Deniz Hasirci

Deniz Hasirci is a Professor of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at İzmir University of Economics (IUE), where she has held the rank of Professor since 2019. She previously served as the Department Head from 2010 to 2017, leading its inclusion in the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI), making IUE one of three Turkish universities with this distinction. Her academic journey includes a PhD and MSc from Bilkent University, followed by a Fulbright scholarship at North Carolina State University (2001–2002), where she collaborated with Prof. Henry Sanoff on educational design and participatory methods.

• Affiliations: IUE since 2006, DATUMM Project Co-Director, DOCOMOMO Turkey Founding Member, EDRA Member, TAPLAK Founding Member.
• Research Focus: History of modern interiors, biophilic design, participatory design with vulnerable groups (children with cancer, autism), and mid-century modern Turkish furniture.
• Key Projects: Co-led the IFI Declaration signing in Izmir (2016), curated the DATUMM archive on Turkish modern furniture, and developed pedagogical frameworks for co-design education.

Her research spans academic publications in Journal of Interior Design, Journal of Design History, and others, with over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2009. She teaches courses on environmental psychology, design semiotics, and PhD-level environment-behavior research. Her work bridges theory and practice through projects like gender-neutral playgrounds, refugee camp analyses, and biophilic educational spaces.

• Awards: Fulbright Scholar (2001–2002).
• Grants: World Bank-funded "Child Attraction Center" (2005–2008), oral history project on Turkish designers.
• Labs/Teams: Coordinates IUE's Second-Year Design Studio and leads the DATUMM archival initiative.