Current Students

ARHA MA Students

Burcu Ustabaş

bustabas21@ku.edu.tr

Maritime Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Amphoras, Amphora stamps, Ancient Trade and Economy, Maritime Archaeology, Mediterranean Archaeology, and Digital Archaeology.

Previous Education: BA degree in Classical Archeology at Ege University

Nurbahar Hanife Kurtlu

hkurtlu15@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Bronze Age in Central Anatolia; The Hittites; Underwater Archaeology; Economic Archaeology; Experimental Archaeology; Affordances; Microeconomics

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art, BA in Economics (double major), certificate in Design Track, Koç University.

Hasret Kılıçoğlu

hkilicoglu17@ku.edu.tr

Art History/History of Art (MA)

Research interests: Artistic and Cultural interactions in Medieval Anatolia, Medieval Anatolian Numismatics, Art and Architecture of the Ilkhanids, and Turco-Mongol relationship.

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University, BA in History (Double Major) at Koç University.

Beste Kahveci

bkahveci21@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Western and Central Anatolia in Early Bronze Age, Stratified Societies, Trade routes

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology Department at Bilkent University

Burcu Ustabaş

bustabas21@ku.edu.tr

Maritime Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Amphoras, Amphora stamps, Ancient Trade and Economy, Maritime Archaeology, Mediterranean Archaeology, and Digital Archaeology.

Previous Education: BA degree in Classical Archeology at Ege University

Nurbahar Hanife Kurtlu

hkurtlu15@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Bronze Age in Central Anatolia; The Hittites; Underwater Archaeology; Economic Archaeology; Experimental Archaeology; Affordances; Microeconomics

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art, BA in Economics (double major), certificate in Design Track, Koç University.

Hasret Kılıçoğlu

hkilicoglu17@ku.edu.tr

Art History/History of Art (MA)

Research interests: Artistic and Cultural interactions in Medieval Anatolia, Medieval Anatolian Numismatics, Art and Architecture of the Ilkhanids, and Turco-Mongol relationship.

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University, BA in History (Double Major) at Koç University.

Beste Kahveci

bkahveci21@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research interests: Western and Central Anatolia in Early Bronze Age, Stratified Societies, Trade routes

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology Department at Bilkent University

Elvin Akbulut Daglier

edaglier18@ku.edu.tr

Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (MA)

Research Interests: Mosaics, Late Antique and Early Byzantine Anatolia, housing, daily life.

Previous Education: Business Administration MBA, Koç University, Translation and Interpreting BA, Boğaziçi University.

Şengül Fındıklar

sfindiklar14@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research Interests: Zooarchaeology; Environmental Archaeology; Animal Husbandry Systems; Ritual Practices; Domestication; Bronze Age Anatolia; Late Bronze Age Western Anatolia; The Hittites; The Myceneans

Former Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University

Mertkan Karaca

mkaraca18@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (MA)

Research Interests: Ottoman intellectual history - history of 19th century Ottoman literature, science and philosophy, Late Ottoman visual culture, Art history theories

Previous Education: BA in History from Middle East Technical University

Thesis Title: An Intellectual History of Late Ottoman Painting: Approaches to Realism

Yelyzaveta Nesterova

ynesterova18@ku.edu.tr

Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (MA)

Research interests: Public Archaeology, Community Outreach, Heritage Education, Urban Archaeology and Heritage, Industrial Heritage, Heritage and Identity, Museum Visitor Experience, Interpretation and Representation of Heritage in Museums, Community and Museums, Cultural Tourism

Previous education: BA in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Antalya Bilim University

Thesis title: “Educational programs for children at urban archaeological parks in the Mediterranean region and the study case of the Küçükyalı ArkeoPark (Istanbul)”.

Günce Pelin Öçgüden

gocguden@ku.edu.tr

Maritime Archaeology (MA)

Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology, Ancient Seafaring, Maritime Landscape, Digital Documentation Methods, Photogrammetry, Ancient Graffiti

Previous Education: BA from Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University

F. Elif Özsoy

fozsoy14@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (MA)

Research Interests: Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture, Islamic Numismatics, Cultural and Artistic Exchange in Medieval Anatolia, Culture and Art of Medieval Jazira, Islamic Manuscripts, Patronage in Medieval Islamic Cities

Previous Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University, BA in History (Double Major) at Koç University.

Selma Somer

nsomer19@ku.edu.tr

Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (MA)

Research Interests: Istanbul, Galata, Genoese Heritage, UNESCO, World Heritage

Previous Education: BSc. Honours Computation, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, MBA Bilgi University

Elena Vorobyeva

evorobyeva19@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research Interests: Mediterranean archaeology, isotope chemistry, digital humanities, research of the 19th century Russian archaeological organizations in the Ottoman Empire, cultural heritage preservation.

Previous Education: BA in National Economics at St. Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics, BA in Classical Archaeology at Mimar Sinan State University.

Orhan Efe Yavuz

oyavuz19@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (MA)

Research Interests: Western and Central Anatolia in the light of Ancient DNA (aDNA) in Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition, Anatolian languages, linguistics.

Previous Education: Physics and Ancient History BA, University of Pennsylvania.

Banu Özyurt Akpara

bakpara19@ku.edu.tr

Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (MA)

Research interests: Museum Architecture, Green Buildings, Green Museums, Sustainability, Climate Change, Museum Studies.

Previous education: BA in International Relations and Political Science from Marmara University

Current Students

ARHA PH.D Students

Jelena Čelebić

jcelebic20@ku.edu.tr

PhD Student in Maritime Archaeology

Former Education: BA in Ancient Archaeology, an MA in Archaeology of Ancient Greece, and completed the Specialization School in Ancient Archaeology from the University of Florence (Università degli studi di Firenze).

Research Interests: Underwater Archaeology, Mediterranean Archaeology, material culture as well as new, digital technologies applied to Archaeology.

Fatma Kalkan

fkalkan18@ku.edu.tr

PhD Student in Archaeology

Former Education: BA in Department of Prehistoric Archaeology at İstanbul University

(Türkiye); MA in Department of Prehistoric Archaeology at İstanbul University (Türkiye)

Research Interests: Neolithic in Southwest Asia; Multi-proxy archaeology; Soil chemical analysis; Phytolith Analysis; Ethnoarchaeology and ethnoarcheometry

Ayşe Tuğba Silahtar Subaşı

asubasi21@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (PhD)

Former Education: BA in History at Boğaziçi University - MA in History at Boğaziçi University.

Research Interests: Early Modern Ottoman Constantinople, Ottoman Architecture, Urban History, Digital Humanities

Luigi Prisco

lprisco21@ku.edu.tr

Maritime Archaeology (PhD)

Former Education: BA and MA in maritime archeology at ``L'Orientale`` University Of Naples.

Research Interests: Nautical archeology, maritime archeology, Mediterranean archeology, medieval and renaissance history, history of science and technology, ethnography.

Hayriye Bilici

hbilici21@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology and History of Art; Byzantine Studies

Former Education: BA in History at Middle East Technical University (METU), MA in History of Art at Hacettepe University (HU).

Research Interests: Byzantine history, Byzantine art and architecture, Byzantine liturgy, the Late Byzantine monumental paintings, cultural interaction between Byzantium and the West, the Balkans, Morea, Mystras.

Anastasia Belokoneva

abelokoneva21@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Student in History of Art

Former Education: BA in Middle Eastern Studies at Higher School of Economics (St. Petersburg), MA in Turkic Studies at Istanbul University

Research Interests: History of Islamic Art and Architecture, Urban History, Contemporary Islamic Architecture, Central Asian Art, Historiography of Islamic Art in Imperial Russia and Soviet Union

Alexandra Koumpouli

akoumpouli17@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Student in Archaeology

Former Education: Diploma of Architect Engineer, NTUA/ MSc in Protection of Monuments: Restoration and Conservation Science, NTUA

Research Interests: 19th century Ottoman Architecture, Vernacular Architecture in the Balkans, Heritage Management Policies

Alev Berberoglu

aberberoglu16@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (PhD)

Research Interests: Photography in the Ottoman Empire; late nineteenth-century Ottoman visual culture; Ottoman women; interactions between painting and photography

Former Education: BA in English Language and Literature at Istanbul University, BA in Latin Language and Literature (double major) at Istanbul University, MA in Arts Management at Yeditepe University

Aysel Arslan

aarslan@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology

Former Education: BA in Translation and Interpretation Studies at Boğaziçi University (Türkiye); MA in Archaeology at Koç University (Türkiye)

Research interests: Anatolian Archaeology; Prehistory; Neolithic Period; Chalcolithic Period; Craft Specialization; Paleodermatoglyphics; Pottery production; Archaeological Theory; Gender Archaeology

Dissertation Title: Shaping Clay, Transmission of Knowledge: Division of Labor in the 7th and 6th Millennia in Western Anatolia

Bengi Atun

batun@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D Student in Cultural Heritage & Museum Studies

Former Education: BFA & BArch at The Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (USA); MA in Environment and Development at The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London (UK).

Research Interests: Cultural Heritage, Contested Heritage, Museology, Museum Education, Museum Architecture, Peace Studies.

Dissertation Title: Healing Through New Museology on the Contested Island of Cyprus

Dalila M. Alberghina

dalberghina15@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (PhD)

Research Interests: Archaeometallurgy, Archaeometry, Bronze Age Anatolia, Socio-economic and Ritual Aspects of Ancient Metallurgical Practices, Middle and Late Bronze Age Western Anatolia, Anthropological Studies on Craftsmanship and Technology

Former education: BA in Classics at University of Catania, MA in Archaeology at University of Catania (Italy)

Emre Ustundag

eustundag15@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Student in History of Art

Former Education: BA in Ancient Greek Language and Literature at Istanbul University, MA in History of Art at Istanbul University

Research Interests: Byzantine Art and Architecture, Urbanism and Urban Transition, Historical Topography

Dissertation Title: Historical Topography of Xanthos in the Byzantine Period

Fatma Coşkuner

PhD Candidate in History of Art

Former Education: BA in History at Boğaziçi University, MA in Political Science at European University at Saint Petersburg, MA in History at Boğaziçi University

Research Interests: Nineteenth-century painting in the Ottoman and Russian empires, cultural encounter between the Russian and Ottoman empires in the nineteenth century, the Orientalism in art, the history painting in nineteenth-century Europe

Francesco Tessa

ftessa17@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (PhD)

Research interests: Bronze age, Hittites, GIS, Landscape archaeology, Drones, Photogrammetry

Former education: BA in International Studies at University of Turin, MA in Archaeology at University of Bologna

Gizem Dörter

gdorter@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D Candidate in History of Art

Former Education: BA in Architectural Studies and BA in Visual Arts at Brown University (USA); MA in Anatolian Civilizations and Cultural Heritage Management at Koç University (Türkiye)

Research interests: Cultural Heritage; Byzantine and Ottoman Architectural History; Historiography; Medieval and Early Modern Fortifications; Cultural Landscapes; Sustainability in Cultural Heritage Management; Digital Humanities; Digital Technologies in Cultural Heritage Sites and Museums

Dissertation Title: History of a Cultural Landscape: The Upper Rumeli Kavak Fortress on the Bosphorus (tentative)

Görkem Günay

ggunay18@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Student in Archaeology and History of Art

Former Education: Istanbul Technical University, Architectural History, Master

Research Interests: Byzantine settlement archaeology; medieval military architecture; rock-cut architecture; Middle Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture; Constantinopolitan impetus on regional architecture of the Byzantine Empires.

Mustafa Kemal Baran

mbaran@ku.edu.tr

PhD Candidate in History of Art and Archaeology

Former Education: BS in Industrial Design and MA in History of Architecture at Middle East Technical University (Türkiye); MSt in Classical Archaeology at University of Oxford (UK)

Research Interests: History of Archaeology, Politics and Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Studies, Memory Studies, Classical Archaeology, Architectural History, History of Modern Architecture, Architecture and Travel, History of Modern Türkiye.

Dissertation Title: Between Place, Archaeology, and Memory: Heritage of Classical Antiquity in Türkiye

Müge Bulu Akar

mbulu@ku.edu.tr, bulumuge@gmail.com

Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology

Former Education: BA in Archaeology and History of Art at Bilkent University (Ankara,Türkiye); MA in Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University (Istanbul, Türkiye).

Research Interests: Pottery Production Technology, 2nd millennium BC Painted Pottery, Bronze Age Anatolia, Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

Dissertation Title:
Technological, Functional, and Stylistic Analysis of Syro-Cilician Ware from the Amuq Valley and its Neighboring Regions

Onur Engin

oengin15@ku.edu.tr

Ph.D. Student in Art History

Former Education: BA in Political Sciences at Marmara University; MA in International Relations at University of Paris II – Panthéon-ASSAS.

Research Interests: Auditory History, Sound Studies, Cultural Heritage, 19th Century Ottoman Empire.

Şebnem Dönbekci

sdonbekci@ku14.edu.tr

Ph.D Student in History of Art

Former Education: MA in Art History at Koç University (Türkiye); MBA in Finance at Cass Business School, City University (UK); BSc in Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (Türkiye)

Research interests: Byzantine Art History; Byzantine Monumental Painting; Byzantine Religious Iconography; Crusader Art; Artistic and Cultural Interactions in the Medieval Mediterranean; Historiography of Byzantine Studies; Oral History

Dissertation Title: Being a Byzantinist in Türkiye: The Past and the Present of Byzantine Studies in Türkiye

Tunç Kaner

tkaner18@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (PhD)

Research Interests: Western Anatolia in the Second Millennium BCE - Ceramic Production Technologies - 3D Modelling and Illustration of Archaeological Finds

Former education: BA, Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology Faculty of Letters Ege University; MA, Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology Social Science Institute, Ege University, Izmir.

Madison Leeson

mleeson19@ku.edu.tr

Cultural Heritage Management

British and American imperialism, Arab nationalism, 19th century archaeology in Iraq, infrastructure development

BFA from OCAD University, MA from the University of Kent, MSc from the Athens University of Economics and Business

Naz Defne Kut

nkut14@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (PhD)

Research interests: Early Modern artistic interactions between the Ottoman Empire and the Italian maritime republics; Venetian and Genoese encounters with the Ottomans; history of Constantinople.

BA in History from Boğaziçi University; MA in History of Art from Koç University.

Savannah Bishop

sbishop20@ku.edu.tr

Maritime Archaeology (PhD)

Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Mediterranean Archaeology, Archaeological Science, Material Culture, Daily Life, Digital Humanities

Previous Education: BA in Anthropology and Classical Studies at Brandeis University, MA in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies at Brandeis University

Pelin Kalafatoğlu İslamoğlu

eislamoglu19@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (PhD)

Cross-cultural interactions in medieval Anatolia, Islamic art and architecture, Transcaucasian art and architecture, routes of artistic transmission

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Istanbul Technical University, MSc in History of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University

Nami Shin

nshin17@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (PhD)

Research Interests: Archaeobotany, Environmental Archaeology, Bronze Age Anatolia, reconstruction of ancient agricultural practices

Former education: BA in Archaeology from Boston University, MA in Archaeology and History of Art from Koç University

Ezgi Demirhan-Öztürk

eozturk20@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology and History of Art (PhD)

Research Interests: Archaeobotany, Environmental Archaeology, Bronze Age Anatolia, reconstruction of ancient agricultural practices

Former education: BA in Archaeology from Boston University, MA in Archaeology and History of Art from Koç University

Erhan Saçli

esacli19@ku.edu.tr

History of Art (PhD)

Balkan Cities in the Post-Tanzimat Era, Visual Culture in 19th Century Ottoman Empire, Picture Postcards, History of Photography in Ottoman Salonica, Art Market, Ephemera as Visual Sources, AI for Image Analysis

Previous Education: BA in Civil Engineering from Istanbul Kültür University and MA in Art Management from Istanbul Kültür University

Hüreyla Balcı

hbalci18@ku.edu.tr

Archaeology (PhD)

Research interests: Anatolian Prehistory, Paleoethnobotany, Archaeobotany, Environmental Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Household Archaeology

Previous education: MA in Prehistory from İstanbul University, BA in Archaeology from Anadolu University

Uğurgül Tunç

utunc19@ku.edu.tr

Cultural Heritage Management (PhD)

Research Interests: Medical/health humanities, history and architecture of healthcare spaces/institutions, medical museums and health-themed exhibitions, bioethics, integration of the humanities in the medical education curriculum, neuroaesthetics and neuroarchitecture, sensory studies, digital humanities

Previous Education: BA in Political Science and Cultural Studies at McGill University, MA in History of Art at Istanbul Technical University, Graduate Certificate in Research Methodology and Ethics in Health Sciences at Harvard Medical School & Koç University School of Medicine