Welcome!

I’m a cognitive neuroscientist and a quantitative psychologist. I’m passionate about how our nervous system acquires the visual information from the outside world, and how our cognitive state affects how we represent this sensory information.

Originally from Turkey, my academic journey has taken me across continents—from my undergraduate studies in Psychology at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, to my Master's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and finally to my doctoral work at NYU. Despite the challenges that come with moving around, this international perspective has defined my personal and professional identity. I obtained my PhD in Cognition and Perception from New York University under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Winawer and Prof. Marisa Carrasco.

Research impact

My PhD research aimed to understand how visual performance varied based on (i) the location of a stimulus in space, and (ii) attentional priorities imposed on us by task demands. To answer these questions, I used behavioral psychophysics, neuroimaging, eye-tracking and computational modeling.

I believe that understanding how we see and attend to the world around us is not just scientifically fascinating, but essential for addressing real-world challenges in technology, education, and human wellbeing. In my work, I try to bridge fundamental questions about visual perception with the application of vision science in technology.

I’m interested in applying my expertise in human perception and attention to technology and education settings to enhance human performance and comfort: How can we improve the accessibility of daily technological devices and services for a wide range of users? How can we leverage individual differences (in perceptual performance, eye movement patterns) to optimize user experience? During my internship at Dolby Labs, I explored how eye movements relate to our subjective experience of audiovisual media. Some of my work during my PhD took a comparative approach on visual performance and investigated how aspects of visual perception in human adults are different than that of young children and macaque monkeys — one of our closest evolutionary relatives. These studies are of particular importance when trying to boost ergonomics for different age groups and populations.

Teaching & Mentoring

I'm passionate about sharing knowledge and supporting the next generation of researchers. I've taught courses ranging from undergraduate Perception to graduate-level Research Methods. During my PhD, I was awarded with the Coons-Leibowitz Award for Best Graduate Student Teaching. I actively mentored undergraduate students in the lab to help them build an understanding of fundamentals of human vision science.