Özlem's main area of research is on the external relations of the European Union. Her current research has two focal points:

The European Green Deal and its externalities, especially with a focus on the Arctic region. Özlem studies the EU's Arctic strategy and the inherent dilemmas between the necessities of its green transition agenda and the wider protection of the environment and human rights in the Arctic region. Her Jean Monnet Module on 'Re-focusing the European Green Deal on the protection of the environment, security and the indigenous peoples' rights in the Arctic' (REPAIR) is a result of this research focus.

Özlem also studies the role of emotions in the making of external policies of the EU and how emotions influence policy choices and actions (in a multi-level system as) in the EU. She is the co-editor of Journal of European Integration Special Issue 46 (5) on the Role of Emotions in EU Foreign Policy and the co-editor of Global Affairs Special Issue 7(2) on Emotion(al) Norms in EUropean Foreign Policy .

Özlem teaches at both the Bachelor's and Master's level programmes at the VU. Her bachelors level courses focuses on the European Union, its politics, institutions, and policies. At the Master's level she teaches on research design and core debates of political science, with a focus on Non-Western theories. Özlem is the Coordinator of the Master and PhD level extracurricullar module REPAIR (see above and also 'projects' on this website for further information on REPAIR). 

Özlem supervises Master's theses in the International Relations track and also in the Global Environmental Governance track of the Master's Programme on Political Science. She is open to co-supervising PhD candidates on the externalities of the European Green Deal, Arctic politics, and (human) security in the Arctic.

• Netherlands National Representative, International Arctic Science Committee, Social and Human Working Group | Akureyri | Member | 2025-06-01 - present

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