DOCTORAL PROGRAMME IN DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Programme structure: The doctoral programme "Design, Technology and Society" will focus on the need for creative thinking & production that is encountered in different research areas. The discipline of design, which is related to art and craft in the historical context, is under many technical and social fields with its industrial expansions today. It includes products and processes developed at different scales and scopes. Unlike the existing programs in Turkey, the programme covers studies that will investigate current design problems with specialization areas such as design, performance, architecture and urban studies. Due to its flexible structure, the programme is sustainable that can be enriched with field elective and free elective courses and that is associated with research areas of the faculty members. The aim of this setting is to enable graduates to offer innovative solutions to current social and technological problems through design and to enrich the scientific literature by conducting original research.
Programme Objectives
● To focus on design research that can develop interdisciplinary methods, technologies and products that our country will need in line with the national development goals;
● To train academic designers who have gained the research infrastructure to establish a bridge between the fields of design, society, art and technology under architecture, interior architecture, industrial design and theater disciplines;
● To contribute to the design education and culture, sectoral collaborations, R&D infrastructure and research networks with the support of national and international research projects;
● To contribute to the development of our country by bringing together the products, tools, methods and research to be developed within the framework of the programme with sectoral partners through the technology transfer office (TTO) and design centers;
● To develop design research as an interdisciplinary programme with theoretical and practical education model as well as research studios focused on local development, which deals with product, architecture, urban, art and society scales.
Research Interests
The program is a continuation of three graduate programs currently being conducted within the Faculty of Art and Design. PhD students participating in the program are required to complete at least 3 field elective courses by choosing a research area. Their areas of expertise are summarized below.
a. Design Research
The field of 'Design Studies' offers a research environment geared towards thinking and learning through transdisciplinary practices; considers design together with today's political, economic, social, social, cultural and technological developments. Design research provides analytical and creative research tools; encourages students to develop critical, experimental, participatory and creative perspectives. It guides the blending of knowledge from different disciplines with design thinking. Students in this field will design, develop, and transfer their own personal and independent research to their thesis work, supported by a variety of theoretical and practical courses.
b. Architecture and Urban Studies
The field of 'Architecture and Urban Studies' aims to play a leading role in the intertwined, multi-scale conceptualization of architecture and the city. In this direction, critical, interdisciplinary and original research on the design, production and representation of the built environment will be produced. Architecture and urban studies, which will be carried out in close cooperation with Kadir Has University Istanbul Studies Center, aims to train versatile architects / designers / researchers with its productive scientific research platform and interdisciplinary approach.
c. Performance Research
The field of 'Performance Studies' will address the unique characteristics, needs and expectations of Turkish Cinema and Theater in an applied manner with an interdisciplinary research approach in the axis of dramaturgy and performance concepts. The thesis studies to be produced within the scope of the programme will be supported by theoretical and practical courses and will be developed through the intersections of performance research on the axes of design, technology and society. In this context, it is aimed to train researchers who can address the fields of Directing, Stage Design, Dramatic Writing, Production and Acting holistically.
Application Requirements
The programme will consider applications of students from relevant departments of the Faculties of Art, Design and Architecture; together with those who have bachelor's or master's degree from the Faculties of Engineering, Social and Humanities and Communication and have carried out portfolio, academic research or publication in areas related to design disciplines, and who meet the following conditions below:
During the application process to the programme, students will be asked to submit 2 Reference and 1 Letter of Intent and a Portfolio which includes visual or written works related to design in order to display that they are in accordance with the expectations of the programme.
Academic Staff and Research Areas
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Didem Kılıçkıran
Theories of space, place and society; anthropology of space; feminist theory; gender and women's studies; grounded theory and ethnographic research
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ezgi Tuncer
Skilled migration & labour migration – urban and everyday life; displacement and location-building practices; ethnographic method; spatial analysis and mapping; border and political philosophy; space-power-politics; contemporary art and space; food and the city
● Assoc. Prof. Sabri Gökmen (Programme Coordinator)
Architectural morphology, computational analysis of cultural heritage, computational design, digital fabrication, information systems in architecture, building information modeling (BIM), façade design and technologies, artificial intelligence research in architecture
● Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuri Cihan Kayaçetin
Environmental Impact Assessment, Physical Environment Control, Building Components, Building Material, Circular Construction
● Asst. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Soyöz
Greek and Roman art and architecture; space and ritual; senses of sight and touch; Architecture, communication and representation
● Visiting Faculty Member Dr. Gürbey Hiz
Architectural representation; visual culture; modernity; social space; architectural history; narrative theory and media archaeology; periodicals
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Günsür Yüceil
Body, movement, movement theatre, theatre, cultural studies
● Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Hemiş
Theories of Perspective and Representation, History and Theories of Theater, Contemporary Stage, Performing Arts in Turkey, Islamic Art
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Erek
History and Theories of Art and Design, Contemporary Art and Design Practices, Art and Design in Urban Space, History of Modernity, Cultural Heritage
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Elif Çoşkun
Competition and Design, Strategic Design, Craft Industries, Craft and Design, Jewelry Design
● Asst. Prof. Dr. Prof. Dr. Ayhan Enşici
Design Methodology, Design Teams, Design Cognition, Innovation Management, Innovation Consultancy
● Asst. Prof. Dr. Burcu Çiğdem Yılmaz
Sustainability, Building Physics, Building Energy Performance, Life Cycle Cost, Environmental Impact, Decision Making Methods
● Prof. Banu Manav, MD
Lighting System Designs, Space Perception, Light and Health, Color Perception
● Assoc. Prof. Dr. Konca Saher
Acoustic Measurements, Environmental noise analysis and control, Acoustic comfort, Structure and volume acoustics
Current Projects coordinated by the Faculty Members in the Programme
Ezgi Tuncer - Gender Dynamics of Labor Migration and Urban Life Experiences of High-Skilled Migrant Women: The Case of Istanbul (TÜBİTAK)
Sabri Gökmen - Development of Computational Methods for the Analysis of Traditional Safranbolu Houses Plan Typologies with Contentious Generator Network Algorithm (GAN) (TÜBİTAK)
Banu Manav – DESIGNHUB-İST Design Training and Application Center (İSTKA)
Konca Saher – CONSIDER-Sustainable Management of Industrial Heritage as a Resource for Urban Development (Horizon)
Nuri Cihan Kayaçetin – Whole Life Zero Carbon Buildings (IEA Annex 89)
Ayse Erek - Dynamics of placemaking and digitization in Europe ́s cities (COST)
Slow Memory: Transformative Practices for Times of Uneven and Accelerating Change (COST)
Ayhan Enşici - iNOSUİT Innovation Oriented Mentoring Project
Ayşe Elif Coşkun - Folk Art & Culture: Offering educational opportunities to young people (Erasmus+)
Özlem Hemiş - ACT - Artistic freedom and Children's and youth's perspective in the arts in Turkey (Swedish Institute Creative Force)
