OUR TEAM

Our association members consist of expert professionals from various disciplines, possessing a broad range of knowledge. Our team includes economists, engineers, social scientists, and legal experts. They bring years of experience in their fields and have been involved in numerous national and international projects. Many are active researchers in the academic world, distinguished by their scientific contributions. With a focus on research, innovation, and societal benefit, they aim to advance the mission of the association and promote economic development through their work.

Prof. Dr. Nur Asena Caner

Asena Caner is a professor of economics at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara, Turkiye, where she has held positions of the Chair of the Department of Economics and the Dean of the School of Economic and Administrative Sciences, besides her duties of teaching and research. She is an applied micro-economist with interests in the economics of development, health, and education. She also teaches statistics and econometrics. Her research has focused on questions related to the economics of tobacco, access to health, economics of higher education, as well as poverty, inequality, and well-being.

She holds a Ph.D. degree in economics from New York University and a B.S. degree in industrial engineering from the Middle East Technical University. She has been a consultant to the World Bank, a visiting researcher at Aarhus University, and recently a consultant to TEPAV on research related to the economics of tobacco products, where the research team has produced an extensive country report for Turkey, numerous policy briefs and notes, as well as several academic papers.

Prof. Dr. Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu

Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu, Ph.D., is a Professor of Marketing at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Türkiye. She earned her Bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Middle East Technical University and her Ph.D. in Marketing from Bilkent University. Dr. Tarı Kasnakoğlu has participated in diverse projects, including the EU’s Eurokey Intercultural Student Involvement initiative, TUBITAK’s Career Development Program, and the World Food Program’s refugee cultural integration efforts. Her research has garnered grants from institutions like Bilkent University and TÜBİTAK, including an international fellowship at UC Berkeley. Her work encompasses various business projects, notably in consumer behavior, marketing methodologies, and customer relationship management for companies such as AnadoluJet and MİTAŞ. Additionally, she has taught over fifty training programs alongside her university curriculum. An accomplished author, Dr. Tarı Kasnakoğlu has published several books, book chapters, and articles in journals like the Journal of Business Research, Marketing Theory and Service Industries Journal. Her research focuses on consumer behavior in nonconventional areas such as healthcare and education. She is skilled in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including in-depth interviews and experimental design.

Doç. Dr. Belgi Turan

Belgi Turan is an Associate Professor of Economics and the current Deputy Chair of the Department of Economics at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Turkey. She is also a research fellow at the Economic Research Forum. Dr. Turan received her B.Sc. in 2001 and MBA in 2003 from Middle East Technical University and her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Houston in 2011. Her primary research interests lie in applied microeconomics, focusing on education, gender, health, and labor economics. Her work has been published in leading general-interest and field journals, including The Economic Journal, Journal of Development Economics, and Journal of Population Economics. Dr. Turan has led numerous research projects commissioned by international organizations, such as the World Bank and the European Commission, as well as Turkish governmental institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Trade, Strategy and Budget Directorate, and Ministry of Development. She has also conducted Impact Analysis training for governmental bodies such as the Competition Authority, Ministry of Industry and Technology, Ministry of Development, Turkish Employment Agency, and Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Bilge Nur Mermer

Bilge Nur Mermer is a researcher at Economic Research Agenda Association (ERAA). Meanwhile, she was granted as researcher at Forecast of Covid-19 Basic Reproduction Number with Country Comparison and the Impact of Pandemic on the US Financial Market project funded by BAP (Scientific Research Project). Previously, she completed of her Master’s degree in Economics at TOBB University of Economics and Technology under supervision of Prof. Asena Caner in which a review of the literature in intergenerational mobility was performed as a master project. She has received her Bachelor’s degree from Middle East Technical University, majoring in Economics, and her undergraduate thesis focused on developments in renewable energy investments with application to Turkey.

Yenal Can Yiğit

Yenal Can Yiğit, Ph.D., is the manager at Financial Affairs Directorate at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara, Turkiye. He is also Certified Public Accountants. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Department of Economics at TOBB ETU. He was awarded scholarships by TOBB ETU during his studies in both programs.  He received his PhD. degree in 2023 at Ankara University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Economics with a thesis titled “Three articles on the use of tobacco products in Turkey”. Dr. Yigit became eligible for TUBITAK Doctoral Program Scholarship during his doctoral education. His research areas are microeconomics, applied microeconomics, applied microeconometrics, health economics, sports economics and finance.