Founder and Head of Digital Ottoman Projects
Dr Ayse Tarhan completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus and, during this time, also undertook an English language course in England. She gained her PhD in Ottoman Literature from Mugla Sitki Kocman University in Turkey in 2015 and has presented papers in many international journals and symposiums since then. She has also undertaken a further master’s degree, in Information Technology. She participated in The Baki Project at Washington University and is the Principal Investigator of The Latifi Project. She has been teaching Ottoman literature, Ottoman language and Turkish language at various universities for about 10 years, and digital humanities for the last 2 years.
Sevgi Yavuz Oduncu
Dr Yavuz Oduncu completed her primary, secondary, and high school education in Istanbul. In 2008, she gained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Istanbul University. In 2010, she received pedagogical formation training at Istanbul University. In 2012, she completed her Master’s degree with her thesis titled Diwan of the Cemaleddin Mahmud Hulvî. In 2020, she graduated from Istanbul University’s Turkish Teaching for Foreigners certificate program. In the same period, she worked in The Baki Project for two years. In 2022 she gained her Doctorate at Istanbul University with her thesis titled Analysis of Garâyibüʼs-Sıgar and Intralingual Translation of Its First 100 Ghazels. Ali Sher Nawayi, Chagatai, Ottoman, and Persian poetry are her main research areas and she has various papers on these subjects. She currently works as a Turkish Language and Literature teacher.
Erfan A. Shams
Ragini Menon
Ragini Menon is currently a Doctoral Research Assistant at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (in their project ALMA) and a PhD student in Computational Linguistics and Digital Humanities at Heidelberg University in Germany. She is also an external lecturer at the Institute for Linguistics and Literary Studies, Technical University of Darmstadt.
Her research focuses on large language models for under-resourced languages, primarily medieval French.
Meyase Bahar Ramanlı
She graduated from the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Anadolu University in 2015. The same year, she received Pedagogical Formation training at Siirt University, and participated in the Ottoman Turkish Spelling training program opened under the Ministry of National Education. She has worked as a teacher in several institutions. She participated in the workshop titled Basic Principles in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language, organised by Batman University in 2022, and the Teaching Turkish to Foreigners in Turkey and the World certificate program, organised by Hacettepe University in 2023. She completed her master’s degree at Batman University with a thesis titled Contextual Index Functional Dictionary and Semantic World of (Suleiman) Shadi’s Divan within the scope of the TEBDİZ project.
Nasim Niksiar
Dr Nasim Niksiar is a researcher and senior instructor in the field of educational technologies, specialising in digital literacy, technology-enhanced learning, inclusive education, and artificial intelligence in education. She received her PhD and MSc in Information and Communication Technology in Education from Eastern Mediterranean University and a BSc in Computer Software Engineering. Her doctoral research focused on developing an e-learning environment for learners using a design-based research approach. She previously served as a full-time researcher at the Research Advisory Board Office at Eastern Mediterranean University. Her research interests include digital tools for language learning, web-based learning environments, integration of ICT in education, and the application of AI-driven approaches such as intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning environments, and generative AI for educational innovation and accessibility.
Research Assistants
Ahmet Uslu PhD Osmangazi University
Kamil Önal PhD Istanbul Kent University
Ayfer Turan PhD Candidate Ondokuz Mayıs University
Betül Sevindik PhD Candidate Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University
Gökhan Aydın PhD Candidate Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University
Gökhan Ayverdi PhD Candidate Fırat University
Seren Altınkan PhD Candidate Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University
Ecemnur Topcu Graduate Student Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University
Fatma Keküç Graduate Student Sivas Cumhuriyet University