Prof. Dr. Hasret Dikici Bilgin Elected President of the International Political Science Association

Prof. Dr. Hasret Dikici Bilgin, faculty member of the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, has been elected President of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), one of the most prestigious international organizations in the field of political science.

Prof. Dr. Hasret Dikici Bilgin, faculty member of the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, has been elected President of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), founded by UNESCO 76 years ago and among the most respected organizations in the field. Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin became the second academic from Turkey elected to this prestigious international position. Previously, Prof. Dr. İlter Turan, faculty member of the Department of International Relations at Bilgi University, held this position when elected president in 2016.

The Council, the highest decision-making body of IPSA with representatives from all corners of the world, unanimously elected Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin as President-Elect at the election held during the IPSA 2025 World Congress of Political Science organized in Seoul. Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin will formally assume the IPSA Presidency at the World Congress to be held in Rome in 2027.

Following her election as IPSA President, Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin made the following statement: "Research and teaching in political science at Turkish universities began in the 1950s. Since then, academics in the field have worked for the development of political science both domestically and abroad. I view my election to the IPSA Presidency as part of the legacy of academics who, before me and during my time, pushed the boundaries of conditions to conduct scientific work. I hope this position will increase the international visibility of Turkish universities and academics and expand the scope of comparative studies on Turkey." she said.

Who is Prof. Dr. Hasret Dikici Bilgin?
Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin, faculty member of the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, also serves as Vice President of the Turkish Political Science Association. Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin's academic work focuses on political Islam, comparative political institutions, political parties and Middle Eastern elections, with her articles and book chapters published in leading international journals and publishing houses in the field.

The book "Comparative Politics: Core Issues and Approaches," which she co-edited, was awarded the Best Scientific Copyright Work Prize by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) in 2014. She has also served as Turkey's lead researcher on two Horizon Europe projects in the field of radicalization. 

Prof. Dr. Dikici Bilgin has served at various levels within IPSA since 2013. In 2018, she served as Program Chair of the 2021 IPSA World Congress of Political Science together with renowned French political scientist Prof. Bertrand Badie, actively participating in all stages of the congress program, and from 2018 to 2021 continued her role as a member of the IPSA Executive Committee as the representative of the Turkish Political Science Association. From 2023 to 2025, she also served as Coordinator of IPSA Summer Schools.