Imge Akaslan

Imge Akaslan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL) in Heidelberg, Germany, where she works on the DFG-funded project "Shaping Human Rights Due Diligence. Norm Contestation in the Business and Human Rights Regime" since October 2023. Prior to this, she was a Graduate Assistant at the University of Connecticut's Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute and Political Science Department from August 2017 to May 2023.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut (2023) with a dissertation titled "Brokering Labor Rights in Global Supply Chains: Buying Agents and the Challenges of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises", an M.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton (2017), and a B.S. in Global and International Affairs from Middle East Technical University, Turkey (2015).

Dr. Akaslan's research focuses on the intersection of human rights and global economic structures, particularly labor rights in global supply chains, business and human rights, and international political economy. Her work examines the role of intermediaries such as buying agents in enforcing labor standards and the challenges faced by small and medium enterprises in compliance. She has presented her findings at major international conferences including the International Studies Association and the American Political Science Association.

Her notable scientific awards include:

• Thomas A. Kochan & Stephen R. Sleigh Best Dissertation Award (Honorable Mention, 2024)
• University of Connecticut Graduate School Summer Fellowship (2023)
• University of Connecticut Human Rights Institute Dissertation Writing Fellowship (2022-2023)
• University of Connecticut Political Science Collaborative Research Fund (2022)
• Norman Kogan Fellowship in Western European Politics (2020)

During her doctoral studies, Dr. Akaslan received multiple research grants and fellowships that supported her dissertation work. She has also taught courses at the University of Connecticut on Gender in the Workplace, Gender and Globalization, and Quantitative Methods in Political Science.

She is currently engaged in the DFG-funded project at MPIL, which investigates human rights due diligence in business and the contestation of norms in the business and human rights regime. Her prior work at UConn involved collaboration with the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute.