Ozlem Atalay holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. They completed their postdoctoral fellowship at the Liberal Art Action Lab before being promoted to their current position at Trinity College. Their research focuses on queer spaces and the involvement of LGBTQ communities in the local decision-making processes. Ozlem’s dissertation is a multi-method study of participation of LGBTQ+ communities in decision making processes and inclusive city politics in contemporary urban Turkey and the United States. Their research contributes to a growing body of literature on collaborative city governance, inclusive city politics, civic engagement, place making and queer critique.

curriculum vitae

Peer reviewed journal articles:

• Atalay, O., & Doan, P. L. (2020). Making lesbian space at the edge of Europe: Queer spaces in Istanbul. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 24(3), 255-271. https://doi.org/10.1080/10894160.2019.1683700
• Atalay, O., & Doan, P. L. (2019). Reading LGBT Movement through its Spatiality in Istanbul, Turkey. Geography Research Forum, 39(1), 106-126.
  

Peer reviewed book chapters:

• Doan, P. L., & Atalay, O. (2021). After the life of LGBTQ spaces: Learning from Atlanta and Istanbul. In A. Bitterman & D. B. Hess (Eds.), The life and afterlife of gay neighborhoods: Resurgence and renaissance. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66073-4
• Doan, P. L., & Atalay, O. (2023). Queer Perspectives on planning and power. In M. Gunter, K.Grange, T.Winkler, (Eds.), The Handbook of planning and power. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  

Conference Presentations:

• Atalay, O. (2020). Queer spaces in Istanbul: an exploration of conflicting forces. Presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Virtual Conference.
• Atalay, O., & Doan, P. L. (2019). Making lesbian space at the edge of Europe: Queer spaces in Istanbul. Presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference, Greenville, SC.
• Atalay, O., Doan, P.L. (2018). In Pursuit of (Inclusive) Queer Spaces: The Case of Middle East. Presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
• Kubat, S., Atalay, O., Ozdemir, O. (2013). Centrality in Beyazit Square, Istanbul. Presented at 9th International Space Syntax Symposium, Seoul, South Korea.
  

• Co-PI, "Understanding Barriers to Full Civic Participation by the LGBTQ+ Community: The Case of Atlanta," Civic Engagement and Political Participation Research Grant Program, Institute of Politics, Florida State University, $19,750, 2020.
• PI, "Inclusive City Politics?: Analyzing LGBTI+ Inclusion in Municipal Decision Making Processes through a Queer Lens, Istanbul," IJURR Foundation Studentship, 2020.
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Nomination, The Program for Instructional Excellence at the Graduate School of Florida State University, 2020-2021.