My work extends beyond academic research and teaching to humanitarian practice, public scholarship, community engagement, and creative forms of research communication. These experiences have shaped how I approach questions of migration, citizenship, urban life, and knowledge production, while keeping my academic work connected to communities and public conversations.
Refugee Protection & Humanitarian Practice | UNHCR & ASAM, 2014–2019
Between 2014 and 2019, I worked in refugee protection and humanitarian programming with UNHCR and the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM). My roles ranged from direct protection and screening work to managing a large multi-service community center in Istanbul and a team of approximately 65 staff. Working closely with refugees, NGOs, community members, and public institutions gave me first-hand insight into how humanitarian systems operate in practice. This experience continues to shape my research and teaching, particularly my attention to institutional power, refugee agency, community knowledge, and collaborative, non-extractive approaches to research.
Public Scholarship & Applied Research
When Government Denies Care: Refugee Self-Initiated Settlement
Transnational Care: Bridging Borders and Digital Landscapes Podcast Series, University of Cologne, 2024
A public-facing conversation on refugee-led responses to gaps in formal systems of care and the ways displaced communities develop their own forms of support and settlement.
Makbul vatandaş olamamak: Seçim tartışmalarının odağındaki Suriyeli Türkiye vatandaşları
with Rima Bayar, Birikim, April 2023
A public analysis of citizenship, deservingness, and the position of Syrian citizens within Türkiye’s election debates.
with Stephanie J. Nawyn, Stephen P. Gasteyer, Adnan Hammad, Mahmoud Durid, Ali Ghassani, Rania Mansour, and Ayat Nashwan, 2021
An applied research report examining barriers to safer humanitarian practices and refugee protection during the COVID-19 pandemic across Türkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Media & Interviews
“Syriska hbtq-personer flyr till Turkiet för att ta sig vidare till Europa”
Ottar, May 2016
Interviewed for a reportage on the experiences of Syrian LGBTQ refugees in Türkiye and onward migration to Europe.
Urban & Community Engagement
International Network for Urban Research and Action (INURA) | Istanbul, 2026
I organized and led an urban walk through Moda and Yeldeğirmeni for the 2026 INURA Annual Conference in Istanbul. Bringing together urban research, local history, and personal knowledge of the neighborhood, the walk explored gentrification, migration, minority and Levantine histories, displacement, cultural spaces, domestic memory, and everyday belonging.
Creative Public Communication
During my post-PhD job search, I transformed the familiar language of academic and professional rejection emails into a song using generative AI. The video unexpectedly reached a wide audience on Instagram and later circulated on LinkedIn. The project uses humour to communicate experiences of academic labour, precarity, rejection, and resilience, while experimenting with generative AI as a creative tool for public communication.
