People Biography

Dr. Emine Filiz Kölmek is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at the College of Islamic Studies. Her research focuses on Islamic aesthetics, Ottoman architecture, urban transformation, and sustainability. She has contributed to scholarly discussions on the spatial organization of Topkapı Palace and methodological approaches for analyzing Islamic art and architecture. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed books and presented at international conferences, with ongoing work on sustainability in urban transformation and meaning in Islamic architecture.

Dr. Kölmek holds a PhD in Architecture from Middle East Technical University (METU), where she graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She earned her MA in Interior Architecture and her BA in Urban Design and Landscape Architecture from Bilkent University with a full scholarship. She is a recipient of the HBKU-CIS Research Cluster Grant for a book project on Islamic aesthetics, a collaborative research initiative led by HBKU faculty.

With more than ten years of professional experience, Dr. Kölmek worked as an urban designer and landscape architect at Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, leading key urban transformation projects, including Hıdırlık, İsmetpaşa, and AtıfbeyI; and contributing to Türkiye’s largest initiative, the New Mamak Project. She also taught architecture and design at Yıldırım Beyazıt University.