Academic Staff

Born in Reading-England, she graduated from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Bilkent University in 1997. She worked in various architectural firms after graduation, and received her master’s degree in 2000, and PhD in 2005 from Bilkent University. As a Fulbright scholar, between 2001 and 2002, she worked with Prof. Henry Sanoff on the topics of “learning environments” at North Carolina State University. Her articles have been published in such academic journals as, Journal of Interior Design, Journal of Design History, The Journal of Creative Behavior, Creativity Research Journal, Journal of Academic Librarianship, METU Journal, Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Children, Youth and Environments, Arkitekt and Popüler Bilim; and also in literature and film periodicals such as, Geceyarısı Sineması, Düşe-Yazma, Patika, and Koridor. She is on the editorial board of Koridor where she continues to write as well as illustrate. Between 2005-2008, she worked on a World Bank (program for social progress) funded project named, “Child Attraction Center” with colleagues from Bilkent University. She does consulting work for schools, children’s museums and other environments, and works with children as the potential users to the decision-making and design processes. Up until this point in her career, she has taught Basic Design, Art and Design Studio, Human Factors, Drawing and Representation, History of Art and Design, Project Preparation Techniques, Model Making, Applied Workshop in IAED, Graduation Thesis, Environmental Psychology, Design Semiotics, Individual Study (master's), and Seminar (master's) courses. She began working at Izmir University of Economics in 2006 as an Asst. Professor, and became Professor in 2019. She is the coordinator of the second year Design Studio and teaches the PhD courses, Integrated Design Approaches and Environment-Behavior Research. Her research fields include, history of interior design, modern interior design, Turkish modern furniture, and environment-behavior studies. She has given several lectures on history of modern interiors in Turkey and Turkish modern furniture at universities and conferences. She was the head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at İzmir University of Economics, between 2010-2017, where she continues to work. She is one of the two project coordinators of the DATUMM: Documenting and Archiving - Turkish Modern Furniture (datumm.org) project. Through DATUMM, it was possible to create a documentary, a digital working archive, a book in both English and Turkish, a large-scale colloquium with designers, and a large-scale exhibition of modern furniture. She is also one of the founding members of the Docomomo-Turkey, Interior Design Committee (est. 2019), along with Asst. Prof. Dr. Umut Şumnu and Asst. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Tuna Ultav. She is the leader of a scientific research project that focuses on contributing to the interior design history of Turkey, by highlighting three prominent designers, by oral history. The vast amount of interviews will be collected and presented as a documentary, and three books and articles will be other outputs of the project. She is also a member of The Fulbright Alumni, Chamber of Interior Architects of Turkey, EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association), 4T (Turkish Design History Society), TAPLAK Design and Planning Accrediting Association, Bilkent University Alumni, and has been chosen committee member of Docomomo ISC-ID International Specialization Comittee-Interior Design in 2021. She has two children.

Dr Onur Mengi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an interdisciplinary academic with experience in teaching industrial design and design management since 2010, and an interdisciplinary designer with experience working on various scale projects ranging from product design to urban design in Turkey since 2006. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey. He has well-established leadership skills across education, business, and research, and uses an evidence-based and end-user driven design methodology both in his teaching practice and his research. Onur’s qualifications in design thinking underpin his strong appreciation of design as a catalyst for bringing about social change. His research and education background in the creative industries ecosystem give him ability to pioneer new ideas in the industrial design area using multi-level perspectives and systems thinking to generate innovative design strategies that deliver value, engagement, and impact. He is a research collaborator to QUT Design Lab in Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Deniz Sayar received her High School Diploma from Izmir Private American High School, Department of Science and Mathematics. She completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University, Department of Industrial Product Design in 2007. She completed her master's degree in Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Master's Program in 2011. His Ph.D. is still continuing at Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Doctorate Program. She is doing her PhD Research at Lancaster University (UK), ImaginationLancaster she. search fields; It is about service design, IoT, design management.

Dr. Ozcan received his B.I.D (Bachelor of Industrial Design) degree from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He then received his MSc and Ph.D. degrees from Dokuz Eylul University, Institute of Social Sciences, with his studies on semiotics. After working as a research assistant in Dokuz Eylul University between 1990 and 1996, he was transferred to Izmir Institute of Technology, Dept. of Industrial Design where he was also one of the co-founders of the department and worked as vice chairman between 1999 and 2003. He worked as a senior instructor at Yeditepe University, Dept. of Industrial Design in 2003-2004 fall semester. In February 2004, he was assigned to coordinate the establishment studies of the Dept. of Industrial Design at İzmir University of Economics where he was assigned as head of the department in 2006. He is the general director of EKOTAM, Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center. Having designed in numerous fields from product design to graphics and stage design, Dr. Ozcan is running courses related to project development, methods, history, technical and computer aided aspects of product design in undergraduate level, and courses related to advanced product development, semiotics, design management and design evolution in graduate level. He is also working as project manager for many university-industry cooperation projects including product and service design as well as brand development and franchising through design. Dr Özcan has numerous national and international published articles, presentations and design awards. He is the director of EKOTAM Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center running several local, national and international projects. He is also an active member of ETMK-Turkish Industrial Designers’ Association since its foundation in 1988.

Emre Ergül, born in Manisa in 1962, completed his high school education at Turkish College of İzmir. In 1985, he was graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture with masters degree. He has been in military service and worked in various firms and architectural offices until 1990. He started to work at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture as a Research Assistant in 1990. After completing his PhD thesis in 1998, he has begun to work at İzmir Institute of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture as an Assistant Professor. Starting from October 2007, he is now working in İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design as an Assistant Professor. Ergül, whose major research area is Ottoman House in Urban Pattern, has written articles and proceedings of which mostly in this field after his PhD thesis titled The Mechanism of Homogenization of Ottoman House in Anatolian Cities. Besides, he has some studies in two different topics, one is Computer Aided Design and the other is Transformable Structural Systems. Special award in Bandırma Cinçukuru City Center Competition, 3. prize in Kadıköy Harem Haydarpaşa Near Environment Urban Design Competition, Honorable Mention in Earthquake Conscious Settlements and 2. Honorable Mention in Eskişehir Tepebaşı Municipality Building Competition are the awards given to the projects by Ergül in his ongoing design practicing. İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi Sakarya Caddesi No:156, 35330 Balçova - İZMİR +90 23

Gökhan Mura received his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design in 2001 from the Department of Industrial Design, Middle East Technical University. After completing his Master of Arts degree at Istanbul Bilgi University Deparment of Visual Communication Design, he recieved his Ph.D degree from the Department of Industrial Design at Istanbul Technical University. During his Ph.D study he spent an academic year as an exchange student in Malmö University School of Arts, Culture and Communication where he also taught courses and participated in a research project. After a year's leave to work as a Research Associate for an EU funded ENGAGE project at Loughborough University, he resumed his PhD study.

Born in Denizli in 1982. Received her bachelor degree in Architecture from İZTECH in 2006; her M.Des degree in Design Studies from İUE in 2009 and completed her thesis process in Scotland, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. She received her Ph.D degree in Architecture from İZTECH in 2016 and completed her PhD thesis process in Lisbon. Between the years 2006-2011, she worked as a research assistant at IUE Department of IAED, between the years 2011-2017 she worked as an instructor and until 2017 and she has been working as Assistant Professor at the same department. She teaches "Future Interior Architecture Studies", "Graduation Project", "Graduation Thesis" and "Collective Act-Social Responsibility Project". "Cognitive design" and "non-visual aspects of spatial knowledge" are among her research interests.

After receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the field of Materials Science at New Mexico Tech, USA, Murat Bengisu worked in the automotive industry in engineering, R&D, and quality departments in Turkey and Italy. Dr. Bengisu started his academic career at Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, in 1999. For one year, he conducted research and taught as Visiting Professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla at the Materials Research Center. Dr. Bengisu completed various self-initiated multidisciplinary projects in collaboration with partners from different fields. He is the author of five books and he contributed to 37 articles in refereed journals. His research interest includes ceramic and glass materials, innovation management, working life and technological needs of disabled individuals, design history (Beykoz glassware), design management and materials for design. He joined the Industrial Design Department at Izmir University of Economics in March 2008. He was promoted to full professorship in February 2010. Currently he is teaching at the Industrial Design Department as well as the Head of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Committee.

Deniz Deniz was born in İzmir. Having completed her undergraduate education, she received master’s degree on Sustainability and Environmental Issues in Industrial Design. Upon completing the master’s degree, she completed her doctoral dissertation on Crime Prevention through Design. She was awarded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) as a post doctoral researcher and she completed her research at University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in 2008. She has been working in Izmir University of Economics as an Associate Professor. She has produced national and international published articles, research projects, and won design competitions through these years.

Graduated from Industrial Design Department, Middle East Technical University (1989), Şölen Kipöz gained her masters degree from Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Faculty, Textile Department, and PhD from Communications & Public Relations Department in Aegean University (1998). Her post-doctorate research on Fashion Management took place in Bologna University through a scholarship from Italian Government. In Dokuz Eylül University, she worked as a research assistant in Fashion Accessory program and conducted jewelry design projects with World Gold Council there. Following her academic career in Izmir Institute of Technology Industrial Design Master Program, in 2001,she is assigned as a founding academic member of Izmir University of Economics, Fashion and Textile Design Department. There she has delivered number of bachelor , master and phd courses on design and theory. She published trend books on wedding fashions and ready to wear in collaboration with the industry. Her conceptual projects had outputs as exhibitions and publications such as the book entitled Dress Against Disaster (2007), which provided a theoretical basis for a design project that she supervised and exhibited in Social Design Biennial in Utrecht. Her research interests cover conceptual fashion design, interdisciplinary fashion studies, and ethical and sustainable fashion design. The last one has outcomes as artistic presentations and exhibitions through which she challenges the borders between design, art and crafts. Her personal exhibition Ahimsa: The other life of clothes (2012), her installations and performances for PortIzmir3 International Contemporary Art Triennial (2014) and Asteya (2017) exhibition are some of her notable works. Her design project, rag doll is registered as a utility model by Turkish Patent Institute in 2015 which can be produced and personalized by the user and has been co-created with women and children. In 2016 she presented this project in Royal College of Arts, London. The same year, Kipöz edited a collective book, entitled Sustainable Fashion (2015) published in Turkish that has become influential in the path of creating an awareness on slow and ethical fashion in Turkey. She is the author and the editor of the book entitled “Slowness in Fashion” ( 2020)