Özge Zihnioğlu 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.
Özge Zihnioğlu is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Bahçeşehir University. She has been researching and publishing on Turkish civil society, activism, EU-Turkey relations, and EU civil society support. She is the author of "European Union Civil Society Policy and Turkey: A Bridge Too Far?" and "EU-Turkey Relations: Civil Society and Depoliticization". Özge also published several scholarly articles in academic journals including Third World Quarterly, Voluntas, Political Studies Review, and Turkish Studies. She received the Young Scientist Award from Turkey’s Science Academy in 2015 and from the International Relations Council in 2018. Furthermore, she is a member of Carnegie Endowment’s Civic Research Network, Executive Committee member of Turkey’s Young Science Academy Working Group, and assistant editor at Uluslararası İlişkiler (Journal of International Relations).