I received my B.A. in Psychology from Istanbul Sehir University, where I wrote my senior thesis on the development of the concept of possibility and its relationship with active participation in young children. During my undergraduate years, I worked as a lab manager in the Developmental & Psychopathology Lab at Istanbul Sehir University under the supervision of Dr. Fatıma Tuba Yaylacı.
I completed a summer research assistantship at Harvard's Lab for Developmental Studies, working in Prof. Susan Carey's lab.
In 2020, I received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship and began my Ph.D. program at Boston University. I received my M.A. from Boston University's Psychological and Brain Sciences Program in 2022. Currently, I am a 5th-year PhD candidate in the Developmental Science Program at Boston University, working with Dr. Melissa M. Kibbe. My research focuses on the conceptual and cognitive development of infants and young children.
I am interested in the conceptual and cognitive development of infants and young children. My primary research line investigates the frameworks young children use to comprehend the concept of possibility. Specifically, my research focuses on how young children represent, prepare, and plan for present and future mutually exclusive possible events, and how they keep track of identities of the mutually exclusive possibilities.
Additionally, I am exploring a related avenue in biological conceptual development. Here, I investigate whether infants have an early-emerging concept of plants as categorically different from non-alive things. This research aims to uncover the foundational aspects of conceptual categorization. Together, these research streams contribute to a broader understanding of how conceptual frameworks develop during the early stages of human life.
SPP 2024 – Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Purdue University.
With my advisor, Dr. Melissa M. Kibbe, and my Ph.D. peer, Rahma Mbarki.
CDS 2022 – Cognitive Development Society, Madison, Wisconsin.
CDS 2024 – Cognitive Development Society, Pasadena, California.
I am passionate about making developmental science accessible and engaging for the public. Through social media outreach, I aim to demystify how children reason about possibility, uncertainty, and decision-making.
I regularly create content on Instagram that translates cognitive science research into practical insights for parents, educators, and students. I have also given community talks on fostering flexible thinking in children, and developed interactive demonstrations of research tasks for public science events.
BCCCD 2024 – Budapest CEU Conference on Cognitive Development, Budapest, Hungary
Outside of the lab, I love creating playful learning environments with children. Whether it’s sculpting with playdough or inventing games, I enjoy spending time with my friends’ kids and exploring how creativity supports early cognitive growth. These moments continually remind me of the joy and curiosity that drive my research with young children.