I started my undergraduate education in 2010 at the Department of Geography at Isparta Süleyman Demirel University. In my master’s thesis, which I completed in the same department between 2014 and 2017, I conducted research at Mucur Obruk Lake in Central Anatolia (Kırşehir-Mucur). The aim of my thesis was to explain the paleo-vegetation changes of the last one thousand years through the use of pollen analysis. My Ph.D. research builds upon my master’s thesis, but takes a more comprehensive approach.
The main objectives of my Ph.D. are to develop my skills in palynology and paleo-ecology, with a specific focus on multiproxy data analysis, including pollen, charcoal, and µ-XRF. I am particularly interested in studying Quaternary paleo-ecological changes, including vegetation, paleoclimate, and land-use, in Anatolia over the last 20,000 years. However, I am also interested in studies that focus on specific periods or subjects. I believe it is important to investigate the historical and archaeological changes that occurred during the Holocene period alongside paleo-ecological changes, using a multi-disciplinary approach. Therefore, the collaboration of different specialties in natural sciences and the cooperation between natural sciences and social sciences can provide answers to some questions in science (natural or social). Such collaborations will be mutually beneficial and lead to more comprehensive studies. As part of my paleoecological research, I conduct modern pollen monitoring to help relate paleovegetation changes. I completed my doctoral thesis in December 2022, and I am continuing my research in the Geography Department at Süleyman Demirel University.
Author: Mustafa Doğan
