The Team
Bachelor Student at MEF University
Çağla Akyıldız
Research Intern
Beatrice Valle
Bachelor Student
Bastian Moritz Weitz
Bachelor Student at Istanbul Ticaret University
Betül Gümüşoluk
Koc Lab Alumni
I am a social and applied psychologist. My overall research interests are in areas of multiple conflicted identities, stigmatized groups, and diversity for a better understanding of individuals and society. My projects at KocLab include three key questions: how individuals define themselves within social groups (e.g., social identities, multiple conflicted identities); how polarisation between the groups causes individual outcomes (e.g., well-being, negative attitude); and how these intergroup conflicts can be resolved to increase peace and harmony in society (e.g., collective action, increasing diversity, attitude change). I also work on tolerance, LGB individuals coming-out experiences, institutional trust with colleagues around the world.
Ayça Aksu
(Lecturer & PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
Bastian Moritz Weitz
(Bachelor Thesis Student)
Denizhan Şengül
(Erasmus+ Trainee & Web Designer)
Hi, I am Denizhan and I am graduate student in Social Psychology at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, TR. My primary research interests are social identity, tolerance, prejudice, discrimination, and cross-cultural research. I joined Koc Social Identities Lab after an Erasmus+ Internship in 2020. I have worked on several research projects in the lab such as #MyWhitePrivilege and collective nostalgia.
Dr. Yasin Koc, Lab Director
Assistant Professor of Social Psychology
I am an experimental social psychologist. My research aims to achieve two major goals: 1) to improve the status of the minoritised groups in society, 2) to foster positive intergroup relations to achieve higher wellbeing for all member of society. However, my emphasis is exclusively on the status and wellbeing of the minoritised group members, and I try to alter the behaviour and attitudes of the majority hoping to shift the burden from the already stigmatized minorities towards the system and the majority. Beyond academic outputs, I try to make my work relevant for the society and partner with societal stakeholders to easily distribute and implement our findings. I have written and published work using experimental, correlational, qualitative and ethnographic methods. I collaborate with amazing colleagues across the world, and try to promote building a cooperative and supportive work environment within my lab for my students.
Sümeyra Bengisu Akkurt
(Erasmus+ Trainee)
I received my Bachelor's degree from the Department of Psychology at Istanbul Şehir University in 2019; and Master's degree from the Psychological Sciences Master's Program at Kadir Has University in 2022, both as a full tuition waiver. Since 2020, I have been working as a full-time research assistant at Abdullah Gül University Psychology Department. My research interests in social psychology are mainly social identity theory, prejudice, intergroup relations, belief in conspiracy theories, collective action, and gender studies. In 2018, I became the first research assistant of Koc Lab, funded by the Erasmus+ Traineeship program. I have been working on several experimental and qualitative research projects in the lab on identity integration of Muslim-feminist women, intergroup helping towards Syrian refugees in Turkey, and collective nostalgia's role on outgroup attitudes.
Stefano Ciaffoni
(Master Student)
My name is Stefano Ciaffoni and I am a PhD student in Social Psychology at the University of Bologna.
My call is to help unravelling inequalities and empower disadvantaged groups, in particular with regard to sexual minorities. This is how I met Yasin Koc in February 2019, when we started a project on internalised sexual prejudice in gay men. Shortly after, I became a proud member of the Koc Social Identity Lab, where passionate young researchers meet, and many projects and ideas always blossom. My research interests include dynamics of gender inequality, discrimination, internalised stigma, and collective action in groups such as LGBT communities and consensually non-monogamous people.
Keeping my eyes open for visiting universities abroad!
Uğur C. Özküsen
(Research Intern)
Jordan Hinton
(PhD Student at Australian Catholic Uni.)
I am a PhD student at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, and I first met Yasin through Joel Anderson and we collaborated on a paper on self- and meta-stereotype endorsement. Later on, Yasin joined my PhD supervision team and became one of my co-supervisors for my PhD work. In the meantime, I was invited to join Koc Lab and presented my work at the lab conferences. My PhD focuses on identity centrality among LGBTQ+ individuals.
Hannes Bey
(Research Intern)
Ece Aleyna Demirgüneş
(Research Intern)
I graduated from Yasar University in 2021. I am a master's degree student at the University of Padua. I became a member of the Koclab in 2020. My research interests are Intergroup relations, prejudice, attitudes towards minorities, and cyberpsychology. Currently, I am working on "White Privilege" and "Marketing Through Instagram: The Case of Gay Influencers" projects.
Pelin Su Şafak
(Research Intern)
I graduated from Yasar University in 2021. Currently, I am a Clinical, Social and Intercultural Psychology master’s degree student at the University of Padua. I joined KocLab in 2020. My research interests are social identity, intergroup relations, social cognition, and minority groups. Currently, I am working on "White Privilege" and "Marketing Through Instagram: The Case of Gay Influencers" projects.
Winnie Ansah
(Research Master Student)
I am a Research Master student of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen. My research interests include the effects of racism on BIPoC, social identities, diversity and inclusion.
İrem Nur Keskin
(Research Intern)
I am a recent psychology graduate and senior year law (double major) student at MEF University. My research interests are system justification theory, distributive justice and intergroup relationships, and social inequality. Currently, I am working on realistic and symbolic threats perceptions towards Syrian refugees in the Turkish context and the effects of fake news in shaping negative attitudes with Dr. Yasin Koc and Dr. Müjde Peker. I joined Koc Lab last year after deciding my research interests.
Elif Çelik
(Erasmus+ Trainee)
I graduated from İstanbul Ticaret University in 2021. I am working as a psychologist with refugees in a
Europian Union project. My research interests are moral disengagement, terror management theory,
social identity. I became a member of the Koclab in 2021 through Erasmus+ trainee. I am currently
looking for a master's program in Europe.
Betül Gümüşoluk
(Research Intern)
I received my bachelor's degree in psychology at Istanbul Ticaret University in 2021. I have had a part of voluntary work with disadvantaged groups especially women who suffer from sexual apartheid. Currently, I'm an intern at a foundation that provides psychosocial support to immigrant children in Turkey. My research interests are social identity, prejudice, and discrimination.
Dr. Joel Anderson, Collaborator
Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology
I am a social psychologist whose primary interests revolve around group processes, with a focus on prejudice, stigma, and stereotypes. My primary research focus has been on attitudes towards homosexuality, the relationship between homophobia and religion, and the effects of religious priming on implicit attitudes. I also have interests in asylum seekers, collective action, feminist psychology, acculturation, the psychology of religion, and religious-priming effects.
I received my Bachelor’s degree from the Psychology Department at Istanbul University in 2018. Following my graduation, I was a volunteer for disadvantaged children on a one-year European Solidarity Corps (covered by Erasmus+) project in the Netherlands. I am currently a graduate student in Social Psychology at Bursa Uludag University. I joined the Koclab in November 2021. My research interests are intergroup relationships, human-animal relations, attitude towards vegans/ vegetarians, social identity, prejudice, social dominance, social representations and critical psychology. Through my thesis, I am currently working on the relationship between speciesism and other group-based discriminations.
Zümra Kendir
(Research Intern)
I graduated from Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University in 2021. Currently, I am an Applied
Social Research master's student at Social Sciences University of Ankara. I was a volunteer
in the Psychosocial Support Unit of the Turkish Red Crescent Ankara Community Center for
one and a half years, where the aim was providing free psychosocial support and health
services to the Syrian asylum seekers and other refugees along with the Turkish individuals.
My main research interests are social identity, identity integration, cross-cultural studies,
critical psychology, and studies regarding the disadvantaged groups such as people with
disabilities, refugees, etc. I am especially interested in participatory action research.
I have joined the Koc Social Identities Lab through Dr. Yasin Koc via showing my interest in the lab’s projects in March 2021. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Özyeğin University in 2022. I recently got awarded with the Fulbright Scholarship for Master’s Degree and I will continue my academic career in the US, starting Fall 2023. My primary research interests are social identity theory, intergroup contact, stereotypes, prejudice, and attitudes towards sexual and ethnic minorities. Currently, I am working on a study exploring the relationship between gay-male identity integration and its effects on religiosity and anti-gay attitudes.
Urvija Bhargava
(Research Intern)
I have a Master’s Degree in Social and Community Psychology from the University of Florence and I’m currently doing a post-graduate internship in Groningen, working on humorous responses to sexism.My main research interests are gender equality, sexual discrimination and group dynamics in virtual environments, particularly online fandoms.
Greetje Scheller
(Research Intern)
As the end of my Bachelor in Psychology at the University of Groningen is approaching I am collaborating with Yasin for my thesis. We are interested in the link between support motivation and identity motives of volunteers and their clients of the non-profit organization Stadjers Hand in Hand in Groningen. The organization works with people affected by poverty and aims to help their clients regain autonomy and empower them to again become functional members of society. For this research we are using a qualitative approach.
Miriam Dietz
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
I am a Clinical and Social Psychologist (MSc), and PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology of the University of Groningen. I joined the lab in October 2022, as part of my ASP master's thesis project on the consequences of prototypes of drug users under the supervision of Dr. Yasin Koc. My research interest is broad-ranging with an interdisciplinary approach combining Social and Clinical Psychology and Sociology, focusing on sexology, addiction, prototypes, LGBTQ+ individuals and stigma, and mental health. Within my PhD project, I am investigating the contextual effects on sexually and gender-diverse youth's mental health. I am excited to remain a member of the lab during my PhD trajectory and have the opportunity to share advice and to collaborate with fellow researchers of the KocLab and beyond!
Beatrice Helena Gänzler
(Research Intern)
Beatrice Helena Ganzler
(Research Intern)
Hakan Cakmak
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
I obtained my MSc degree in Social and Applied Psychology from the University of Kent. Currently, I'm working as a lecturer at RUG, and conducting my PhD projects on new masculinities with Dr. Yasin Koc, Dr. Islam Borinca, and Prof. Sabine Otten. My overall research interests are in areas of masculinities, multiple conflicted identities, stigmatized groups, and diversity for a better understanding of individuals and society. My projects at KocLab include three key questions: how individuals define themselves within social groups (e.g., social identities, multiple conflicted identities); how polarisation between the groups causes individual outcomes (e.g., well-being, negative attitude); and how these intergroup conflicts can be resolved to increase peace and harmony in society (e.g., collective action, increasing diversity, attitude change). I also work on tolerance, LGB individuals' coming-out experiences, and institutional trust with colleagues around the world.
Çağla Akyıldız
(Research Intern)
I am a second-grade psychology student at MEF University. I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Yasin and join KocLab at the University of Groningen, where I came with the exchange program last year. My research interests are disadvantaged groups, intergroup relations, ordinary privileges, and social identities.
I studied Psychology and Applied Social Psychology at the University of Groningen where I wrote my master's thesis with Yasin Koc and became a member of the lab.
My research interests lie in the field of social change and minority identity in cross-cultural contexts with specific focus on LGBTQ+ identities.
In my thesis I focused on the Rejection-Identification-Model and lesbian Identities and currently I am working on "My White Privilege".
Owen Murphy
(Research Intern)
Hi! I am a master's graduate from MSc Applied Social Psychology at the University of Groningen. While working to improve my Dutch language skills, I also continue to advance my research through international collaboration. My work mainly deals with societal perceptions and the intergroup dynamics underlying those perceptions. For example, my master's thesis project explored how utilising gratitude and blame exercises can shift levels of societal discontent. Another example can be seen in my work with Dr. Eric Shuman and Prof. Eric Knowles from NYU whereby we explore how advantaged group members respond to identity threat. In the Koc Lab, I continue to apply this expertise to contribute in our lab meetings and various projects in preparation for the publication process.
I am a researcher and consultant with expertise in organizational behavior and work psychology. I earned my PhD from Marmara University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in work and organizational psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Currently, I am a faculty member at Istanbul Medipol University, where I focus on promoting sustainable work performance through individual and organizational interventions.
My mission is to help organizational leaders create thriving teams by designing social dynamics that foster positive workplace relationships. In my research, I use quantitative methods to investigate workplace dynamics and apply evidence-based principles to my consulting work.
As a member of the KocLab, I am involved in research projects that examine workplace social dynamics, such as women's leadership and identity-related stereotypes. I am passionate about understanding and addressing the challenges that arise from social identities in the workplace.
Lab Members
* Sort in alphabetical order by the first letter of the person's name.
I obtained my MSc degree in Political Psychology from the University of Kent. Now, I am doing my PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Groningen under the supervision of Prof Dr Katherine E. Stroebe, Prof Dr Ernestine H. Gordijn and Dr Yasin Koc. Broadly speaking, my research concentrates on what drives advantaged group members to behave anti- and pro-socially towards disadvantaged groups, using quantitative methods. Particularly, I attempt to seek ways to improve disadvantaged groups' conditions by gaining insight into the roots of the advantaged's solidarity and enmity. With this in mind, I am currently researching the motivational and emotional underpinnings of 'solidarity-based collective action' as part of my doctoral project. My other research interests lie in collective violence, group-based norms and dissent, social identity and system justification processes.
Keke Zhu
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
I am a PhD student at the University of Groningen and joined Koclab in November 2023. My main research interests include economic inequality, stereotypes, threats, maladaptive responses and decision-making, feel free to contact me about relevant topics.
* Sort in alphabetical order by the first letter of the person's name.
Master Student at the University of Padua.
Ece Aleyna Demirgüneş
Master Student
Denise Chin
Master Student
Deike Menken
Erasmus+ Trainee & Web Designer
Denizhan Şengül
Zhenghao Lin
Yajing Zhao
Irem Sakarya
Ezgi Kara
Research Intern
Fatih Köseoğlu
Research Intern and PhD Sudent at Istambul University
Master Student
Lucía Canora Flores
(Lab Coordinator & Master Student)
Lucas Braun
(Research Intern)
Mehmet Can Tengiroglu
(Research Intern)
Yajing Zhao
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
Hello! I am finishing my MSc degree in Applied Social Psychology at RUG.
My main research focus is on feminist, gender and queer studies (in themes around intersectionality, inclusion & diversity, or the anti-gender movement). Both my Bachelor and Master thesis focused on exploring the sense of belonging of different cultural minority groups (e.g international students and Ukrainian women) in The Netherlands . I am currently involved in projects about (heterosexual vs MSM) students' risk perception of STIs and intergroup apologies (in specific among non-queer. and queer communities). I am also deeply concerned about the sex education of modern youth.
Hey! I'm a research intern at KOC Lab and a graduate of the MSc in Applied Social Psychology at the University of Groningen. My research focuses on how social identities, stigma, and inequality shape health behaviors—especially in highlighted groups—and how digital health can address these disparities. I've worked on STI prevention among MSM, digital interventions for LGBTQ+ youth, and resilience in vulnerable populations. WithDr. Macapagal at ISGMH (Northwestern University), I contributed to LGBTQ+ health projects combining digital tools with community-based approaches. I'm passionate about using social psychological theory to explore how digital technologies can improve healthcare access and equity. Moving forward, I aim to help build more inclusive, evidence-based, and digitally supported health systems.
Lab Coordinator & Research Intern
Tuğçe Tezel
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
I am a PhD student at the University of Groningen and joined Koclab in September 2022. My main research interests include gender stereotyping, intersectionality and social stigma.
I completed my MSc degree in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Groningen. While pursuing my master's degree, I joined the Koc Lab Identities Lab in 2021. Currently, I am a PhD student in Sociology at RUG, focusing on the research project titled 'Do migrants in Europe age well?' This project involves a mixed methods and intervention approach conducted in four countries (MIG-AGE). My research interests revolve around migration, transnationality, social identity, and ageing.
Alisha Scheuer
(PhD Student at the University of Groningen)
I am a PhD student at the Department of Social Psychology and work under the supervision of Yasin Koc, Russell Spears and Basak Bilecen. My PhD project is part of SCOOP and has an interdisciplinary approach that takes insights from Social Psychology and Sociology. In my PhD research, I focus on the role of dual identity holders for achieving sustainable cooperation among conflicting groups. I apply qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the experience of so-called gateway group members that have the potential to bridge the divide among conflicting societal groups. My primary research interests include social change, intergroup relations and social identity. I joined Koc Lab in September 2022 and besides my PhD I work on projects around the topics of identity integration and intergroup helping
Hi! I am currently at the end of my bachelor's studies in psychology at the University of Wuppertal. I joined the KocLab as part of my Erasmus+ traineeship and am excited to work with Dr. Yasin Koc as my supervisor. My main research interests include social identity (formation), metacognitions and collective action, as well as individual behavior in politicized and justice-related contexts. Specifically, my Bachelor's thesis focused on why people reject a feminist identity and the consequences for collective action. I am currently involved in projects on people's barriers to talking about pro-environmental change and the precedents for intergroup apologies to be effective.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bilgi University, where I developed a strong interest in social identity, cultural dynamics, and gender norms. My research interests focuses on how social identity conflicts, ethnic prejudices, and gender norms shape both masculinity and femininity across different cultures. After graduating in February 2025, I joined KoçLab under the guidance of Dr. Yasin Koç, where I am further developing my research skills and gaining a deeper understanding of identity and intergroup relations.
