New Academicians of KHAS Department of Advertising

Kadir Has University Department of Advertising is growing with the addition of new academicians.  

Prof. Dr. Metin Kozak

Prof. Metin Kozak holds a Ph.D. degree in tourism from Sheffield Hallam University, UK (2000). He has contributed a wider range of articles in top-tier journals, conference papers in more than 40 countries, and over 30 books released by international publishers.

As a Research Fellow in 2005-2006, he was affiliated with the University of Namur (Belgium) and as Visiting Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR (2014-2015) and Bournemouth University, UK (2016). On the one side, he has been involved in several national and international research projects, particularly with his partners based in Europe, Asia, and the US. On the other side, he has been invited as a guest lecturer to conduct seminars or lectures in more than 20 countries worldwide. He also has extensive experience in taking parts in the organization of appr. 50 academic conferences and meetings. He received the EFQM Ph.D. Thesis Award and a few conference paper awards.

He acts as the co-editor of Anatolia, member of editorial/review board for many international journals, and elected member of the Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (2015), Tourist Research Centre (2007), and International Academy of Culture, Hospitality and Tourism (2005). Having many academic publications in the international arena, Kozak is one of the most cited academics in his field in Turkey. His research interests entail marketing and consumer behavior in an interdisciplinary context.

Visiting Lecturer Ayfer Şimşek

Ayfer Şimşek graduated from Boğaziçi University, Faculty of Administrative Sciences in 1981. She completed her MBA degree at Boğaziçi University and in the field of Marketing. In 1981, he started working at Pars McCann Advertising Agency and stepped into the advertising sector. Between 1987-1991, she worked as the Customer Director at RPM Radar CDP Europe Advertising Agency. Between 1991 and 2001, she worked as the Customer Group Director at Ogilvy Advertising Agency. Between 2002-2004, she worked as the Corporate Communications Director at the Management Center Turkey Training and Consultancy firm. She started to work on qualitative research in the research sector in 2004.

Ayfer Şimşek, who has more than 35 years of work experience in advertising, marketing strategies, brand management, and market research, has worked as a freelance consultant on consumer behavior, consumer insights, and marketing strategies since 2015. She works with Turkey’s leading international and local companies in many areas such as brand positioning, brand image, advertising tests, new product development, and innovation studies, product and packaging tests.

Visiting Lecturer Mesut Uçak 

Mesut Uçak completed his undergraduate education in 2018 at Kadir Has University, Department of Public Relations and Information. In the same year, he started the Communication Sciences master’s program at Kadir Has University and finished in 2020. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Communication Studies program of Kadir Has University. He worked as a graduate assistant at Advertising Department for one academic year. His fields of study are communication theories, advertising, surveillance, and control societies.

Visiting Lecturer Şenay Ürek Doğar

Şenay Ürek Doğar, graduated from Boğaziçi University Computer Programming and then Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphic Design Department. While studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts, she also stepped into her professional career and started working at the international advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. During her advertising career, she worked in Turkey’s leading network agencies, such as Güzel Sanatlar / Bates, Ali Taran Creative Workshop, Medina Turgul / DDB and Leo Burnett. Most recently, she served as Creative Group Director in Leo Burnett Istanbul.

She won nearly 50 awards at platforms such as Cannes Lions, New York Advertising Festival, Epica Awards, Effie Awards, and Crystal Apple in her professional advertising career. She took part in the team of young advertisers from Turkey at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Her works were exhibited in GMK exhibitions for various years.

She still teaches packaging design, advertising design, advertising projects, art management, and visual thinking techniques at fine arts and communication faculties. She is a consultant creative director to many advertising agencies and advertisers. She takes great pleasure in sharing her professional experience with future advertisers and considers it a duty to convey this experience.