I am a scholar in urban studies working at the intersection of urban sociology and cultural geography. I received my PhD in Human Geography from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and I currently teach in the Sociology Department at the University of Amsterdam, where I joined as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral research fellow.

My research explores how culture and creative practices shape socio-spatial transformations across urban and rural contexts, with a particular focus on emerging forms of collective life and dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. I am also interested in cultural infrastructures, particularly in relation to questions of spatial politics, and public space as well as urban-rural relations.

During my Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, I conducted research on post-pandemic urban–rural mobility, examining how urban-origin creative professionals reshape forms of collective life and connect urban, rural, and digital spaces. The project also aimed to develop a framework and guideline for understanding and assessing the cultural impact of these creative ex-urbanites on rural areas. In my PhD research,  I explored how new cultural infrastructures in Istanbul can be understood as 'spaces of openness' embracing the diversity of urban population and enabling practices of common life.

Beyond academia, I have over a decade of experience working with municipalities and NGOs to contribute to local cultural policy and cultural planning, and to support more inclusive urban development. Notable among these projects are the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts' comprehensive report on Cultural Planning for Local Authorities (2016), and the Citta Slow Metropolis Project of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality (2022).