Our Team
Prof. Dr. Cenap Çakmak
Senior Fellow
Dr. Çakmak received his PhD in global affairs from Rutgers University. He currently works at Anadolu University in Turkey. A former visiting researcher at the TMC Asser Institute, The Hague, and a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg. Çakmak has published books and articles on international criminal law, Turkish foreign policy and civil society. He edited Islam: a worldwide encyclopedia, a four-volume reference book. Dr. Çakmak's most recent publications also include Institutional Change and the International Criminal Court, (Routledge, 2021), World Community and the Arab Spring (2019), A Brief History of International Criminal Law and the International Criminal Court (2017), Arab Spring, Civil Society and Innovative Activism (2016), and Post-Conflict Syrian Nation and State Building (2015), all four with Palgrave. He currently works on Islam and the law of armed conflict, focusing on divergence and convergence between Islamic principles of humanitarian conduct and the modern international humanitarian law.
+90 220 320 13 04
Prof. Dr. Murat Ustaoğlu
Senior Fellow
Dr. Ustaoğlu graduated from Ramapo College International Business in 2006. In 2008, he earned a master's degree in economics from City University of New York, in 2013, received his PhD in economics from Istanbul University. he is a faculty member at Istanbul University since 2010. He held multiple positions at both the Bank of New York and JP Morgan Chase Bank in the United States. He has numerous articles published, specializing in Macroeconomics, International Economics, and Islamic Economics/Finance. His published works include "Islamic Finance Alternative for Emerging Economies" (2014), "Post-Conflict Syrian State and Nation Building" (2015), "Balancing Islamic and Conventional Banking for Economic Growth" (2017), and "The Interest Issue." Exemplary Practices in History (2019), A History of Interest and Debt: Ancient Civilizations (2020), and The Evolution of Interest and Debt: From the Middle Ages to the Present (2021). Dr. Ustaoğlu is an active member of multiple non-governmental organizations, such as the Istanbul Institute for Advanced Studies, Istanbul Economists Association, American Economic Association and the Harvard University Islamic Finance Project.
+90 212 440 00 00
Assoc. Prof. Dr. M. Cüneyt Özşahin
Senior Fellow
Dr. Özşahin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Necmettin Erbakan University. After completing his MA in political science at the University of Missouri-Columbia as a Fulbright Scholar, he received his Ph.D. in International Relations from Selcuk University. He was a non-resident research associate at the Center on Democratic Performance, Binghamton University SUNY for a short-term period. His research interests include Theories of International Relations, Security Studies, and Turkish Politics. His publications have appeared in various edited volumes and journals, most recently in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, Contemporary Review of the Middle East, and Cambridge Review of International Affairs. He is also a frequent contributor to Turkish media outlets writing on regional as well as domestic politics and security.
+90 332 325 20 53
Assis. Prof. Dr. Halil Şimşek
Senior Fellow
Dr. Şimşek received his first Bachelor's degree in Islamic Law from Al-Azhar University in Egypt in 1995 and his second Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics from Hunter College, City University of New York in 2005. After completing his Master's program in Islamic History at the University of Toronto in 2008, he completed his Ph.D. program at the same university in 2018 with a dissertation on the Ottoman exegetical heritage and the Qur’ān exegesis of Ebussuud Efendi. In 1998, During his Ph.D. studies, he worked as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and lecturer at the University of Toronto where he taught Islamic history, Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, and Arabic languages. In 2019-2020, he served as the general manager of MÜSDAV (International Foundation for Solidarity with Muslim Communities) and then joined Social Sciences University of Ankara in 2021. In addition to his specialized subject of Muslim exegetical activities of the classical and modern period, he also conducts diverse studies concerning the various aspects of the Islamic holy book of Qur'an, cultural, religious, and political history of Islam, Muslim political theory, religious and cultural diplomacy, as well as Islamic economics and finance.
+90 312 596 60 21
Muhammet Sait Bozik
Research Fellow
Muhammet Sait Bozik earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from Çukurova University, a Master of Science degree from Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences, and is currently pursuing his doctorate in economics at the same institute. Bozik has authored numerous articles and book chapters featured in international indexes, including "Real interest rate and its impact on income inequality" and "The effects of participation and traditional banking on economic growth." Case of Turkey", "The merchant societies and usury: However, in Ancient Greece, the social costs of interest-bearing debt were a concern. The Assyrians and Babylonians also had a form of interest-bearing debt. Sumerian era" and "Debt and politics in Ancient Rome. Additionally, he serves as the section editor for The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Islamic Economics and Finance. He is an active member of many academic organizations, including the American Economics Association, the Harvard University Islamic Finance Project, and HEFIAD.
+90 212 440 00 00
Dr. Murat İstekli
Research Fellow
Dr. İstekli obtained his bachelor’s degree in economics from Cumhuriyet University in 2012, followed by a master’s degree in economics from Gaziosmanpaşa University in 2016. He then completed his PhD in economics from Istanbul University in 2023, where he served as a research assistant for the Council of Higher Education 100/2000 Doctoral Project for four years. The title of his doctoral thesis was "The Relationship between Global Migration Movements and Poverty: An Empirical Analysis", Dr. İstekli has studied reservation wages, job search methods, and working hours. Furthermore, he is currently researching poverty and income inequality, global migration movements, and alternative financing methods. Additionally, he is an editor at the Istanbul University Press Journal of Economic Policy Research. Dr. İstekli also has various experiences in the real sector. While employed as an internal controller at a financial institution, he also acts as an economics and finance advisor to the board of directors and an internal trainer.
+90 212 440 00 00
Büşra Çil
Research Fellow
After earning a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Yıldız Technical University in 2019, Büşra Çil pursued a Master's degree from Istanbul University's Institute of Social Sciences. She is currently working towards a Doctoral degree at the same institute, with research interests centered around inequality, income distribution, corruption, institutionalization, and economic policy. Some of the author's notable publications include "Evaluation of Theoretical and Empirical Analysis Results in Savings Finance" and "Savings Finance: Historical Origins, Theory, and Practice." Additionally, she serves as the section editor for The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Islamic Economics and Finance.
+90 212 440 00 00
Zehra Korkmaz-Kökdere
Research Fellow
Zehra Korkmaz Kökdere is a research assistant in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Necmettin Erbakan University since February 2017. She obtained her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Political Science from Marmara University and Sabancı University, respectively. Her Master's thesis, titled “Regional Organizations and Humanitarian Intervention: Assessing Their Role in Libya in 2019,” focused on evaluating the impact of regional organizations on humanitarian interventions in the country. She remains a PhD candidate at TOBB Economy and Technology University, specializing in Political Science and International Relations. Her research interests lie in International Relations Theory, International Politics, American Foreign Policy, Human Rights, and related fields.
+90 322 326 20 53
