Maryam Bashir is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She holds two master’s degrees—an MBA and an MSc in Management Science and Leadership—from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, where she graduated with highest honors. Her MSc thesis focused on cybersecurity threats among university students. Her research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, leadership development, and organizational transformation, with a particular emphasis on ethical and socially responsible practices.

Ulaş Evren Basogul is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He is a master’s student in Human-Computer Interaction, currently completing his final semester. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering with an individual track in Environmental & Energy Technologies. He has experience in sustainability, data analysis, and process optimization, including developing optimization algorithms in Python and conducting UI/UX design and research.

Julián Nahuel Gontad is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He is an international relations researcher focused on the intersection of security, geopolitics, and business intelligence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), knowledge he has further enriched through extensive travel across the region. He works on geostrategic analysis and regional security cooperation.

Johanna Blanka Kovács is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 2025 with a master’s degree in Work and Organizational Psychology. She completed her thesis titled “The Relationship Between Workplace Commitment and Self-Esteem in the Context of the Dark Triad.”

Ahmet Yasir Köse is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He is currently studying at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at İstanbul 29 May University. His research interests include Turkish foreign policy, international political economy, and non-conventional diplomacy.

Malithi Liyanage is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She has completed an MSc in Conflict and Development Studies at Ghent University, following a BSc (Hons) in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomacy and World Affairs from the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute. Her research interests include examining state science–policy discourse and public political debate in Sri Lanka, as well as science diplomacy in developing economies.

Matilda Mason is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She is a researcher in International Relations and Conflict and Security Analysis, with a focus on the Russia–Ukraine conflict and shifting geopolitical dynamics in Eastern Europe. She earned her master’s degree in 2025 in Languages for International Cooperation, specializing in legal mediation, with a thesis on the legal implications of Donbass’s integration into the Russian Federation. She completed four Erasmus+ semesters in Romania and France. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in International Relations in Rome and a postgraduate degree in Counterterrorism, while serving as a teaching assistant at the University of Insubria.

Marah Najem is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She completed her master’s degree in International Relations, with a specialization in European Studies, at Eszterházy Károly Catholic University in Hungary. Her research interests focus on migration and integration, shaped by her personal background and experiences. Her master’s thesis examined the integration of Palestinian women in Hungary and the impact of the October 7 events on their daily lives and sense of belonging. She is currently expanding her research skills through internships and international experiences.

Antonio Perrotta is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Naples Federico II and is currently completing a master’s degree in Historical Sciences. His research focuses on the analysis and historical reconstruction of mafia-type organized crime in the peripheral areas of Naples as a starting point for a broader process. His work examines how locally rooted criminal structures evolved into global actors integrated into transnational economic networks, while also analyzing the political responses, social dynamics, and socio-economic factors that enabled this transformation.

Tuna Taşkın is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He is studying Journalism at Marmara University. His research interests focus on energy policies, Turkish foreign policy, and global politics.

Arna Togayeva is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. She is pursuing her graduate studies in International Economics at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Economics, with a minor in Liberal Arts, from Penn State University, USA. Her research interests include social economics and inequality, development economics, and macroeconomic policy analysis.

Adrián Maldonado Vega is a Research Assistant at the Marmara University Center for Population and Social Policies. He is a senior law student at the University of Malaga, Spain, with a focus on international law, the law of the sea, and EU law, particularly regarding the maritime boundaries of the European Union and their specific legal issues.