Dr. Caner Hazar has been an instructor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration since September 2024. He holds an MA and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut (UConn). He enjoys teaching sociology, emphasizing applied, interactive learning and helping students develop analytical skills beyond rote[Read More…]

Name: Syarifah Mashitah Binti Syed Muhamad Siddik Department: CTIS University: Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Country of Origin: Malaysia What were your first impressions about Türkiye?I was freezing the moment I stepped off the plane, since Malaysia stays around 25 to 30 degrees most of the year, so this was a completely[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III) Assoc. Prof. Firdevs Ulus has been a member of the Department of Industrial Engineering since September 2015. She received her BS degree in Manufacturing Systems (Industrial) Engineering, with a minor in Mathematics, from Sabancı University in 2008, and completed an MS degree in Mathematics there in[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III) Name: Ponnareay Rith Department: Computer Engineering University: EPITA, France Country of Origin: Cambodia What were your first impressions about Türkiye?I was still finding my feet when a stranger stepped in to help me. She was a random mom, standing in line behind me at a store,[Read More…]

Prof. Hakan Kara is a professor of practice in the Department of Economics at Bilkent University, specializing in monetary economics, macroeconomics, central banking and the Turkish economy. He holds a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Middle East Technical University, an MA in Economics from Bilkent University and a[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III) Name: Petra Dorazínová Department: IR Erasmus+ University: Masaryk University Country of Origin: Czech Republic What were your first impressions about Türkiye?I landed with no SIM card and two big suitcases, completely lost, not knowing where to go or how to reach anyone. But then, out of[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III)  Name: Jalal Gahramanov  Department: CTIS/II  Country of Origin: Azerbaijan   What were your first impressions about Türkiye?   The moment I stepped off the plane, something funny happened: I did not feel like a stranger at all, I felt like I had simply come home. The streets sounded[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III) Name: Diana Gongalskaia Department: IR/II Country of Origin: Russia What were your first impressions about Türkiye?Honestly, my first hours were chaos. I landed thinking the transfer would be simple, but I had no idea I had to switch from the international to the domestic terminal, and[Read More…]

Assoc. Prof. Sam Hirst is a faculty member in the Department of International Relations, where he has been teaching since 2017. He received his BA in history from Washington University in St. Louis and later completed his MA and his PhD, both in history, at the University of Pennsylvania. He[Read More…]

BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/II) Name: Klaudie Lýsková Department: Psychology Country of Origin: Czech Republic University: Masaryk University What were your first impressions about Türkiye?Honestly? My very first thought was: “This country is huge.” I mean, I knew that on paper, but nothing prepares you for actually feeling it. We were[Read More…]