About

I am a PhD candidate and Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in the Department of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh. My research examines critical digital media and political communication, with a focus on digital feminist activism, platform power and visibility, and digital repression in non-Western and authoritarian contexts.

Before beginning doctoral study, I worked in advertising, public relations, graphic design, and feminist movement leadership in Türkiye, including co-founding and serving as the first president of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform Association.

Research Areas Link to heading

  • Critical digital media and political communication
  • Digital activism and social movements
  • Feminist media studies
  • Platform power and visibility
  • Digital repression, disinformation, and public response
  • Postfeminism, neoliberal feminism, and consumer culture
  • Gender and advertising
  • Non-Western and authoritarian contexts
  • Femicide and gender-based violence

Education Link to heading

PhD in Communication, University of Pittsburgh, PA — Expected 2027
Dissertation: The Effectiveness of Digital Feminist Activism: The #PınarGültekin Movement in Türkiye
Advisor: Paul E. Johnson

MA in Communication, University of Hartford, Hartford, CT — 2021
Thesis: Does Femvertising Empower Women? A Critical Analysis of Nike Ads in the United States and Turkey

Graduate Study in Advertising and Public Relations (Guest Student), Anadolu University, Türkiye — 2017

BA in Advertising and Public Relations, Anadolu University, Türkiye — 2015