Murat Şentürk

Murat Şentürk completed his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Communication, Istanbul University, in 2004. He earned his master’s degree in 2008 from the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, with his thesis titled “Survival Strategies of the Poor: The Cases of Küçük Mustafa Paşa and Balat.” In 2011, he completed his PhD in the same department with his dissertation “Istanbul in Terms of Urban Interventions.”

He was a visiting researcher at the Center for Place, Culture and Politics, City University of New York (CUNY) in 2013. During the 2022-2023 academic year, he was a visiting researcher at the School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, where he carried out his TÜBİTAK-supported research project titled “Creating Inclusive and Resilient Communities in Cities Through Volunteerism Studies.”

Şentürk currently works as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University. He also serves as Deputy Director of the Sociology Research Center, Coordinator of the Urban Studies Master’s Program, and Coordinator of the NGO and Social Responsibility Management Non-Thesis Master’s Program. In addition, he is the co-founder and director of the Volunteer Academy. His research interests include urban interventions and policies, new media and digital culture, civil society and volunteerism, citizen participation, and the sociology of aging. Şentürk serves as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul University Journal of Sociology and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Senectus. 

Actively supporting various NGOs and civil initiatives, Şentürk continues his volunteer work as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Darülaceze Foundation and Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Green Crescent Society (Yeşilay). In 2021, he received the Outstanding Young Scientist Award (GEBİP) from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA). His work has been supported by TÜBA, TÜBİTAK, the European Union (Horizon Europe), and various national and international organizations. Şentürk’s current research focuses on the relationship between local governments and volunteerism.