Academic Staff

He completed his undergraduate degree in 2019, in Izmir University of Economics department of Cinema and Digital Media with a full scholarship as an honour student. Afterward, he started to IUE Media and Communication Studies MA Program and graduated in 2022 with a thesis titled "Transnational Dynamics of Turkish Film Festivals in Germany and the United States". He continues his education at Dokuz Eylül University, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Film Design PhD Program, and carries out his studies on "The History of Digital Cinematography in Türkiye and the Transformation of Visual Production".
He has been working in various roles in independent films since 2017 and has been working as a Research Assistant at the IUE Department of Cinema and Digital Media, since 2021. His works include short-fiction films, documentaries, interactive films, music videos and promo films. Recently, he has participated in various roles in conferences and film festivals as well as works for which he was the cinematographer and co-producer. His main areas of focus include cinematography, filmmaking, and film festivals.

Received her Ph.D. in 2008 from the Visual and Cultural Studies Program at the University of Rochester in the USA. Was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Munich in Germany from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 to 2016, she was the director of the research project "Changing Imaginations of Istanbul. From Oriental to the Cool City" funded by the Emmy Noether Program of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). Has been working as an Assistant Professor in the Cinema and Digital Media department at IEU since 2016. She chaired the Cinema and Digital Media department from 2017 to 2020.

Ahmet Gürata is an academic, film critic and festival curator. He has published research on the history of Turkish cinema, reception, remakes and documentary in anthologies and journals. He also works as a programmer for the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and Festival on Wheels. He has curated several thematic programs for festivals. As a film critic he writes and podcasts regularly for a number of publications and platforms.

Serkan Şavk received his undergraduate degree from Ankara University, Faculty of Communication. He pursued graduate study at Hacettepe University, Department of History and received his PhD in 2014 with a dissertation titled “Doors, Privacy and Public Sphere: Spatial Structure of Istanbul in the Early Modern Period (17th-18th Centuries).” After receiving his PhD, Serkan Şavk conducted research at Princeton University, Department of History as a visiting fellow. His research interests include image-space relation from a historical perspective, early modern Ottoman cultural history, digital humanities and cinema in Turkey.

I am an Associate Professor at the Department of New Media and Communication, Izmir University of Economics. I received my B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Trent University (Canada) and my Ph.D. in Philosophy from Emory University (USA). My work focuses on 20th- and 21st-century philosophical traditions, with particular interest in figures such as Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas, Theodor Adorno, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. My research addresses questions at the intersection of philosophy, media, and politics, including the role of language and discourse in the formation of knowledge, experience, and subjectivity. I work across areas such as political epistemology, the ethics of digital media, public reason, phenomenology of the body, and the critique of algorithmic rationality. I have published in AHCI/SSCI-indexed journals including Journal of the Philosophy of History, Continental Philosophy Review, Philosophy Today, International Journal of Communication, and Extrapolation. I am the author of the book Felsefi Meseleler, which introduces central problems in ethics, metaphysics, the tragic, and scientific knowledge through a conceptually rigorous but stylistically accessible voice. I value a philosophical style that brings conceptual clarity without reducing the complexity of human experience and political life.

Gökçen Karanfil joined the Faculty of Communication at IUE in 2007. Since then he has thought a variety of courses in the Media and Communication Department both in undergarduate and graduate levels. He has also been the Vice Dean of the faculty between 2009 and 2012, and the Chair of the <media and Communication department between the years 2012-2017. Gökçen's research interests include theories of globalisation, theories of nationalism, transnational media flows and media sociology.

Altug Akin is an associate professor doctor at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey. His research focus is mainly about the relationship between communication and social/behaviour change: How do we better understand and use communication for a better social and personal life? Altug Akin completed his doctoral studies in audio-visual communication at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and masters’ studies in journalism studies at the Stockholm University, Sweden. Mr. Akin was a visiting scholar at Annenberg School for Communication of UPENN, between 2015 and 2016. Parallel to his academic career, Altug Akin has been contributing to several media outlets, including the BBC World Service Turkish Section, where he worked as a journalist. Most recently, he established and lead the unit of Communication for Development and Social Change at UNICEF Turkey. He currently chairs the Department of New Media and Communication at Izmir University of Economic and support WHO Euro as a Risk Communication and Community Engagement expert. Dr. Akin has literature translations from Spanish and English to Turkish.

Sevda Kaya Kitınur received her dual bachelor's degrees in Sinology and Radio, Television and Cinema from Ankara University in 2011. Following her graduation, she was awarded the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship and pursued Mandarin studies in Taiwan. Upon returning to Türkiye, she completed her MA at Ege University with a thesis titled “The Phenomenon of Collective Memory in Post-Cultural Revolution Chinese Cinema: Scar Dramas.” In 2024, she was a visiting researcher in Taiwan with a scholarship provided by the Chinese Studies Center at the National Central Library. She earned her PhD in 2025 with a dissertation entitled “Participatory Culture and Digital Storytelling: An Analysis of YouTube Marvel Fan Channels.” Since 2021, she has been working as a research assistant in the Department of New Media and Communication at İzmir University of Economics. Her research interests include new media studies, digital storytelling, fan studies, transmedia narratives, Asian cinema, and visual studies.

Graduated from Ege University, Izmir, in 2006. After completing his MA thesis titled "High Definition Broadcasting Systems as a New Communication Technology and the Practical Audiovisual Data Transferring", he grew interest in 3D cinema and its corresponding technologies. In 2020, Gedik earned a doctorate degree upon completing his PhD dissertation titled "Narrative Structure in 3D Fiction Film. From the early undergraduate years, Alper Gedik carried out various production and post-production tasks for a wide variety of projects including short films, documentaries, animated films and promotional films.

Tuncel has joined the IEU Faculty of Communication in 2009 and teaches broadcasting, journalism and media industry related courses. Previously he has been a member of the staff at Ankara University and a research fellow at the European Institute for the Media. Following the establishment of Faculty of Comm Studios, he has been appointed as the Studios Coordinator. Tuncel's academic interests are media policy and media industries.

Undergraduate, Faculty of Communication, Ankara University (1990); MSc in Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1999); PhD in Politics, Middle East Technical University (2009). She teaches Theories of Communication, Research Methods in Media, Turkish Media History and History of Communication at the Communication Faculty, Izmir University of Economics since 2005.

Burak Doğu received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ankara University. He earned his master’s degree in Journalism from Ege University, where he studied computer games and ludology, based on new media theories. He completed his PhD at Ege University, focusing on alternative media's coverage and framing of the TEKEL workers protest. He visited University of Turin and University of Eastern Piedmont as a part of his doctoral research. He was a research fellow at the New York University, Department of Sociology, in 2016-17. He is currently working as a professor at the Izmir University of Economics, Department of New Media and Communication, where he teaches digital media theories, along with studio and portfolio courses. His research interests include environmental communication, social movements, and networking.

Zeynep Aksoy graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Economics Department of International Relations (1996), and worked as a project manager in international congresses. She received her master’s degree in Public Relations and Publicity at Istanbul University (2009) and PhD dissertation in Public relations and Publicity at Ege University (2013). In 2016 Aksoy conducted her studied at Amsterdam University-Amsterdam School for Regional, Transmational and European Studies as a TUBITAK post-doctoral research fellow. Her research focus is mainly about intercultural communication, migration, cultural identity and interpersonal communication.

Aytunç Erçifci, who studied in Izmir University of Economics, Department of Public Relations and Advertising with full scholarship, graduated in 2014 as an honor student. He is currently a research assistant in Department of Public Relations and Advertising and a PhD student in Communication Research.

Burak Amirak, PhD, has been one of the first graduates of Department Public Relations and Advertising in Ege University. His work experience on media relations and event management while he was studying for his bachelor's degree. Mr. Amirak worked as a Marketing Communications expert for Oracle, hurriyetim.com.tr, and founded Torus Corporate Brand Management Consultancy in 2001. Lowe Istanbul and Young & Rubicam \ Reklamevi were the global agencies where he served as Strategic Planing Director. In 2007, he became a partner in Shift Communications and served brands in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Mr. Amirak is sharing his experience and knowledge with the students since 2010 in Izmir University of Economics. Brands served; Oracle, hurriyetim.com.tr, Piyale, Yapı Kredi Bank, World Card, Aygaz, Unilever (Omo, Domestos, Cif), Efes, Hyundai, Papia, Familia, Danone, Pınar, Avea, Kcell, Azercell. Mr. Amirak also contributed to the books, namely Integrated Communications in the Postmodern Era, Masters of Advertising -1 , and Masters of Advertising -2. While sharing his 25 years of experience with the students, Mr. Amirak completed his PhD degree in Advertising with the dissertation titled as 'The role of Account Planning in creative process in Advertising: “Exploring account planning – creative process relationship” '.

Following her studies in American Collegiate Institute, Serra Evci Uygur has graduated as the top second student in the Economics department in 2013, the top second student in the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and the top student in the Business Administration department in 2014 from Istanbul Bilgi University as a double major student. Following her graduation, she has gained industrial experience in auditing, logistics and sales. She has started her postgraduate studies in 2018 at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Marketing Communication and Public Relations M.A. program with thesis and has become a member of the faculty as a Research Assistant in IUE Faculty of Communication, Public Relations and Advertising Department in February 2020. She has started her PhD studies in the Communication Program at Istanbul Bilgi University in October 2021.

Ebru Uzunoglu is Professor of Public Relations and Advertising Department at Izmir University of Economics (IUE). She worked as the head of the department for 8 years and as the Acting Dean of the Communication Faculty for 2,5 years. She worked as a visiting scholar at Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications - Northwestern University between 2016-2017. She has published several academic papers in the leading journals including Public Relations Review, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Marketing Communications, International Journal of Information Management, and Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. She is the co-editor of Integrated Communication in Post-Modern Era with Prof. Dr. Philip J. Kitchen. She also has published many chapters in different international books. She teaches courses on Principles of Public Relations, Marketing Communications, Communication Campaign Design, Senior Project, and Brand Management. Her research interests include integrated marketing communications, brand communications, corporate communication, and social media implementations. Before her academic career, she worked at several national and international companies as a marketing communication specialist and product manager for 12 years. She is the member of the Izmir Public Relations Association and was the Board Member for three terms.

After graduating from Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations and Advertising, with the first rank in the faculty, Ünsal earned her master's degree from the Media and Communication Studies Program of the same university. Ünsal analyzed the reflections of corporate culture on the websites of universities in Turkey in his master's thesis. She received her doctorate from Anadolu University, Communication Design and Management Program with her thesis examining the attitudes of internet users with different digital nativity levels towards native advertising. Her main research area is native advertising, and other academic interests include digital advertising, communication technologies and marketing communications. Dr. Ünsal has been serving as the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication since May 2022.

Graduated from the same department in 2010 as Faculty of Communication’s highest ranked student and had a double major degree from International Relations and EU Department, Burcu Yaman has been a member of the faculty as research assistant in Public Relations and Advertising Department since 2010. She completed her MA in Izmir University of Economics Media and Communication Studies Graduate Program with her thesis on Reality TV Shows. She is currently a PhD student in Advertising at Ege University. Her research subjects are popular culture, advertising, television studies, sociology of media, new media and consumer and consumer culture.

Sema Misci Kip teaches courses on advertising, media planning and marketing communications at İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations and Advertising. Her research interests are social media, websites, media planning, advertising, knowledge management, and television viewing habits. She has published in Journal of Business Research, Qualitative Market Research, Public Relations Review, International Journal of Information Management, Global Media Journal, and Journal of Marketing Communications. She worked at Initiative Media (1999-2003) and Universal McCann (2003) for the advertising and media planning strategies of national and international clients such as Unilever, Group Seb, Uno, Ferrero, Adidas, Kimberly Clark, Citibank, Johnson & Johnson. She has been teaching at IUE since 2003.