She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and her Ph.D. from Stony Brook University, NY, USA. Her main fields of study are comparative political behavior and political psychology. Her substantive research interests include religiosity, values, attitudes towards democracy, and preferences for redistribution and social welfare. She is also interested in political culture and societal values and their effects on individual behavior. Her work has appeared in journals such as American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, and International Journal of Public Opinion Research. She is also winner of Turkish Academy of Sciences 2015 Young Scientist Outstanding Achievement Award (GEBIP).