I am passionate about objects and the rich cultures created with & around them. My passion comes partly from instinct, and is partly discovered throughout many years of experimentation and hard work. I have completed my Ph.D. studies (2011) in design at Carnegie Mellon University and currently working as a senior user experience designer at Autodesk Boston. I hold an M.F.A. degree (2004) in Visual Communication Design from Sabanci University in Istanbul, and a bachelors degree (2002) in Industrial Product design from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkiye.

In the past, I have worked as a summer research intern at the Socio-Digital Systems group, Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK, where I developed concept designs on tangible video editing (2007). I was also at the Technical University of Eindhoven collaborating with the Designing Quality in Interaction group on an interactive system for young children to stay in bed during the night (2006).

I love getting my hands dirty when it comes to poetry, cooking, and community building. I appreciate contemporary arts (long live MOMA!), performance arts (haven’t seen anything like Blush from Ultima Vez yet), and narrative photography (i.e., ex-office neighbor Dylan Vitone’s work). I am a native of Turkiye, in particular, from the south of central Anatolia nearby Cappadocia, which is one of the most eccentric sites in the country- perhaps in the whole Eurasia region.