Academic Staff

Dr Onur Mengi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an interdisciplinary academic with experience in teaching industrial design and design management since 2010, and an interdisciplinary designer with experience working on various scale projects ranging from product design to urban design in Turkey since 2006. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey. He has well-established leadership skills across education, business, and research, and uses an evidence-based and end-user driven design methodology both in his teaching practice and his research. Onur’s qualifications in design thinking underpin his strong appreciation of design as a catalyst for bringing about social change. His research and education background in the creative industries ecosystem give him ability to pioneer new ideas in the industrial design area using multi-level perspectives and systems thinking to generate innovative design strategies that deliver value, engagement, and impact. He is a research collaborator to QUT Design Lab in Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Derya Irkdas Dogu holds a PhD from Istanbul Technical University in industrial design education, MA in Product Design from Domus Academy, and BA in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design from Bilkent University. She has been a visiting scholar at the Parsons School of Design | Art & Design History and Theory during the 2016-17 academic year. She's been a full-time member of the department since 2010. She mainly teaches biomaterials, sketching & rendering, portfolio courses and coordinates the senior year Product Design Studio. She is also a member of the Design Research Centre (EKOTAM) at the University, where she undertakes design and research projects on co-design, new product development, graphic design and university-industry collaboration. She also sits on the IEU+KREA Creative Economy Research and Application Center board of management.

Esra Bici Nasır, who graduated from METU Industrial Design Department, completed her master's and doctoral degrees in ITU Industrial Design Department programs. In his master's thesis, Nasır examined the comparison of footwear design in terms of industrial design and fashion design disciplines. Five years of professional design experience, including promotional products, shoes and saddlery designs, brought Nasır patented designs registered to her name, Having been in academic work-life since 2008, Dr. Nasır worked as a research assistant in the Industrial Design departments of Doğuş and Bahçeşehir Universities, and became one of the founding faculty members of the Visual Communication Design Department of Istanbul Medipol University in 2016. Nasır, who has research focus such as design ethnography, domesticity, material culture and design history, has published articles, papers and book chapters in the specified fields. Nasır, whose major international journals are Home Cultures: Architecture, Design and Domestic Space, International Journal of Food Design and Intercultural Understanding, has also been a referee for academic journals such as Design and Culture, Artifact, Journal of Design History, Footprint. Nasır, who also has essays on design in contemporary magazines such as Arredamento, XXI, Betonart, Radikal Tasarım Newspaper, Manifold, has collaborated with institutions such as Design Workshop Kadıköy, Iyi Tasarım İzmir, Üretimhane with events such as workshops and seminars. Nasır, who has moved toIzmir in 2017, is currently, a faculty member at Izmir University of Economics, Department of Industrial Design, being the advisor of the department's student community, THINK-ID club as well. In 2021, Nasır has been one of the winners of the Salt Research Grants with the research project entitled as "Sumerbank Carpet Designs As A Path for Modernization in 1960s". Nasır took part in the SOGEP Social Development Support Program - Karabağlar Furniture Academy project for Women and Youth in 2021-2022. Nasır, is a member of the national professional organizations ETMK and 4T; and the Design History Society, an international society.

Deniz Sayar received her High School Diploma from Izmir Private American High School, Department of Science and Mathematics. She completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University, Department of Industrial Product Design in 2007. She completed her master's degree in Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Master's Program in 2011. His Ph.D. is still continuing at Istanbul Technical University Industrial Product Design Doctorate Program. She is doing her PhD Research at Lancaster University (UK), ImaginationLancaster she. search fields; It is about service design, IoT, design management.

Dr. Ozcan received his B.I.D (Bachelor of Industrial Design) degree from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He then received his MSc and Ph.D. degrees from Dokuz Eylul University, Institute of Social Sciences, with his studies on semiotics. After working as a research assistant in Dokuz Eylul University between 1990 and 1996, he was transferred to Izmir Institute of Technology, Dept. of Industrial Design where he was also one of the co-founders of the department and worked as vice chairman between 1999 and 2003. He worked as a senior instructor at Yeditepe University, Dept. of Industrial Design in 2003-2004 fall semester. In February 2004, he was assigned to coordinate the establishment studies of the Dept. of Industrial Design at İzmir University of Economics where he was assigned as head of the department in 2006. He is the general director of EKOTAM, Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center. Having designed in numerous fields from product design to graphics and stage design, Dr. Ozcan is running courses related to project development, methods, history, technical and computer aided aspects of product design in undergraduate level, and courses related to advanced product development, semiotics, design management and design evolution in graduate level. He is also working as project manager for many university-industry cooperation projects including product and service design as well as brand development and franchising through design. Dr Özcan has numerous national and international published articles, presentations and design awards. He is the director of EKOTAM Izmir University of Economics Design Research and Application Center running several local, national and international projects. He is also an active member of ETMK-Turkish Industrial Designers’ Association since its foundation in 1988.

After receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the field of Materials Science at New Mexico Tech, USA, Murat Bengisu worked in the automotive industry in engineering, R&D, and quality departments in Turkey and Italy. Dr. Bengisu started his academic career at Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, in 1999. For one year, he conducted research and taught as Visiting Professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla at the Materials Research Center. Dr. Bengisu completed various self-initiated multidisciplinary projects in collaboration with partners from different fields. He is the author of five books and he contributed to 37 articles in refereed journals. His research interest includes ceramic and glass materials, innovation management, working life and technological needs of disabled individuals, design history (Beykoz glassware), design management and materials for design. He joined the Industrial Design Department at Izmir University of Economics in March 2008. He was promoted to full professorship in February 2010. Currently he is teaching at the Industrial Design Department as well as the Head of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Committee.

Deniz Deniz was born in İzmir. Having completed her undergraduate education, she received master’s degree on Sustainability and Environmental Issues in Industrial Design. Upon completing the master’s degree, she completed her doctoral dissertation on Crime Prevention through Design. She was awarded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) as a post doctoral researcher and she completed her research at University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in 2008. She has been working in Izmir University of Economics as an Associate Professor. She has produced national and international published articles, research projects, and won design competitions through these years.