Advisory Board
Erin Zeynep Başol
After graduating at the top of her class from Bilkent University’s Department of Psychology, Erin Zeynep Basol completed her master’s degree in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London and Yale University. Currently, she works as a research assistant at Yale University and her research centers on trauma, personality disorders, and the effects of psychopathology on social functioning. She has presented at scientific conferences and her work has been published in prestigious journals, including Biological Psychiatry.
E-mail: erin.basol@yale.edu
.
Feride Nur Haskaraca Kızılay
Dr. Feride Nur Haskaraca Kizilay is a postdoctoral researcher in the Developmental Psychology Department at the University of Kassel, Germany. She earned her BA and MA degrees in Psychology from Bilkent University in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In 2019, she moved to Germany to pursue a PhD in the Behavior and Cognition program at the University of Göttingen, which she completed in 2023. Following her PhD, she worked as a researcher at a non-governmental, non-profit organization in Berlin, where she managed projects focused on mental health and psychosocial support for refugees and immigrants. In July 2024, she returned to academia, joining the University of Kassel as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research interests lie in the development of social cognition, with a particular focus on Theory of Mind and language. More recently, she has also developed an interest in the development of numerical cognition.
E-mail: fnhaskaraca@gmail.com
.
Meltem Karaca
Dr. Karaca is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Assumption University, following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurology at Boston University where she focused on enhancing everyday memory functioning in individuals with dementia and traumatic brain injury. She earned her Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and Prevention Science (Applied Cognitive Psychology track) from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2022, following an M.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology from Bilkent University. Her research program examines the role of self-perceptions of aging in older adults’ memory, as well as strategies to improve memory retention in individuals with and without cognitive impairment. Additionally, she is interested in investigating methods to improve student learning and academic performance both in and out of the classroom.
E-mail: meltemkaraca1213@gmail.com
.
Elif Karaoğlu
Neuroscience/Academic (Researcher)
Selçuk University
E-mail: elifkaroglu@gmail.com
.
.
Samet Kaya
Samet Kaya is a 2023 graduate of Bilkent Psychology B.A. program. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Cognitive Psychology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on memory and metacognition.
E-mail: sametkaya2001@gmail.com
.
.
Cansu Pala
.
.
.
E-mail: cansu.pala@ege.edu.tr
.
Mahperi Uluyol
Clinical Psychologist/Academic (Researcher)
Akdeniz University
E-mail: mahperiuluyol@gmail.com
.
.
Buse Merve Ürgen
Neuroscience/Academic (Asst. Prof.)
TED University
E-mail: buse.urgen@tedu.edu.tr
.
.
Aysel Yalaç Dolay
Aysel Yalaç Dolay is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Ankara Medipol University. After completing her undergraduate education in nursing, she graduated with honors from Bilkent University’s Psychology Department in 2022, while simultaneously working night shifts as a nurse. She has clinical experience in forensic and child/adolescent psychiatry settings, and her thesis research focuses on the relationship between attachment styles, mentalization, emotion regulation strategies, and psychopathology in youth. She is also an ultramarathon runner, with a strong interest in the connection between psychological resilience and endurance.
E-mail: ayselyalac@gmail.com
Cansu Yılmaz
Cansu Yılmaz is a visiting postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Anadolu University. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Bilkent University and completed her PhD in Social Psychology at Middle East Technical University. Her research focuses on understanding close relationships and well-being.
Her current work explores cross-cultural differences in the expression of emotions and psychological well-being in interpersonal relationships.