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
Ayça Başçı
Ayça Başcı, MSc, is a clinical psychologist based in the Netherlands and working in specialized mental health care (GGZ). She obtained her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Utrecht University in 2018 and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bilkent University in 2017. Her clinical work focuses on culturally sensitive mental health care, using evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR, and Schema Therapy. She has extensive experience working with diverse populations and complex psychological presentations within intercultural mental health services and is an accredited Individual Schema Therapist with the International Society of Schema Therapy since 2023.
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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. 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
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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
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Elif Karaoğlu
Dr. Karoglu-Eravsar received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bilkent University in 2014. She completed her master’s degree in 2017 and her PhD in 2021 in the Neuroscience Program at Bilkent University. Since 2021, she has been working as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Selcuk University. Her main research areas include cognitive reserve, stress resilience, and the neurobiological foundations of cognitive aging.
E-mail: elifkaroglu@gmail.com
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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
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Prof. Dr. Cansu Pala
Prof. Pala’s research focuses on cognitive and emotional development in early childhood. Her areas of interest include executive functions, theory of mind, emotion regulation, and the relations among these constructs. As the founder of the Ege Cognitive Development Laboratory, she leads research on topics such as the acquisition and development of the concept of ownership, processes of emotional socialization, and the promotion of positive social skills. Dr. Pala aims to contribute to both basic and applied research and continues to develop evidence-based approaches that support children’s cognitive and emotional development.
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E-mail: cansu.pala@ege.edu.tr
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Mahperi Uluyol
Clinical Psychologist/Academic (Researcher)
Akdeniz University
E-mail: mahperiuluyol@gmail.com
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Buse Merve Ürgen
Buse Merve Ürgen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at TED University. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Bilkent University in 2021, after completing her BA in Psychology at Bilkent University (2011) and her MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (2012). Following her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center and the National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM) at Bilkent University. She leads the Perceptual Neuroscience Lab at TED University, established in 2022.
E-mail: buse.urgen@tedu.edu.tr
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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
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