Program:

• The Science of Love – (Dr. Emre Selçuk, Sabancı Üniversitesi)
• Why don’t we like outgroup members? The nature of prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping – (Dr. Çiğdem Bağcı, Sabancı Üniversitesi)
• Vision at a glance: Why integration is a key aspect of a solid world? – (Dr. Öğretim Üyesi Nihan Alp,Sabancı Üniversitesi)
• The Robotic Mind – (Dr. Junko Kanero, Sabancı Üniversitesi)
• Why do people believe in non-scientific statements? – (Dr. Eren Günseli, Sabancı Üniversitesi)

Instructors: 

Dr. Emre Selçuk – (Associate Professor, Sabancı University)

Emre is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Sabanci University, Turkey. He received his bachelor’s degree in business from Middle East Technical University, Turkey and his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Cornell University, United States. In 2020, he received the Science Academy of Turkey’s Young Scientist Award and the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey’s Early Career Incentive Award. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and as a Consulting Editor for Social Psychological and Personality Science, and Personal Relationships.

Dr. Çiğdem Bağcı – (Associate Professor, Sabancı University)

Çiğdem is an Associate Professor at Sabancı University. She completed her BSc in Psychology at Bogaziçi University and her Master’s and PhD in the UK (University of Surrey and Goldsmiths, University of London). She works in the area of intergroup relationships and group processes in various intergroup contexts. In 2021, she received the Science Academy of Turkey’s Young Scientist Award. 

Dr. Nihan Alp – (Assistant Professor, Sabancı University)

Nihan holds a BA in psychology, an MSc in cognitive neuroscience, and a Ph.D. in psychology (KU Leuven-Belgium). Before joining Sabancı University, she has worked in various labs with the pioneers in the field. Her research interest lies in the midst of a low and high-level vision (grouping, figure-ground organization, depth, shape, and motion perception), but also stretching out to high-level vision (object recognition, social interaction). In addition to all these, she is a true nature lover, where she enjoys every bit of sunset watching and camping by the creek site.

Dr. Eren Günseli – (Assistant Professor, Sabancı University)

Eren is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Sabancı University in Istanbul. Eren’s research focuses on attention and memory. He studies these topics using a combination of behavioral, eye tracking, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electroencephalogram (EEG) techniques. He obtained his PhD from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Before joining Sabancı University, he worked as a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of Chicago (2 years) and Columbia University (2.5 years). Recently, he was awarded the International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers from TUBITAK and a Seal of Excellence from the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action. Eren also spends lots of time checking wind forecasts and much less time actually utilizing this information by going kiteboarding. 

Dr. Junko Kanero – (Assistant Professor, Sabancı University)

Junko is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Principal Investigator of the Mind, Language, & Technology Lab at Sabancı University (Istanbul, Turkey). For her undergraduate degree, Junko studied Cognitive Science, Arabic and Islamic Studies, and Robotics at Keio University (Tokyo, Japan). She then obtained a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and Neuroscience at Temple University (Philadelphia, USA), and worked at Koç University (Istanbul, Turkey). Her research focuses on language development in infancy and childhood, the interaction between language and non-linguistic thought, and the use of technology in language education and other social settings. In addition to teaching and research at Sabancı, she enjoys providing lessons and workshops for different communities including the displaced and disadvantaged. In her free time, Junko also likes to engage in creative activities such as crafting and edible arts!