RESEARCH KHAS QUARTERLY

Three Projects, Three Disciplines, New Research Horizons: TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 Funding Awarded to KHAS

The results of the first 2026 term of the 1001 – Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program, administered by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) through its Research Support Programs Directorate (ARDEB), have been announced. Following the evaluation process, three research projects from Kadir Has University (KHAS) have been awarded funding.

Spanning molecular biology, robotics, sustainable buildings, and smart energy management, the projects aim to advance scientific knowledge across different disciplines and develop innovative solutions to contemporary challenges.

Understanding Gene Interactions and Cellular Changes

The project titled “Dynamic Analysis of Gene Interaction Networks in Irregular Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Time Series”, led by Asst. Prof. Nuray Söğünmez Erdoğan from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics investigates how gene interactions change over time using single-cell RNA sequencing data collected at different time points.

Genes function within complex networks that jointly regulate cellular processes and development.

The computational model to be developed within the project will be used to examine how these interactions relate to cell differentiation. The project aims to predict the future developmental trajectories of cells and identify critical stages of differentiation. The study is expected to provide new analytical tools that may contribute to a better understanding of fundamental biological processes and the investigation of disease-related mechanisms.

New Designs for Robots That Can Navigate Confined Spaces

The project titled “Scalable Architectures for Soft Growing Robots with Active Retraction and Tool Integration”, led by Asst. Prof. Fabio Stroppa from the Department of Computer Engineering, aims to develop new design and manufacturing methods for soft robots capable of moving through narrow and hard-to-access spaces. Asst. Prof. Mine Saraç Stroppa serves as an advisor on the project.

Unlike conventional robots, soft robots can adapt to their surroundings thanks to their flexible structures. The project will investigate how several capabilities can be integrated into a single design approach, including controlled extension and retraction, the ability to carry different tools, and adjustable stiffness in specific sections as needed.

The technology to be developed has potential applications in inspecting confined, difficult-to-access spaces, medical and biomedical applications, and the development of assistive and domestic robots that need to pass through narrow openings to reach specific locations.

User-Centred Energy Efficiency in Educational Buildings

The project titled “Enhancing User-Centred Energy Efficiency in Educational Buildings: Machine Learning-Based Behavioral Models and Optimal Control Strategies”, led by Asst. Prof. Burcu Çiğdem Yılmaz from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, addresses user behavior and indoor comfort together to improve energy efficiency in educational buildings.

Energy consumption in buildings depends not only on physical conditions but also on how occupants use spaces and on their comfort requirements. The project plans to classify user behaviours and investigate the conditions under which different sensors can identify occupants’ needs more accurately.

By analysing the resulting data using machine learning methods, the project aims to develop smart control systems that reduce energy consumption while maintaining user comfort.

Prof. Dr. Banu Manav, Asst. Prof. Mine Koyaz Güçer, and Asst. Prof. Arif Selçuk Öğrenci serves as a researcher on the project, while Prof. Dr. Taner Arsan serves as an advisor.

Read more →

Erasmus+ Project Partnership for Gamified Sustainability Education

The project titled “genESG: Gamified Education for Environmental, Social, and Governance Awareness in Higher Education,” in which Prof. Dr. Belma Öztürkkal, a faculty member of the Department of International Trade and Finance, is a project partner, has been awarded funding under the Erasmus+ KA220-HED (Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education) programme.

The project is coordinated by the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy.

Implemented through the collaboration of six institutions, the project aims to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into higher education through gamified learning methods. The educational content to be developed is intended to strengthen students’ knowledge and competencies in sustainability and to foster international cooperation among universities, in line with the European Union’s sustainability goals.

Read more →

Two Research Projects Led by Asst. Prof. Gamze Turunç Bayrakdar Receive Funding: Migration, Parenting, and Gender

Two research projects led by Asst. Prof. Gamze Turunç Bayrakdar, a faculty member of the Department of Psychology, have been awarded funding through national and international grant programmes.

Forced Displacement and Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment

Bayrakdar’s project, titled “Changing Family Roles under Acculturative Stress: Parentification and Adolescent Outcomes in Forced Displacement,” has received support through The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Small Grants Program for Early Career Scholars.

The project investigates how mothers’ acculturative stress is associated with the psychological, behavioural, and cultural adjustment of adolescents in Syrian refugee families experiencing forced displacement. It also examines the role of parentification—a process in which children take on responsibilities that exceed their age and developmental needs—in this relationship. The study explores adolescents’ internalising problems, externalising behaviours, prosocial tendencies, and cultural orientations, while also assessing the potential protective role of social support.

The research is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the processes affecting child and adolescent development in families experiencing forced displacement and to inform more extensive future studies.

How Do Gender Ideologies Shape Parenting?

Bayrakdar’s second project, titled “Gender Ideologies and Parenting: Women’s Empowerment, Psychological Processes, and Relational Dynamics,” has been awarded funding under TÜBİTAK 3501 – Career Development Program.

Conducted in Türkiye, the research examines how gender ideologies are associated with mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behaviors and explores the role of psychological and relational processes in these associations.

The project consists of two separate studies that will examine gender ideologies in relation to parents’ psychological well-being, women’s empowerment, relationships between partners, and parenting behaviors. Analyses using advanced statistical modeling methods aim to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships among these variables.

Our alumna Asya Ece Uzmay’s “Devşirme Gelecekler” Project Selected for the Turkey Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale

The project “Devşirme Gelecekler” (Salvaged Futures) by the research collective ba-be commons, which includes our Architecture and Urban Studies Master’s Program alumna Asya Ece Uzmay, has been selected to be exhibited at the Turkey Pavilion of the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Chosen from among 43 applications to the open call conducted by IKSV, the project will represent Türkiye at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition, to be held between May 8 and November 21, 2027.

Composed of Başak Eren, Asya Ece Uzmay, Beril Sarısakal Erkent, and Ece Yetim, ba-be commons continues its work as a research collective bringing together architectural history, theory, and design research. Our alumna Uzmay, a member of the collective, also served at Kadir Has University as a researcher at the Istanbul Studies Center and as a research assistant in the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Art and Design.

“Devşirme Gelecekler” addresses the idea of reusing, repairing, and reevaluating existing buildings and materials across different architectural contexts, with a forward-looking approach. Drawing on Türkiye’s cultures of making and repair, the project opens up for discussion an understanding of architecture based on circular and collaborative production, in which resources are used more efficiently.

The Project on the Impacts of NFTs on the Visual Arts Field in Türkiye Concluded with a Closing Meeting

The findings-sharing meeting of the TÜBİTAK 3501 Career Development project, led by Dr. İpek Yeğinsü and hosted by Kadir Has University, was held on July 1 at the Pera Museum Auditorium. At the closing event of the project titled “Examining the Impacts of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Visual Arts Field in Türkiye through T. F. Gieryn’s ‘Boundary-Work’ Concept,” the research findings were shared, and an NFT exhibition related to the project was opened to visitors.

Following presentations by Dr. İpek Yeğinsü, researchers Dr. Aylin Sunam Audry and Dr. Sandy Çağlıyor, and doctoral scholar Sercan Gündoğar, attendees toured the exhibition “KRİPTO-SINIRSIZ” (CRYPTO-BOUNDLESS), curated by Dr. Yeğinsü and featuring NFT works by eight artists.

Conducted through surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group studies, the project examined how NFTs are perceived by artists, art institutions, and galleries in Türkiye, and how they affect professional boundaries in the art field. The findings revealed that NFTs can help artists create new professional spaces by leveraging their digital skills and strengthen perceptions of innovation, while also pointing to a persistent lack of trust in these technologies within the traditional art field.

By revealing the opportunities offered and the obstacles faced by digital art technologies, the project provided important insights into the transformation of the visual arts field in Türkiye.

Project Closing Workshop Held to Present the Human-Centric Lighting Design Guide

The outcomes of the TÜBİTAK 1001 project titled “Determining Visual Comfort Variables in Workplaces Based on Human-Centric Lighting and Energy Performance Requirements,” led by Prof. Dr. Banu Manav of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, were shared with lighting industry representatives, designers, and academics at a panel and workshop held on July 14 at Kadir Has University’s Cibali Campus.

The event also introduced the Human-Centric Lighting Design Guide developed as part of the project. Based on scientific literature and project findings, the guide offers recommendations for evaluating visual comfort, human health, and energy efficiency together in lighting design.

Participants found the guide useful and recommended using it not only in the lighting industry but also in public spaces such as schools and hospitals.

The workshop was an important example of how Kadir Has University brings its interdisciplinary research together with industry and supports the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice.

Findings of the TÜBİTAK Project on Digital Platform Audiences Presented

The closing meeting of the TÜBİTAK 3005 project titled “Who Is the Audience of Digital Platform Productions in Türkiye? What Do They Watch, and How?”, led by Assoc. Prof. İrem İnceoğlu of the Department of New Media and Communication held a session on September 25 at the XR Studio of Kadir Has University’s Creative Industries Platform.

The project examined the content preferences, viewing habits, and assessments of domestic productions among audiences on digital platforms in Türkiye, as well as the social and cultural contexts. Conducted through news monitoring, a nationally representative survey, production catalogs, interviews with industry representatives, and focus group studies, the research’s main findings were shared with participants by Assoc. Prof. İrem İnceoğlu.

At the meeting, attended by producers, screenwriters, researchers, and academics, the findings were discussed in the context of the development of digital platforms in Türkiye, changes in production practices, audience behavior, and the future of the industry. The event enabled an exchange of views between academia and industry. Following the meeting, participants toured the studios and laboratories of the Creative Industries Platform and learned about its technical infrastructure and usage possibilities.

Kadir Has University Silivri Teknopark Supports Student Ventures as a Stakeholder of the BİGG MARKA Acceleration Program

Kadir Has University Silivri Teknopark has joined the stakeholders of the BİGG MARKA Acceleration Program to support Kadir Has University students and all student entrepreneurs who wish to turn their innovative ideas into ventures. Through a collaboration with Bilkent CYBERPARK and the Bilkent University Technology Transfer Office (TTO), valued ecosystem stakeholders and aspiring entrepreneurs with technology-focused business ideas receive training, mentoring, and support for business model development. Kadir Has University Silivri Teknopark’s collaboration in the BİGG MARKA Acceleration Program also offers an important opportunity to strengthen the ties that are intended to be built among the other technoparks in the ecosystem.

The BİGG MARKA Acceleration Program offers training, mentoring, and business model development support to associate degree, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students who wish to turn their innovative, technology-focused ideas into ventures. For entrepreneurs who successfully complete the acceleration process and qualify for investment through the TÜBİTAK evaluation, the program paves the way for company formation and commercialization.

Entrepreneurs who qualify for the Seal of Excellence under the program receive an investment of TRY 1,350,000 from the TÜBİTAK BiGG Fund in exchange for a 3% equity stake, and are also eligible to apply for follow-on investment under certain conditions.

To date, students who submitted a single project application to each of the two calls opened so far have received support for their development. Through this program, of which we are a stakeholder, the business ideas of our university’s students and academics will be evaluated by the Teknopark, which will provide mentoring support and help mature these ideas. In addition, applications will be prioritized based on the feedback provided throughout the process.

Summer Workshop by Kadir Has University UNESCO Chair Focuses on Zonguldak’s French Heritage

The UNESCO Chair of the Faculty of Art and Design at Kadir Has University, which aims to build bridges between science, society, and culture and to develop new technologies for sustainable world heritage management, held the “Documentation and Conservation Summer Workshop: Zonguldak French Heritage” program between June 29 and July 14, 2026. Led by Prof. Dr. Füsun Alioğlu, Dr. Zehra İrem Türksezer Sağır, Dr. Solmaz Khoshkholghi, and doctoral student Mert Okay, the workshop addressed the impact of coal mining on Zonguldak’s urban fabric and, in particular, the conservation of structures dating from the French period.

In the program, which seven students attended, expert presentations by Kadir Has University faculty members Prof. Dr. Volkan Ediger, Prof. Dr. Füsun Alioğlu, and Dr. Solmaz Khoshkholghi, as well as Dr. Tunca Beril Başaran, were followed by an examination of the historic buildings in Zonguldak’s Yayla Neighborhood, accompanied by Architect Derya Aydan, M.Sc. Participants conducted map readings, interviews with local residents, sketching, video recording, and digital documentation.

While giving students hands-on experience in the documentation and conservation of cultural heritage, the workshop also contributed to recording Zonguldak’s industrial heritage. As part of a broader project to document French heritage, the study also sought to provide academic support for the exhibition planned at the end of the project.