Yaprak Gürsoy

Yaprak Gürsoy is Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), within the European Institute. She previously served as Senior Lecturer at Aston University and Associate Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, and was a Senior Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford University.

Research Interests: Her work centers on comparative politics and international relations, with a focus on regime change, democratization, civil-military relations, coups d’état, and Turkey’s relations with Europe and the UK. She has conducted extensive comparative analysis of Turkey and Greece, and more broadly Southern Europe and the Middle East.

Publications and Research Trends: Her recent articles explore the emotional and narrative dimensions of international relations, populism in Turkey, Brexit’s impact on Anglo-Turkish relations, and military interventions. Her scholarship combines historical depth, elite interviews, and policy relevance, often bridging academic and public discourse.

Scientific Awards:

• Young Scientist Award (BAGEP), Turkish Science Academy (2016)
• Koç University Alumni Award – Achievement in Academia (2023)
• Excellence in Education Award, LSE (2022, 2024)

Advising, Grants, and Leadership: She has supervised research projects and surveys, including a TÜBİTAK-funded political opinion pilot. Her Turkey-UK relations project was funded by the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA). She co-founded the Turkish Politics Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association (PSA) and serves on the council of the British Association for Turkish Area Studies (BATAS).

Labs and Teams: She has led field research teams conducting archival work and elite interviews in Turkey, Greece, and the US. Her datasets on Turkish parliamentary discourse are publicly available via Aston University.