Başak Kale is part of a network of young Turkish and European leaders from all sectors who come together once a year to engage in intensive dialogue and to share views and ideas about topical social issues. The Turkey Europe Future Forum takes place alternately in Turkey and Germany, as well as in other European countries.
Başak Kale is an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, where she is also a research fellow and coordinates the Migration Studies Programme. Her research focuses on Turkey-EU relations, EU enlargement, Europeanization, migration, asylum and transatlantic energy security. She has taught and conducted research at other institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, Boğaziçi University and Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo). She was a founding member of IGAM, Turkey’s first NGO dedicated to migration and asylum. In the past, Ms Kale worked at the Turkish Ministry for EU Affairs (MEU), advising the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Coordinator for the Convention on the Future of Europe. She has also worked as a consultant for various international organizations including the UNHCR, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the UN. After pursuing a PhD at METU on the international refugee regime, she received her PhD on how EU law influences the EU enlargement process from the University of Oxford. She holds an MSc in European studies from the London School of Economics and a BSc in political science and public administration from METU.