I was born in Turkey. I obtained a bachelor of science degree in physics at the Bogazici (Bosphorus) University in 2000 and then moved to the US for graduate school. I obtained my PhD at Harvard University under the supervision of Nima Arkani-Hamed in 2006. I held two postdoctoral positions, at the Johns Hopkins University until 2009 and then at Rutgers University until 2011. I became a faculty member in the Theory Group at the University of Texas at Austin in 2011 and I was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2017.

My research is focused on extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics with an emphasis on experimental signatures. Specifically, I work on model-building, collider physics, particle astrophysics and cosmology.