Welcome!
I'm a cognitive neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at Columbia University, working on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation to enhance human perception and cognition. I'm interested in measuring and optimizing human performance through physiological assessment, neurotechnology, product design, or understanding how people interact with technology and AI.
Research Focus
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 New York University’s Cognition and Perception program under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Winawer and Prof. Marisa Carrasco. This international perspective has defined my personal and professional identity.
I study how the brain transforms what we see, hear or feel into the rich perceptual world we experience. These sensory representations, dynamically shaped by our cognitive states, can inform how we can improve human performance and well-being.
My PhD research aimed to understand how visual performance varied based on (i) the location of a stimulus in our visual periphery (locations away from the center of our gaze), and (ii) attentional priorities imposed on us by task demands. To answer these questions, I used behavioral psychophysics, neuroimaging, eye-tracking and computational modeling.
Applications & Impact
Understanding how we see, attend, and interact with the world is essential for building better technology and improving human performance. My work bridges fundamental vision science with practical applications in product design, healthcare, research operations, and human-centered AI systems.
The core questions I pursue:
How do individual differences in perception and attention inform the design of accessible technology and optimize human performance across diverse users and expertise levels?
What systematic approaches to measuring human performance—through eye-tracking, physiological data, and behavioral assessment—can improve product development and workflows?
How can we rigorously benchmark and evaluate human capabilities alongside AI systems to ensure technology enhances rather than compromises performance?
During my internship at Dolby Labs, I explored how eye movements relate to perceived audiovisual quality, establishing the feasibility of integrating eye-tracking into product workflows for continuous UX monitoring. During my PhD, I took a comparative approach to visual perception across humans, children, and macaques—work directly relevant to optimizing ergonomics and accessibility across populations. Both projects demonstrate how rigorous measurement of human performance informs technology design, research operations, and evidence-based decision-making.
Teaching & Mentoring
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.