About
My research focuses on preferences for candidates, political representation, social identity, and gender. I conduct survey and field experiments in addition to analysing audio and video data using computational methods.
Prior to joining the London School of Economics, I earned a master’s degree in economics from Sabanci University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bogazici University in Istanbul.
Research interests: Political Behaviour | Representation | Gender | Experiments
Power of Perception: Unveiling the Multidimensional Dynamics of Candidate Preference
My dissertation, titled "Power of Perception: Unveiling the Multidimensional Dynamics of Candidate Preferences," explores the intricate factors that influence political decision-making. In three papers, I study the diverse elements of both verbal and non-verbal communication in candidate preferences, with a particular focus on candidate gender. More specifically, I look at how candidates’ physiological characteristics, such as vocal and facial characteristics, affect voter decision-making processes and impression formation, and how priming candidates’ social identities can affect voting behaviour. In doing so, I use a combination of automated video analysis, survey and field experiments.