Cana Tülüş Türk

Cana Tülüş Türk has been working at the Istanbul Policy Center as an Academic and Administrative Affairs Lead since January 2012. She also teaches comparative politics, contemporary issues in the EU, and the current state of democracy in different universities. She also works as an expert on projects funded by Think Civil, CEPS, and GMF Black Sea Trust.

She completed her Ph.D. in Political Science in 2023 with her thesis titled "Discussing Normative Conceptions on Democracy: The Case of Kırklareli" at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her research focuses on political theory, comparative politics, Turkish politics, European integration, populism and civil society in Turkey. She published book chapters, such as “Democracy in Turkey” (with Fuat Keyman), “Güçlendirilmiş Parlamenter Sistem: İkili Eleştiri, Denge ve Denetleme Sistemi ve Toplumsal Dönüşüm (Reinforced Parliamentary System: Dual Criticism, System of Checks and Balances and Social Transformation)” (with Fuat Keyman), and “Between Conflict and Compromise: Turkey-Russia Relations and the West."

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkey Europe Foundation, a member of the Women in Foreign Policy, and the Scientific Committee of ALDA’s International Summer School on Local Democracy (Venice, September 2025). She is also an alumna of the "Turkey Europe Future Forum," Global Diplomacy Lab, United Europe, and Robert Bosch Foundation programs.

Cana writes a monthly series, Zappa Zamanlar IPC Special Issues, with Prof. Zafer Yenal at Aposto News. She has led IPC's internship program, and mentors students and young professionals through initiatives like Sabancı Volunteers, Young Women in Foreign Policy, and the Boğaziçi University Alumni Association (BUMED).

Previously, she worked as a Projects Assistant and Assistant Projects Specialist at Tohum Autism Foundation. She received her MA in European Studies from Sabancı University and her BA in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a short-term intern at Cumhuriyet Newspaper, NTV and the Turkish Parliament.