Professional Bio

I am a computational sociologist currently enrolled in Sociology and Social Data Analytics (STEM) Ph.D. program at Penn State, where I work with Daniel Dellaposta and David Baker. I use qualitative, quantitative, and computational methods (e.g., agent-based modeling, epidemiological methods, spatial econometrics, machine learning, natural language processing and network analysis, among other techniques) to understand collective behavior (ongoing projects).

My M.A. thesis on the diffusion of lynchings in India has received Huber-Form MA Thesis Award from Penn State, and Robert F. Dentler Student Practitioner Award and Elise Boulding Student Paper Award from the American Sociological Association’s Public Sociology and Sociological Practice, and Peace, War and Social Conflict sections, respectively (other awards and honors).

My dissertation project deals with the dynamics of creativity and innovation (i.e., interaction among the producers, consumers, and evaluators) in cultural markets (i.e., ideas, music, movies, novels, video games, etc.) using original, massive datasets (network ties, text, rankings etc.). Specifically, I deal with questions concerning status dynamics, knowledge spillover, and symbolic boundaries in creative industries. My dissertation committee includes Daniel Dellaposta (Chair), Diane Felmlee, Charles Seguin, Stephen Humphrey.

I am an alumnus of Istanbul Şehir University (RIP), where I studied Political Science, Sociology, and Psychology. I have also spent an exchange semester at the University of Bamberg, Germany. I have an MA in Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton (where I received a Dissertation Year Award and taught two original courses).

My work has appeared in Nature Scientific Data, Canadian Public Policy, Frontiers in Political Science, Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, and Review of Development Economics, and has been featured in U.S.News, Haaretz, The Conversation, EurekAlert!, Cosmos Magazine, Phys.org, and other media outlets.