Prof. Dr. Deniz Ulke Kaynak (Aribogan) is a distinguished Turkish academic and strategic thinker, renowned for her expertise in international relations and political psychology. Over a career spanning more than thirty years, she has held high-profile leadership positions – from serving as the Rector of a major university to sitting as an independent director on the board of one of Turkey’s leading banks. Dr. Kaynak has been a respected public intellectual, bringing scholarly analysis to wider audiences through her writings and media engagement.
Prof. Kaynak taught a variety of courses related to international politics at universities including Air Force Academy and Turkish War College. She served as the Rector of Bahçeşehir University (2007-2010) held senior leadership roles at Istanbul Bilgi University as a member of board of Trustees, and Uskudar University as the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and sciences, shaping educational policy and institutional strategy. She is currently holding the position of the dean of the Faculty and the director of the Political Psychology Center at Uskudar University.
Internationally, she continued her academic studies as a visiting scholar at Oxford University’s St. Antony’s College during the years 2016 and 2017 and was assigned as a senior fellow at the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC) at Oxford University, Harris Manchester College (2016-2025)
Contributing to high-level dialogues on global peace and conflict transformation she was elected as a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science in 2007, a lifetime honor that places her among a select group of international thought leaders.
From 2013 to 2021, Dr. Kaynak has served as an independent Board Member at DenizBank (Sberbank and later on Emirates ENBD affiliate), providing strategic oversight during a period of intense regulatory, technological, and geopolitical change.
She is also a founding member of the Turkish Businesswomen Association (TIKAD), Women in Techology association (Wtech) and actively mentors women in leadership and global strategy for Women on Executive Boards Project.
Focusing her most recent work on the examination of security issues from a perspective of political psychology and non-violent methods for resolving conflicts, Dr. Kaynak is a founding member/board member of the International Dialogue Initiative (IDI), an international and interdisciplinary work group founded to this end.
She is a regular commentator at TV Channels and a columnist at Dunya Newspaper.
She has published 15 books and articles. Among her recent works, her books titled “the Wall” and “From Trauma to Victory: The Psychopolitical Construction of Turkish National Identity” became one of the best sellers in the country.
Deniz Ulke Kaynak was honored with the prestigious 2026 Nevitt Sanford award by ISPP (International Society of Political Psychology) for her outstanding contribution to the field of political psychology.
