Who is who in the team of Mersin University

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Mersin University was established on 3 July 1992 and initiated its activities on 10 November 1992. In the academic year of 1993-1994, Mersin University started its education by admitting students to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Mersin Vocational School, Gülnar Vocational School, Mut Vocational School, Tarsus Vocational School and Institute of Science and Social Sciences which carries out postgraduate programs. Since its establishment, Mersin University has increased the number of its faculties to 16, the number of its colleges to 7, the number of its vocational schools to 11, the number of its institutes to 5, and the number of its research centres to 34. Today, with around 50,000 students, Mersin University is one of the largest Universities in Turkey with well-established ties with national and international institutions and has a very strong education and research base that continue to grow in education, research and social grounds.

Kemal Birdir leads the team of Mersin University. He is a tourism academician. He earned his bachelor degree in Tourism Management in 1989 from Cukurova University, Mersin School of Tourism and Hotel Management. The same year he was assigned as a research assistant in the same school and awarded a scholarship to complete his graduate degrees abroad. In 1994, he earned his MBA degree in Tourism Management from Hawaii Pacific University and in 1998, PhD at Purdue University’s Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism (RHIT) program. He had researcher and consultant positions in different European Union projects. Since 1998, he was working at Mersin University School of Tourism and Hotel Management (now Tourism Faculty) and currently is a Professor at Hotel Management program at the same Faculty. He served as the dean of the Faculty between 2015 and 2020. His main fields of research are tourism management, human resources management and tourism planning. He is a member of Association of Tourism Academicians (TUADER).

Sevda Sahilli Birdir is a tourism academician. She earned a BS degree from School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Mersin University in 1998 and received her Master’s degree in 2001 again from School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Mersin University. She worked as a lecturer between 2001 and 2006 in Nevsehir Vocational School of Erciyes University. She earned her PhD degree in 2009 in Erciyes University, Department of Production Management and Marketing. Between 2006 and 2012, she was a lecturer in Social Science Vocational School of Mersin University. She received her title of associate professor at the Science of Tourism field in 2017. Currently, she is working as an associate professor in the Department of Tourism Guidance in Tourism Faculty of Mersin University. She had researcher positions in different European Union projects. Her main fields of work are tourism marketing and tourism management.

Tolga Levent is an urban planner and works at the Faculty of Architecture in the Department of City and Regional Planning. His scientific interest is mainly focused on the spatial organization of service activities, with a special emphasis on urban centres. He is also interested in regional innovation strategies, urban regeneration, migration, and urban resilience. He has taken active roles in educational partnerships at both national and international levels.

Yasemin Sarıkaya Levent is an urban planner. She has been working as assistant professor at the Department of City and Regional Planning, Mersin University since 2009. She had researcher and consultant positions in different projects. Her main interests are urban conservation, cultural heritage management, and urbanisation history. She is a member of Turkish Union of Chamber of City Planners since 2009, ICOMOS Turkey since 2017, and ICLAFI since 2018.