News

The project titled “Co-designing Learning for Evidence-based Climate Policy in Marmara’s Municipalities, Türkiye”, co-led by Prof. Dr. Ayselin YILDIZ, faculty member of the Department of International Relations, has been awarded funding by the British Academy. The project is co-led by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), in cooperation with the Marmara Municipalities Union and Şişli Municipality. It aims to strengthen evidence-based knowledge systems that support effective and socially just climate adaptation and mitigation actions within and across urban municipalities in Türkiye’s Marmara Region.

As part of the project’s kick-off activities, the climate and sustainability units of Üsküdar and Kadıköy Municipalities were visited, where good practices were shared and discussed.

Prof. Dr. Ayselin YILDIZ, faculty member of the Department of International Relations, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa SUNDU, faculty member of the Department of Management Information Systems, delivered trainings on "The Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools" and "Intercultural Communication" during an event held in Ankara by ICMPD in the field of migration. The training included practical demonstrations of the current applications of AI tools.

The Internal Stakeholder Meeting of the Department of Health Management, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, was held online on Monday, May 12, 2025.

In the meeting, which was attended by Prof. Dr. Hacer ÖZGEN NARCI, Dr. Gülhan KALMUK, and undergraduate students Nazlıcan USTA and Şeyma Zeynep AYNACI, our students shared their feedback regarding both the strengths of our program and areas for improvement. Afterwards, the extent to which our curriculum contributes to program competencies was discussed, as well as any new course suggestions related to the curriculum.

We would like to thank all members who participated in the meeting.

The conference event titled "Personal Health, Digital Transformation and Healthy Aging: Mobile Devices and Applications", organized by the Department of Health Management, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences at Istinye University, was held today.

The event took place between 10:30 and 12:00 in the Conference Hall V123 at our university's H Campus, with Associate Professor Dr. Gökhan AYDIN, 'Digital Innovation and Transformation Research Excellence Group Lead' from the University of Brighton, as the keynote speaker.

After the presentation, the event continued interactively with a Q&A session, and the Certificate of Appreciation was presented to our speaker by the Head of the Health Management Department, Prof. Dr. Hacer ÖZGEN NARCI.

We would like to thank Dr. AYDIN for participating as a speaker, as well as all attendees for joining us at the event.

Between May 15–18, 2025, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Gürsoy and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Bayhantopçu from Kadir Has University held a series of meetings within the scope of TÜBİTAK Project No. 124K370. These meetings were conducted with officials from Hatay Metropolitan Municipality; President of the Hatay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Hikmet Çinçin; Secretary General Mr. Ali Mullaoğlu; and Director of Project Coordination and Research, Ms. Ecem Gaye Yeşil. Additional discussions took place with Mr. Cengiz Şenkule, Director of Culture and Social Affairs of Antakya Municipality, focusing on local crafts and women’s labor.
Furthermore, conversations were held at the Hatay Culture and Artisans’ Bazaar—which includes 82 workshops, 7 restaurants, a cafeteria, a small cinema, and a meeting hall—regarding challenges and future expectations in the production and marketing of handmade goods, with the aim of revitalizing cultural heritage.

Organized in collaboration with the Department of Economics and the Economic Policy Research Center (EPAM), the 2025 ISU Women in the Workforce Workshop took place on May 13, 2025, at the Vadi H Campus Conference Hall. The event was part of the 21st Century Competencies Manifest 2 within the scope of the Career Journey course.

The online event titled “The Role of the Individual Pension System in the National Savings Mechanism,” organized in collaboration between the Economic Policy Research Center (EPAM) and the Department of Economics, was held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 5:30 PM via Microsoft Teams.

Two outstanding students from Istinye University’s Department of Economics — Yusuf Efe Torun (1st year) and Sema Nur Yücel (3rd year) — have been selected to participate in the university’s prestigious Leader Student Program, marking a significant achievement.

The Leader Student Program aims to cultivate academically strong, self-confident individuals capable of making meaningful contributions to society. It offers a comprehensive training experience focused on developing intellectual knowledge, leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking skills.

As part of the Healthineering 2 – Sustainability Training event organized by the IEEE Student Branch Club at Istinye University on April 16, 2025, Associate Professor Dr. Çiğdem Gürsoy delivered a training session on the Sustainable Development Goals to students from Istinye University and various other universities.

The Department of Economics held its 2nd alumni meeting as part of the 2025 Spring Workshop. Our graduates and current interns shared their professional experiences with current students and high school participants.

As part of the Department of Economics Alumni Experience Meetings, our graduates Güney Özütutar and Hilal Teke shared their professional experiences with current students.

Department of Economics member Assoc. Prof. Ayfer Ustabaş visited the Politecnico de Guarda Institute as part of the Erasmus program.

Through the efforts of Assoc. Prof. Ayfer Ustabaş from the Department of Economics, and Dr. Eylül Beyza Çiftçi from the Department of International Relations, an Erasmus partnership agreement has been signed specifically for the Department of Economics with the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada).

A feedback meeting was held with the Economics Department students and all academic staff of the department for the Spring 2025 semester.

Economics Department student Sema Nur Yücel’s project titled “Women’s Labor Force Participation and Economic Growth: An Econometric Analysis for Turkey”, conducted under the supervision of our faculty member Dr. İlayda İsabetli Fidan, has been selected for support within the scope of TÜBİTAK 2209-A – Research Projects Support Program for Undergraduate Students.

We wish our student continued success.

The new book Silikon Banker by our Economics Department faculty member, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Caner Özdurak, has been published by Bookarion. The book will be available on shelves starting May 20, and we highly recommend it to anyone interested in economics and finance.

At the seminar attended by Elazığ Deputy Mayor Nazif Bilginoğlu and Provincial Director of Culture Mehmet Karaaslan, Head of the Department of Economics Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Gürsoy and Kadir Has University faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Bayhantopçu delivered a presentation on “Women’s Handicrafts and Our Cultural Heritage.” The seminar, which attracted great interest from women, was held within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1001 Project.

The 2025 Spring Economics Workshop for high school students was held on April 19–20, 2025, with the participation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Gürsoy, Dr. Lecturer İlayda İsabetli Fidan, Research Assistant Burak Buyun, and students from the Department of Economics.

Prof. Dr. Ayselin YILDIZ, faculty member in the Department of International Relations, delivered a presentation titled "Responsible AI in Migration Governance: Promoting Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Values in Europe" at the event hosted by the Flemish Peace Institute in Brussels. As the founding director of Nefes-AI Software Technologies, Prof. YILDIZ also shared insights into a prototype they are currently developing, which focuses on the responsible and ethical use of AI-assisted tools in international protection/asylum interviews.

A student-led research project by Azra Nur Sönmez, aiming to create an experience-based roadmap for young entrepreneurs, has been awarded funding under the TÜBİTAK 2209-A Program.

Ahmet Hakan KAYHAN, a senior student in the Department of International Relations, participated in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. During the panel discussion on "Forced Displacement and International Responsibility", Hakan had the opportunity to engage in conversation with Michael Spindelegger, Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), where he shared the knowledge and insights he gained from the "Artificial Intelligence and Migration Governance" course offered within his department.

We congratulate our student Ahmet Hakan KAYHAN for representing our university and contributing to such an important international platform.

The MiReKoc-BROAD-ER Wednesday Seminar Series for Spring 2025 continues with Prof.Dr.Ayselin Yıldız’s talk “Cities as Sanctuary for Displaced Populations through Placemaking Practices” on Wednesday, APR 9, at 12:00 (Turkey time), hybrid (zoom & in person).

📅 Time: APR 9, at 12:00 (Turkey time)

🌐 Registration link: https://kocun.zoom.us/meeting/register/j1o4Sp4FRly8iHHCRm__1A#/registration