Giray Saynur Derman, completed her undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies at Marmara University, Istanbul. Having served as a research assistant at Marmara University Institute of Turkic Studies from 1992 to 2003, she later held positions at Sakarya University, advancing to the title of Associate Professor Dr. until 2018. Currently a Professor in the Communication Faculty at Marmara University, she specializes in international relations, focusing on Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Black Sea Region. Her extensive research covers Turkish-EU, Turkish-US, and Turkish-Russian relations, Balkan politics, regional conflicts, regionalism, and foreign policy analysis. Derman, a council member of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA), is a multilingual scholar fluent in English, Russian, and Turkish. Her notable publications include “Blue Black Sea: New Dimensions of History, Security, Strategy, Energy and Economy” and “The Struggle for Power in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Geopolitics and the Great Game after the Cold War.”