA).

Born in İzmir in 1984. She completed her high school education in Bornova Anatolian High School in 2002. Between 2002 and 2007, studied Landscape Architecture and Urban Design in Bilkent University. After completing her undergraduate studies, got her masters degree in Urban Design from City College of New York. Then worked in Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture in New York for 2 years. During these 2 years, she particapeted in various scaled public and private projects in States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In 2016 she finished her Phd in İzmir Institute of Technology City Planning Department where she studied with Tübitak scholarship. Between 2010-2014 she worked as a research assistant in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in İzmir University of Economics and starting from 2014 she is working as an instructor in the same department.

Born in 1965 in Germany, Markus Wilsıng recieved his architectural degree in 1995 from the Facolta' di Architettura, Dipartimento di Processi e Metodi atthe Università degli Studi di Firenze, in Italy. In 1994, he started his academic career at the same University as the assistant of Prof.Dott.Arch.Paolo Iannone in the Dipartimento di Progettazione Architettonica. In 1996, he began to work as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bilkent University, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Ankara, Turkey. In this university, he taught ‘Introduction to Art and Culture I & II’ (1996-2003), ‘Interior Architecture Studio III & IV’ and 'Visionary and Future Interior Architecture Studies’ (2001-2003). He also executed several thesis. In 1998, he became a full time Assistant Professor at the same university and the coordinator of the University course "Introduction to Art and Culture I & II". In 2003, he joined Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design. Here he established and became the coordinator of the 'Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Department' in 2003. From 2004 until 2010 and from 2017 until 2022 he was assigned as the head of the same department. Starting from 2007, he integrated 'Interior Yacht Design Studies' in the Interior Architectural and Environmental Design curriculum, which also initiated the idea of establishing a 'Master of Yacht Design' program at IEU in 2010. Furthermore, he was responsible in the establishment studies for the "Department of Architecture" in 2004. He is also carrying out research in the field of "Architectural and Design Education", "Visionary and Future Design" and "Design Philosophy". In relation to these subjects, he organized several exhibitions, gave lectures and presentations, presented conference papers and published articles in international journals. Furthermore, he executed and developed several international and national interior and architectural projects and participated in several design competitions.

Tom Keogh comes from an architectural and fine art background. Through his work as an independent curator he seeks to explore the overlaps between differing geographic subjectivities, political economies and art. Born in Ireland he initially graduated from the Architectural Department of Bolton street College of Technology in Dublin in 1987 and worked in various architectural firms in Ireland, The UK and Australia before returning to complete a degree inFine Art and the history of Irish Art at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Since then he has completed an MA in Art Curatorial practice at Goldsmiths College, New Cross, London. He has also Curated a number of Art exhibitions at the Project Art Centre, Temple Bar, Dublin, Arthouse, Temple Bar, Dublin, Galeria dels Angels, Barcelona, and Whitechapel Project Space, Whitechapel, London. He also initiated and managed an Art project space called Meals & SUVs in London from 2005 to 2008. He has been involved in presenting Art workshops at Camden Art Centre and Goldsmiths College London and Platform Garanti Istanbul and has presented a talk at Manchester Art Gallery. He moved to Izmir Turkey 7 years ago and teaches The History of Art and Design, Landscape Architecture, Architectural Restoration, and the History of Turkish Art at İzmir Ekonomi Univeritesi. He is actively involved with independent Art curation projects including an artists' residence project called Maquis Projects in the old part of Izmir city.

İdil Bakır Küçükkaya was born in 1988 in İzmir. She completed her undergraduate degree in Industrial Product Design at Yeditepe University in 2011. In 2011, she studied scientific preparation for a master's degree in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Yaşar University for 3 semesters and completed Interior Architecture and Environmental Design undergraduate courses. In 2015, he completed his master's thesis on lighting and sustainability in office buildings. She started her Phd at Izmir University of Economics in 2017 and has been working as a research assistant at Izmir University of Economics Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design since January 2018. She has a child.

Ali Aslankan received his bachelors degree (2005), masters degree (2008) and doctorate degree (2014) in architecture from the Middle East Technical University (METU). He completed two years of doctorate research (2011-2013) in the Department of Architecture, Penn State University (PSU) as a visiting researcher with Fulbright Program and as a visiting scholar under PSU sponsorship. His area of interest includes architectural space, housing and urbanism, social and cultural processes in architecture, and design education. His PhD dissertation is entitled as “Mixed-Use High-Rise [Residential] Complexes: A New Urban Form(ation) in İstanbul.” He worked as a research/teaching assistant between 2008-2011 in the department of Architecture, IUE; and between the years 2014-2016 he worked as a part-time instructor in the same department. He is working as Assistant Professor in the department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design since 2016. Being the coordinator of the "Art and Design Studio I-II", he also teaches "Introduction to Housing Studies" and "Spatial Practices" courses.

Elvan Ozkavruk Adanır studied textile engineering at Ege University, Faculty of Engineering. She got her masters and doctorate degree in art at Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Social Sciences respectively in 1992 and 1997. She worked as research assistant, lecturer, assistant professor and associate professor of traditional arts at Dokuz Eylül University between 1990 and 2008. In 2008 she got her professorship from Dokuz Eylül University. She published four books, 22 papers, 8 articles, and 2 book chapters. She translated the book written by J. Bronowski-B. Mazlish named “Western Intellectual Tradition from Leonardo to Hegel”. Her art works are accepted for international permanent collections. She opened several solo exhibitions and attended mixed exhibitions.

She graduated from Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Theater / Stage Design in 1990. In 1995 she received her master degree, and in 2001 she received PhD degree from Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Social Sciences. In the same years, she took part as a stage designer in several plays staged in various theatres. She gave seminars on mask design and production techniques in several universities, and attended television programs about it. Some of her works have been displayed in international biennales as well as exhibitions. She worked on retail design and fair stands in international fairs. At the same time, she realized some interior and exterior design works that enhanced the expression of spaces. She realized works about surface design in various cities of Italy as well as other European countries. She has been tutoring in Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Fashion and Textile Design since 2007.

Dr. Arzu Vuruskan received her Bachelor (2002) and Master (2005) degrees from the Department of Textile Engineering at Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey. She got her second Master degree (2009) from Germany, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Textile and Clothing Management programme; she got a DAAD award for this study program. Through her studies in Germany, she focused on made-to-measure clothing for performance sportswear and 3D body scanning; and took part in university-industry projects realized with Adidas and Hugo Boss. Her PhD studies at the Department of Textile Engineering (Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey, 2010) investigated the body shapes by means of 3D body scanning, and mass customization in apparel. As a follow up of these research, she recently has been in the US at the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University, as a Fulbright visiting scholar between the years of 2015-2017. She started her professional career as a merchandiser in an apparel manufacturing plant (2002-2003); and continued her academic career as a Research Assistant (2003-2005), and as an Instructor (2006-2011) at Izmir University of Economics. She was appointed as an Assistant Professor in 2011 and as an Associate Professor in 2020. Among her research interests are clothing technology, functional clothing design, apparel fit and customization, CAD systems and innovations in fashion industry. Her administrative duties included the position as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Izmir University of Economics between the years of 2011-2015. She is a university senate member since 2019.

After graduating from the Department of Economics at Ege University in 2010, she studied at İzmir University of Economics, Design Studies Master Program between 2011 and 2014. In the meantime, she found an opportunity to work in Orse Tekstil near 1 year. Here, she has gained experience in merchandising, collection preparation and production process in the textile industry, and has been able to carry out these processes. Since 2012, she is working as research assistant at Izmir Economy University, Department of Fashion and Textile Design. At the same time, she continues her education at İEU Design Studies Ph.D. Program.

Angela Burns is an illustrator and designer born and raised in Northern Ireland. She completed her Degree in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster, Belfast in 1999. She was granted an Arts & Humanities Research Council Award to pursue a European Master of Art in Fashion and Textile Design, at Winchester School of Art, England. She graduated in 2001 following extended exchange programmes to Hogeschool voor de kunsten in Utrecht, Holland, and the Institut Francais de la Mode, Paris. Her life and work experiences in various countries have influenced her numerous creative projects including illustration, textile and fashion design.

She graduated from Ege University, Department of Textile Engineering. After graduation, she worked at design and pattern departments of various Ready-to-Wear companies. She completed her graduate degree in Textile Engineering Ready-to-Wear option program in 1990 at Ege University. During her graduate degree studies, she attended Dokuz Eylül University-Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Textile Design. She completed her doctoral degree at Department of Ready-to-Wear in 1994. She started her academic career as an assistant professor at Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Textile Engineering in 1997. She was promoted to associate professorship in 2004 and professorship in 2009 at the same university. Among her interests are ready-to-wear technology, fashion design, CAD systems, smart clothing and designs. She conducted courses on fashion design at Department of “Fashion Design”, which was co-established with “FIT” at Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Textile Technologies and Design during 2005-2007. During 2008-2009, she organized the entire academic programs as a fashion design program course leader at Istanbul Fashion Academy, established as part of The General Secretariat of Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Associations. She conducted undergraduate courses in Fashion Design, Technical Textiles, Computer Aided Pattern Design, and she conducted graduate and postgraduate courses in CAD/CAM Systems, Smart Clothing Technologies and Applications, Design and Production Development in Textile Engineering. She currently provides counselling and execution for TUBITAK-TEYDEB and SANTEZ projects. 34 out of 60 of her articles were published abroad. She also worked as an ERASMUS coordinator at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Engineering at 2010-2012.

Graduated from Industrial Design Department, Middle East Technical University (1989), Şölen Kipöz gained her masters degree from Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Faculty, Textile Department, and PhD from Communications & Public Relations Department in Aegean University (1998). Her post-doctorate research on Fashion Management took place in Bologna University through a scholarship from Italian Government. In Dokuz Eylül University, she worked as a research assistant in Fashion Accessory program and conducted jewelry design projects with World Gold Council there. Following her academic career in Izmir Institute of Technology Industrial Design Master Program, in 2001,she is assigned as a founding academic member of Izmir University of Economics, Fashion and Textile Design Department. There she has delivered number of bachelor , master and phd courses on design and theory. She published trend books on wedding fashions and ready to wear in collaboration with the industry. Her conceptual projects had outputs as exhibitions and publications such as the book entitled Dress Against Disaster (2007), which provided a theoretical basis for a design project that she supervised and exhibited in Social Design Biennial in Utrecht. Her research interests cover conceptual fashion design, interdisciplinary fashion studies, and ethical and sustainable fashion design. The last one has outcomes as artistic presentations and exhibitions through which she challenges the borders between design, art and crafts. Her personal exhibition Ahimsa: The other life of clothes (2012), her installations and performances for PortIzmir3 International Contemporary Art Triennial (2014) and Asteya (2017) exhibition are some of her notable works. Her design project, rag doll is registered as a utility model by Turkish Patent Institute in 2015 which can be produced and personalized by the user and has been co-created with women and children. In 2016 she presented this project in Royal College of Arts, London. The same year, Kipöz edited a collective book, entitled Sustainable Fashion (2015) published in Turkish that has become influential in the path of creating an awareness on slow and ethical fashion in Turkey. She is the author and the editor of the book entitled “Slowness in Fashion” ( 2020)

Born in Edirne, in 1989. After graduating from TEV İnanç Türkeş High School in 2007, she attended Izmir University of Economics, Fashion Design Department with full scholarship. Tekcan, who continued her education in the field of Fashion Design Expertise, had an opportunity of internship at Farbe Textile and Gamze Saraçoğlu Fashion Design Studio. She also received education in the Department of Advertising within the frame of Minor Program. In 2012, she graduated from Izmir University of Economics as the second ranked student of the university. Since September 2012, she has been studying Design Studies at IEU and working as a research assistant in the Department of Fashion and Textile Design.

She completed her BA in Visual Communication Design in Turkey and Portugal and her MA in Graphics in Turkey and Italy. In her professional career as a designer, she specialized in gastronomy and ceramics as well as digital visualization. Since 2007, she has worked in advertising agencies for local and global brands and took an active role as a designer in the marketing and design teams of international companies. Within the scope of European Voluntary Service, she worked as a volunteer designer in Porto, Portugal for a while and participated in Erasmus+ projects in Europe. As of 2023, while continuing her career as a research assistant in the Department of Visual Communication Design, she took part in Art and Design Studio I, Art and Design Studio II, Drawing Studio II and Design Studio IV courses. She frequently took part in the events organized within the faculty and department; she also undertook the process of designing the visual identity of the graduation exhibition and fashion show of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design in 2023 and 2024. At the same time, she continues her research in the design studies PhD program.

She graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Education Department in 2002. In 2007, she completed her master education. In 2013 she had her Ph.D degree from Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Fine Arts. During the Fall Semester of 2013-14 Akademic Year, she worked as a visiting researcher at UdK (Universität der Künste Berlin) Institute for Art in Context with DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) scholarship. She worked as a research assistant at DEU Faculty of Fine Arts Painting Department between 2005 - 2013 and as an assistant professor at MKU Faculty of Fine Arts Graphic Department between 2014-2018. Currently she is working as an assistant professor at Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Visual Communication Design. As an artist and curator, she participated in various exhibitions in Izmir, Istanbul and Finland. She has researches and artistic studies on the relationship between literature and visual arts and publishes articles in art magazines such as Art Unlimited, Milliyet Sanat, Warhola and Istanbul Art News etc. She is the co-founder of the collective art space KARANTİNA and the Dahili Bellek independent research initiative.

N. Toros Mutlu (b. 1986) graduated from Izmir University of Economics in 2010 with a BA degree from the Faculty of Communication and enrolled to MA Photography programme in University of Brighton in the same year. Following his graduation in 2011, he worked as a photographer and an image editor in a London studio for about a year. Mutlu joined Izmir University of Economics in 2013 and in the following year co-founded KartonKitap with Umut Altıntaş, an art book initiative focuses on inviting artists to collaborate and reinterpret their works in the book form. He completed his doctorate studies in 2020 at Yaşar University with his thesis titled, “The Photobook as an Autonomous Medium and a Work of Art” and accompanying final work, “A Place for Everything When Everything in Its Place”. Mutlu currently teaches at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design in Izmir University of Economics and continues his photography projects.

Can Dereli, visual communication designer, graduated from the Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Graphics in 2011, holds more than 10 years of experience in the sector, having worked in both conventional and digital agencies, and with several leading companies such as Vestel, Gratis, Good Year, TV2, Renaissance Hotel, and Turkiye Finans. He graduated with a master's degree from the same department in 2017, exhibited a digital installation, “The Game” in 2017 at the Izmir International Congress of Art and Design, conducted a seminar titled “The Designer’s Road in the Sector” in Istanbul Yeni Yuzyıl University, and completed the Bambu 2018 Entrepreneurship Education Program. He is currently lecturing in the Department of Visual Communication Design, Izmir University of Economics, specializing in game design field.

She grautated from Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts in 2004. In 2007, she completed her master education. In 2013 she had her P.h.D degree from Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Fine Arts. During the Fall Semester of 2015-16 Akademic Year, she worked as a visiting researcher at Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in Germany. Currently she is working as an instructor / lecturer at Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Visual Communication Design.

Sena Adalı was born in İzmir in 1994. She studied Visual Communication Design at Yaşar University between 2012 and 2017. In 2016, she went to Czechia as an Erasmus student and took courses in the Faculty of Multimedia Communications in Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně. After her graduation, she worked as a designer for two years and got professional experience in web design, social media, motion graphics, and newsletter design. In 2019, she started to study master's in the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University. She continued to work as a designer during the first year of her master's studies. In March 2020, she took the exam for the research assistant position at İzmir University of Economics, and her career in the academy started. Sena Adalı completed her master's studies with her thesis entitled “The Use of New Technologies in Illustration After 2000”. Following her graduation, she was accepted as a PhD student in Design Studies at İzmir University of Economics. She has been working as a research assistant since September 2020 and so far she has assisted teaching in courses such as Art and Design I, Art and Design II, Interaction Design Fundamentals, Portfolio Design and Professional Practice. She has also been involved as a designer in many projects within İzmir University of Economics, where she works as a research assistant and a PhD student.

Gökhan Mura received his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design in 2001 from the Department of Industrial Design, Middle East Technical University. After completing his Master of Arts degree at Istanbul Bilgi University Deparment of Visual Communication Design, he recieved his Ph.D degree from the Department of Industrial Design at Istanbul Technical University. During his Ph.D study he spent an academic year as an exchange student in Malmö University School of Arts, Culture and Communication where he also taught courses and participated in a research project. After a year's leave to work as a Research Associate for an EU funded ENGAGE project at Loughborough University, he resumed his PhD study.

Daniele Savasta is an Interaction Designer and Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design at Izmir University of Economics. He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial design from the University of Palermo and master's and doctoral degrees from Iuav University of Venice in design sciences. Daniele has delivered lectures and workshops across Europe and Japan, with his work featured in numerous exhibitions. His research centers on interaction ecologies, information design, archive visualization, game design, and exhibition design. He founded the Yaşar Interaction Design Lab (xLab) and currently directs FlowLab at IEU, both dedicated to advancing research in physical computing and computational design.