Esra Sert

Dr. Esra Sert serves as an Assistant Professor at MEF University's Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, where she conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of urban ecology, architectural labor, and socio-ecological history. Her work critically examines Istanbul's urban metabolism through political ecology frameworks, with emerging focus on comparative estuary studies between Istanbul and New York City.

Her educational foundation includes:

• PhD in Architecture from Middle East Technical University (METU, 2020), dissertation: Urban Metabolism of İstanbul: Waterfronts as Metabolized Socio-Natures between 1839 and 2019
• Master's in Landscape Architecture from Istanbul Technical University (2013), thesis: Rain Water in the Energy Efficient Urban Landscape Design
• Bachelor's in Architecture from Yıldız Technical University (2008)

Dr. Sert's research program centers on urban metabolism as a lens for understanding socio-ecological transformations, particularly in waterfront landscapes. She investigates metabolic flows of water, soil, and building materials through historical and contemporary urban contexts, challenging nature-society binaries. Her methodology emphasizes collaborative, community-engaged practices that bridge academic theory with architectural praxis, while critically analyzing labor conditions in Turkey's architecture sector and ethical dimensions of design.

Her publication portfolio reveals consistent thematic evolution toward integrated socio-ecological analysis, with early work establishing foundations in architectural labor studies and pandemic-era solidarity practices, then progressing to sophisticated historical examinations of urban metabolism. This trajectory demonstrates increasing methodological complexity in connecting material flows with social processes across temporal scales.

Her recognition includes:

• Fellowship at İstanbul Studies Center (KHAS, 2019-2020)
• Two Honorable Mentions in national design competitions (2010, 2016)
• Purchase Prize in Green Spaces Artworks Competition (2022)

Dr. Sert secured a competitive TÜBİTAK grant in 2024 for urban metabolism research and currently coordinates the MEF BAP AAP027 project mapping Istanbul's metabolic flows (2024-2025). She will advance comparative estuary studies as a fellow at The New School's Laboratory for Urban Spatial + Landscape Research during 2025-2026, developing her We Live in an Estuary project through transnational academic collaboration.

Her research is conducted through the MEF BAP AAP027 project team and will expand through The New School fellowship, emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration with urban ecologists, historians, and community stakeholders to visualize complex metabolic systems in coastal megacities.