Dr. Merve Suna Özel Özcan is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the International Relations Department at Kırıkkale University, Türkiye. A double major graduate in International Relations and History from Gazi University (2011), she completed her PhD in International Relations in 2019 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. She also received advanced methodological training in Saint Petersburg related to her doctoral research and is currently pursuing a second PhD in Political and Social Sciences at Gazi University.
Her academic interests include Russian studies, great powers, energy, and international relations in Eurasia. Dr Özel Özcan is the author of Empires: Great Powers from Past to Present and editor of works such as Post-Cold War: System, State, and History. Actively involved in key academic events abroad, including in Moscow, Kazan, and Saint Petersburg, she is also a prominent commentator in the media.