ABDurrahman Aktop

Professor ABDurrahman Aktop is a distinguished academic at Akdeniz University's Faculty of Sports Science, where he serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Coach Training since 2023. Previously, he was Dean of the Faculty of Sports Science (2021-2024) and has held various academic positions at the university since 1999, progressing from Research Assistant to Professor in 2018. His academic journey includes completing his Doctorate in Sports Sciences at Akdeniz University in 2008, following a Postgraduate degree in Physical Education and Sports Teaching in 2002, and an Undergraduate degree from Middle East Technical University in 1995.

• Doctorate: Sports Sciences, Akdeniz University (2008)
• Postgraduate: Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Akdeniz University (2002)
• Undergraduate: Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Middle East Technical University (1995)

Aktop's research spans multiple domains within sports science, with particular emphasis on sports psychology, motor skills development, and biofeedback applications in athletic performance. His work bridges theoretical understanding with practical applications for athletes across various sports disciplines. He has significantly contributed to understanding how psychological factors, particularly attention mechanisms and mental training techniques, influence sports performance.

His publication record reveals a strong focus on heart rate variability biofeedback, cognitive performance in sports, and motor skill development. Recent work (2023-2025) demonstrates continued innovation in applying physiological monitoring techniques to enhance athletic performance, particularly in basketball and football contexts. His research shows consistent progression from foundational work on motor development to sophisticated applications of neurofeedback and biofeedback in elite sports performance.

• 138 publications indexed in Web of Science
• 159 H-Index (Web of Science)
• 207 H-Index (Scopus)
• 7 citation count (Web of Science)

Professor Aktop has successfully supervised numerous graduate students through their thesis work, with a particular focus on motor development, attention training, and performance psychology. His grant portfolio includes significant projects funded by TUBITAK and higher education institutions, addressing topics such as explosive strength-related injuries in female athletes, psychophysiological evaluation of elite shooters, and heart rate variability biofeedback applications. He has also led community-focused initiatives supporting children affected by earthquakes through educational and recreational activities.

His leadership extends beyond research to departmental and faculty administration, having served in multiple managerial roles including Head of Department and Dean. This combination of research excellence, teaching commitment, and administrative leadership establishes him as a central figure in Turkish sports science academia.