Begüm Burak is an independent researcher whose research, teaching and writing focus on democracy, media, human rights, online freedoms and cyberspace, Turkish politics, and critical discourse analysis. Dr. Burak served as a Turkey country expert for V-Dem Institute, a Sweden-based organization, and currently serves as a board member for the Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, and the Social Sciences Advancement Dialogue Network. She is also a member in the board of advisors in Learning Life, a Washington-based organization. Her publications include the book, The Image of the Undesired Citizens in Turkey (2022), and numerous articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and news outlets. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from Fatih University, her M.A. from Istanbul University, and her B.A. from Marmara University. During her occupation as a research assistant she engaged in short-term academic activities in the U.K., Spain, Italy and Bosnia.