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Supervisory Board
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Seyithan Ahmet ATEŞ
Background
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Seyithan Ahmet ATEŞ
Prof. Seyithan Ahmet Ateş was born in Osmaniye in 1982 and completed his undergraduate studies at Vienna University of Economics and Business after beginning at Bilkent University. He gained experience as a researcher at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and earned a Ph.D. in Social and Economic Sciences from the Vienna University of Technology. Prof. Ateş has served as a Youth Delegate at the UN General Assembly and as a national representative for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and EU COST projects. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University (2016-2017) and National Taiwan University (2020). His research interests include entrepreneurship, innovation, crowdfunding, energy economics, and development economics. Since 2016, Prof. Ateş has been a faculty member at Ankara University of Social Sciences. He is married with three children.
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Fırat ERDOĞAN
Background
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Fırat ERDOĞAN
Prof. Fırat Erdoğan was born in Istanbul in 1975 and graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 1999. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at SB Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital from 2001 to 2006. Following this, he served at Ardahan Military Hospital and Erzurum Horasan State Hospital. Between 2008 and 2021, he was affiliated with Medipol Hospital and Medipol University, earning the title of Associate Professor in 2017 and later being promoted to Professor in 2022. Since 2021, he has been a faculty member at Istanbul Medeniyet University. Prof. Erdoğan is married with four children.
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Mustafa SOLMAZ
Background
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Mustafa SOLMAZ
Prof. Mustafa Solmaz was born in Ankara in 1964, where he also completed his primary, secondary and high school education. He graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1989 and completed his residency in psychiatry at Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital in 1996. He was promoted to associate professor in 2014 and to professor in 2021. Currently, he is a faculty member in the Department of Mental Health and Diseases at the University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Faculty of Medicine, and an instructor at SB Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic. From 2015 to 2020, he chaired the 4th Specialization Board of the Forensic Medicine Institute. Prof. Solmaz is married with three children.
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Vecdet Fehmi ŞENDİL
Background
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Vecdet Fehmi ŞENDİL
Vecdet Şendil was born in İzmir in 1957, where he also completed his primary, secondary and high school education. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the Faculty of Engineering at Gazi University. He began his professional career in the stationery and promotional sectors and has since expanded his activities into the fields of chemistry, energy, agriculture, and recycling.
Şendil has held several leadership roles, including Chairman of the Board at PROMOTÜRK, Vice Chairman of the Board at PROMODER, and Board Member of the Central Anatolian Furniture, Paper, and Forestry Products Exporters' Association . Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board at the All-Stationers Association (TÜKİD). Since 1999, Şendil has been actively involved in the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and has served as the Vice Chairman of the Assembly since 2018.
Vecdet Şendil is married with two children.
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Dr. Saliha Büşra SELMAN
Background
SUPERVISORY BOARD
Dr. Saliha Büşra SELMAN
Dr. Saliha Büşra Selman was born in Istanbul in 1993. She graduated as valedictorian from the Psychology Department at Istanbul Şehir University. She went on to complete her Master's degree in Psychology and Brain Sciences at Boston University and earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Central to her research is a profound focus on the risk and protective factors influencing children's cognitive and behavioral development. She is actively involved in developing community-based family education programs and teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses at various academic institutions. Dr. Selman is married to Dr. Ali Ekrem Adıyaman and they have one child.
SUBSTİTUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVİSORY BOARD
Assoc. Prof. Zehra ÖZKEÇECİ
Background
SUBSTİTUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVİSORY BOARD
Assoc. Prof. Zehra ÖZKEÇECİ
Assoc. Prof. Zehra Özkecici was born in Eskişehir. Following the completion of her primary and secondary education, she pursued her undergraduate and graduate studies in Vienna, where she earned a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in Communication Sciences and Journalism from the University of Vienna. Since 2020, she has been a faculty member at Necmettin Erbakan University, focusing on media, digital media and communication sciences in her academic journey.
SUBSTITUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Dr. Fatma Zehra GÜNEŞER
Background
SUBSTITUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Dr. Fatma Zehra GÜNEŞER
Dr. Fatma Zehra Güneşer was born in Istanbul in 1977. She completed her primary education in Develi, Kayseri, and graduated from Yozgat Imam Hatip High School in 1993. She volunteered in the summer programs run by the Directorate of Religious Affairs during her early years. In 1994, she enrolled in the English program at Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine but faced exclusion from classes in 1997 due to the headscarf ban.
During this challenging period, she joined her peers in advocating for legal and democratic rights, engaging in civil society efforts with the Women’s Rights Organization Against Discrimination (AK-DER), focusing on women’s and human rights. Following a five-year hiatus, she resumed her studies in 2002, taking advantage of a general amnesty for students, and graduated in 2006, five years later than originally planned due to the headscarf ban. Dr. Güneşer began her medical career at the Bağcılar İnönü Health Center in Istanbul. From 2010 to 2022, she served as a Family Physician in Kısıklı Üsküdar. She also pursued further education in Traditional and Complementary Medicine at Medipol University and Family Counseling at Medeniyet University. After 15 years as a primary care physician, she was appointed Director of Health for the Beşiktaş district in January 2022.
In addition to her medical career, Dr. Güneşer has held significant leadership roles. Since January 2018, she has served as the Chair of the Board for both the Women’s Rights Organization Against Discrimination and the Women’s Rights Education and Culture Foundation. Since August 2020, she has also been a board member of the Şule Yüksel Şenler Foundation. Dr. Güneşer is the mother of two sons, one of whom is an engineer, while the other is a high school student.
SUBSTITUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Levent UÇKAN
Background
SUBSTITUTE MEMBER OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Levent UÇKAN
Levent Uçkan was born on March 21, 1971, in Üsküdar, Istanbul. He completed his Qur'an memorization at Ahmediye Qur'an School in Üsküdar. After graduating from Üsküdar Imam Hatip High School, he pursued his undergraduate studies in Theology at Marmara University. He earned a master’s degree in Kalam from the Institute of Social Sciences, with a thesis titled "Public Perception of Religion and Influencing Factors", under the supervision of Prof. M. Saim Yeprem. He also completed the coursework for his doctoral studies in the same department between 2003 and 2004. Uçkan briefly taught at Ümraniye Imam Hatip High School and later took on the role of educational organizer for various civil society organizations in Istanbul. In 2007, he began serving as an Imam and is currently the Imam at Kadıköy Hasanpaşa Mosque. He is married, with three children and two grandchildren.