Zeynep Aykul Yavuz

Hi, I am Zeynep. I am a Learning Designer at ATÖLYE Academy. I am also completing my PhD in Learning Sciences at Boğaziçi University. I am interested in translating scientific approaches to learning into daily practice or vice versa, “learning in the community” and “learning by doing.” I try to create accessible quality education for people from diverse backgrounds.

Zeynep joined ATÖLYE as a Learning Designer in 2019. Her doctoral studies, experience in design and engineering, and interdisciplinary background support Academy’s Learning Community, as well as Academy’s programs in design, evaluation, and sustainable learning. She is also experienced in coaching and facilitation.

Zeynep designed a myriad of learning content and environments for individuals, teams, and communities. These designs range from a technology-enhanced social cohesion curriculum for children to design curriculums for self-learning adults. Zeynep also coaches teams in Academy’s distinguished programs and facilitates workshops for in-house rituals.

During and after her graduate education, Zeynep has worked with young entrepreneurs in a mobile startup accelerator program as Fab Lab Manager. She organized training programs, workshops, and events while supporting entrepreneurs in developing their products and services with a human-centered approach. After her team applied for the Education in Emergencies Challenge initiated by OpenIDEO, Zeynep joined OpenIDEO’s Alliance program where she was mentored along with social innovators from all over the world. She developed her project with a design thinking approach and won a grant with the animation that she prepared for the project.

Zeynep has many academic publications on developing industrial design curriculum for university-industry collaborations, adapting open source tools in design processes by industrial design students, mobile startup accelerators, and Fab Lab programs for local people and refugees. She continues her research on learning together, learning in communities, and learning journeys.

Zeynep enjoys making illustrations, creating basic animations, and reading about neuroscience in her spare time.