My education in the mathematics department taught me to think abstractly, develop an analytical mindset, and delve into the theoretical foundation of complex problems. It all began with a lifelong fascination with space and the cosmos. Over the past year and a half, I have been exploring how to integrate this mathematical background into astrophysics. This pursuit led me to investigate the geometry of spacetime through black holes, marking my first step into theoretical physics. My independent research project, which started during my Erasmus exchange in Czechia and remains ongoing, fully grounded my interest in this field.

Through literature reviews, I became particularly interested in conserved charges and perturbation theory, broadening my perspective by attending every academic seminar I could find. Driven to deepen the underlying mathematics and bring a fresh perspective, I encountered research on superintegrability. That was the turning point in my independent research: realizing the power of algebraic methods in formulating physical structures.

This motivation eventually led me to the work conducted by David Kubiznak and his group at Charles University. Currently, I closely follow recent publications in this area, seeking opportunities to turn my passion for understanding the universe through algebraic methods into an academic career.

My primary academic goal is to specialize in general relativity and perturbation theory by studying hidden symmetries and constants of motion in black hole spacetimes through geometric methods. In this framework, I aim to research the separability of wave equations in curved spacetimes and the algebraic structure of conserved quantities, ultimately building a long-term research career within academia.

My Erasmus+ exchange semester at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, was one of the most transformative milestones of my life, both personally and academically. Living independently in a different culture provided invaluable personal growth, while giving me the opportunity to initiate an independent research project and experience different mathematical traditions firsthand in an international academic setting.

Research Project: Conformal Compactification and Penrose Diagram of the Schwarzschild Spacetime

This project served as my initial independent work in theoretical physics. I studied the causal structure of the Schwarzschild black hole spacetime using differential geometric methods. Focusing on conformal compactification techniques on Lorentzian manifolds, I worked on mapping infinite spacetime boundaries onto a finite Penrose diagram. Continuing this study allowed me to gain crucial skills in literature research, tensor analysis, and understanding the geometric foundations of theoretical physics.

On a social level, living in Brno at the heart of Europe was an incredible experience. I shared a multicultural environment with people from all over the world and built great friendships. During this process, I made an effort to learn about Czech culture and language while also having the opportunity to see many different places in Europe; so much so that Czechia truly felt like a second home to me. Academically, I experienced firsthand how scientific discussions and new ideas can emerge not only in lecture halls, but also while traveling or over a cup of coffee.

Detailed course content, credit values, and semester-by-semester curriculum structures for theoretical mathematics and advanced analysis courses taken during my undergraduate studies can be accessed directly via the Ankara University Course Information Package: