Speaker Bios
Susan Rottmann, Zeynep Yılmaz Hava, and Nour Zanjer are members of the Food and Migration Research Team at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Dr. Susan Beth Rottmann is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, Turkey. A migration expert with 10+ years of research experience, she has published in a wide variety of international peer-reviewed journals and has received several major research grants from the European Union to study migration, gender, belonging, democracy and citizenship. She is currently a Primary Investigator of two Horizon Europe projects: GAPs De-centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond (2023-26) and OppAttune – Countering Oppositional Political Extremism through Attuned Dialogue: Track, Attune, Limit (2023-2026).
Zeynep Yılmaz Hava is a postdoctoral researcher at Özyeğin University in the TÜBİTAK-1001 project titled “Food, Homemaking and Social Integration for Syrian Women in Istanbul, Gaziantep and Hatay”. In 2017, she received her master’s diploma from the cultural studies program in Istanbul Şehir University. In 2023, she obtained her PhD from Istanbul Medeniyet University Sociology department by successfully defending her thesis titled “Constructing Migrant Foodscapes: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Fatih, Istanbul”. In addition to research activities, she continues her translation/editing work in the field of social sciences and literature.
Nour Zanjer is a Syrian researcher, humanitarian worker, and lifelong migrant with an interest in gender and forced migration. She completed her master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University in 2023. Her thesis, titled “Syrian Women on the Way to Europe: Strategies, Challenges, Perceptions,” explores the experiences of Syrian women seeking asylum to Europe. Nour has contributed to several projects, including “Food, Homemaking and Social Integration for Syrian Women in Istanbul, Gaziantep, and Hatay,” supported by TÜBİTAK, and “Border and Gender on Mediterranean and Balkan Migration Routes,” funded by BAP at Istanbul University. In addition to her research work, Nour is currently serving as a Protection Program Assistant in a Syria-led NGO.