Dr. Zeynep Tuba Sungur is a researcher on Afghanistan and South Asia (covering Pakistan, India as well as Iran), with advanced Persian language skills, specialising on the sociology and political history of the region. Her academic credentials include degrees from Boğaziçi University (BA) and Middle East Technical University, METU (MS and PhD). Dr. Sungur holds a PhD in Area Studies from METU (2020) where she previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Graduate School of Social Sciences (2014-2019) and as a Part-time Lecturer at the Department of Asian Studies (2021-22). Following PhD, Dr. Sungur was awarded the prestigious TÜBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye) Post-Doctoral Fellowship to conduct research at SOAS University of London for a year (2022-23). Thereafter, Dr. Sungur joined ASBÜ Institute for Area Studies, Department of Asian Studies in September 2023.

In her PhD research, Dr. Sungur worked on the role of education in nation-building in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan during which she conducted field research in Kabul. Her PhD-based article titled “Nation as Conceptualised in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” published in the prestigious Nations and Nationalism journal was awarded the Dominique Jacquin-Berdal Essay Prize for 2022, a prize awarded to the best article written by young scholars.

Along with academic work, Dr. Sungur also provides training and consultancy for international organisations and public bodies such as IOM (International Organization for Migration, UN), ICMPD (International Centre for Migration Policy Development) and Ministry of Interior Presidency of Migration Management.