Prior to joining NU-Q, Akdenizli was an associate professor in the School of Communication.at Yeditepe University in Turkey. She has also worked as an analyst and index methodologist with the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism in Washington D.C., and served as adjunct faculty in communication at George Mason University and at Temple University in telecommunications and mass media. She received her Ph.D. in mass media and communication from Temple University, and earned her MA (in translation and interpretation studies) and BA (in sociology) from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.