Bio:

Nihan Albayrak is an Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at Boğaziçi University and a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the LSE, following a Master’s in Applied Social Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Master’s in Neuroscience at King’s College London. Her doctoral research focused on how physical and psychological distance influences individual humanitarian responses to global emergencies, with a particular emphasis on the case of Syrian refugees. Following her PhD, she undertook a postdoctoral role at the Open Psychology Research Centre at the Open University. There, she contributed significantly to the launch of a Collaboration Lab aimed at enhancing the research experience for students and researchers. Her postdoctoral research focused on meta-science, examining psychologists' sample recruitment practices and their reporting and discussion of sample characteristics. During this time, she joined the British Psychological Society’s Social Psychology Section Committee (2022), where she has served as Honorary Treasurer until 2026.

Research Expertise and Interests:

Her research explores the socio-political and systemic dynamics of social justice, identity, and power relations. Adopting a critical and contextually grounded perspective, her work investigates how marginalisation, mobility, and hierarchies shape individuals' and communities' sense of worth, recognition, and collective agency. Specifically, she examines the psychological mechanisms of intergroup relations, helping behaviours, and identity construction across diverse contexts, including forced migration, higher education, and structural inequalities. Methodologically, her research employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches while she is actively working towards integrating decolonial frameworks, reflexive open science, and participatory methodologies into her ongoing work. Beyond her empirical work, she actively leads mentoring initiatives and policy-oriented discussions to drive structural change in higher education.

Selected Publications:

· Tyner, A. H., …, Albayrak, N., …, et al. (2026). Investigating the replicability of the social and behavioral sciences. Nature.

· Acem, E., Aczel, B., Albayrak, N., Brown, N. J. L., Dudda, L. A., Elsheriff, M. M., Gjoneska, B., Kowal, M., Krishna, A., Miłkoś, S., Paruzel-Czachura, M., Patel, J., Pypno-Blajda, K., Scharlau, I., Verheyen, S., & Zubaly, B. (2025). Why I declare a conflict of interest and you should not. Theory & Society.

· Albayrak, N., Obradovic, S., & Busacca Dolleo, D. (2025). Identifying with political actions plays a greater role in predicting collective action intention among the advantaged than identifying with political opinions. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology.

· Amer, A. & Albayrak, N. (2024). Navigating British academia as an early-career Muslim woman. In Uncovering Islamophobia in Higher Education: Supporting the Success of Muslim Students and Staff (Eds. A. Mahmud & M. Islam). Palgrave Macmillan.

· Van den Akker, O., …, Albayrak, N., …, et al. (2024). The potential of preregistration in psychology: assessing preregistration producibility and preregistration-study consistency. Psychological Methods.

· Obradovic, S., Albayrak, N., Amer, A., Boza, M., & Kışlıoğlu, R. (2024). Power, meta-perceptions, and belonging: how positive recognition matters for group identification, identity compatibility, and intergroup attitudes. Political Psychology.

· Korbmacher, M., …, Albayrak, N., …, et al. (2023). The replication crisis has led to positive structural, procedural, and community changes. Nature Communications Psychology.

· Albayrak, N. & Gleibs, I. H. (2022). A social-psychological examination of academic precarity as an organisational practice and subjective experience. British Journal of Social Psychology.

· Bago, B., …, Albayrak, N., …, et al. (2022). Situational factors shape moral judgments in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern, and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample. Nature Human Behaviour.

· Albayrak, N. & Gleibs, I. H. (2021). Measuring global bystander intervention and exploring its antecedents for helping refugees. British Journal of Psychology.

· McPhetres, J., Albayrak, N., Chow, E., Gonzalez-Marquez, P., Loukras, E., Maus, A., Mendes, A. B., O’Mahony, A., Pomareda, C., Primbs, M., Sackman, S., Smithson, C., Volodko, K. (2021). A decade of theory as reflected in Psychological Science (2009-2019). PLoS ONE.

· Woltin, K-A., Sassenberg, K., & Albayrak, N. (2018). Regulatory focus, coping strategies and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a comparison between Syrian refugees in Turkey and Germany. PLoS ONE.

Information for Prospective Graduate Students

I am open to advising MA and PhD students from all academic backgrounds and disciplines. You are free to pursue a wide range of research topics but I place strong emphasis on projects that engage with themes of social change and justice.

If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree under my supervision, please follow the steps below:

1. Complete the form on the following link prior to emailing me directly: https://boun.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8GQUesnU2PjUxHE

2. After submitting the form, send a follow-up email to me confirming your submission and attaching your current CV.

I strongly recommend contacting me at least 2 months before the formal deadline for master’s applications and at least 4 months in advance for PhD applications.

Information for Research Assistant Position Applications

My lab is open to researchers and students from all disciplines who are interested in collectively thinking about and working on issues of social change and justice from a critical and transdisciplinary perspective.

If you are interested in joining the Social Change and Justice Lab as a research assistant, please complete the following application form: https://boun.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bQ8iGgi12joqc0m

We will get in touch with you when a position becomes available.

Information on Social Psychology Reading and Discussion Club

I established this club in 2022 to provide mentorship and build a supportive community for senior undergraduate students, recent graduates, and graduate students across Türkiye who are passionate about pursuing a career in social psychology. We meet monthly throughout the academic year to discuss key theoretical and empirical literature. Please note that applications are accepted exclusively in September each year, and we do not accept mid-year entries. For further details and application updates, please visit the lab website.