Ulas Gozutok (Turkey)

PhD Candidate in Political Science

Originally from Antalya, Turkey, Ulas chose to study at UK because of the research interests of the International Relations and Comparative Politics professors in the Political Science department. "It is a growing and ambitious political science department, and I thought that I would complement the department well with my research interests in International Peace and Security Studies," he said.

Ulas' research revolves around how authoritarian regimes behave during foreign policy crises. He investigates how domestic political institutions in an autocracy affect the regime's strategies towards democracies and non-democracies in crisis setting. He holds a master's degree in International Relations from the Univeristy of Groningen in the Netherlands and a bachelor's degree from the University of Dokuz Eylul in Izmir, Turkey.

"With the education and knowledge I have gathered at UK, I would like to teach my own class of research methods to undergraduates in Turkey for the purpose of contributing to the spirit of critical thinking and scientific inquiry in young people's minds," Ulas said.

He also had words of encouragement to offer prospective graduate students: "You are going to find a lot of resources, a great library and a welcoming, supportive environment for your research. I highly recommend UK!" In addition to academics, Ulas appreciated many features of UK and Lexington, including the campus gym, the library Starbucks, the clean weather, green environment and fresh food as well as the horse races at Keeneland.