In this episode we speak with Ayşe Seyyide Kaptaner, a graduate of Istanbul Technical University's Energy Systems Engineering program, holder of a master's from Imperial College London, and currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of London's Birkbeck on refugee entrepreneurship. The conversation covers her transition from the corporate world to academia, the nuances of Imperial and doctoral applications, multilingual life, and career advice for young people.
Ayşe is 25 and was born in Istanbul. She completed her bachelor's in Energy Systems Engineering at ITU and her master's at Imperial College London in innovation and entrepreneurship. She is now conducting doctoral research at Birkbeck on how refugees become entrepreneurs in the countries they reach and which factors shape that process. Her hobbies include archery and playing violin since high school; during her master's she joined the university archery team.
From her second year of undergraduate study she worked in a large corporate structure resembling a management trainee program. Although she had the chance to experience different departments, she realized early that the corporate world did not suit her—a experience that helped clarify her direction. In her third year she went on Erasmus to the University of Applied Sciences in Munich for a one-year program, took courses in German, and observed production processes in the field. Her German skills helped her stand out in competitive applications.
Her decision to go to Imperial grew from her interest in the research side of innovation and entrepreneurship. Although she had never been to London before, she traveled to England for a short youth project and sent a sincere email to program coordinators before the formal application, requesting an in-person meeting. The positive impression from that conversation carried into later interviews. She stresses that prestigious schools look not only for high grades but for enthusiasm, extra effort, and participation in projects. She applied to five to ten schools for her master's, received acceptances from most, and Imperial was her top choice. The doctoral process was tougher: she applied to six or seven schools and received rejections from most. Applying with a proposal requires a literature review and a methods section; funded applications in the UK are especially difficult. For Imperial she emphasizes that official processes alone were not enough—the sincere email she wrote to coordinators opened the door. Although she received acceptances from most schools for her master's, she found the doctorate harder despite her Imperial CV; funded applications add extra competition in the UK. When writing a proposal, literature, methods, and persuasive elements must work together; imaginary projects do not get accepted.
At Hamilik Okulu she supported disadvantaged children with weekend classes and social activities. At Mühendishane she organized sessions with external trainers on topics such as communication for prospective female engineers. An online platform for refugee children's education in London is still being set up; she aims to collaborate with institutions in Turkey.
Her volunteering began at Hamilik Okulu during her bachelor's with weekend classes for disadvantaged children; after graduation she ran a career completion program for prospective female engineers at Mühendishane. She is now working with a team in London to build an online platform, in cooperation with Turkish institutions, aimed at helping refugee children return to school.
For language learning she used young-adult novels without subtitles rather than graded readers for English; she learned Arabic in a practical way from a Syrian lawyer and improved her German during her Erasmus year. Trips to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, along with earlier experiences in India, Sweden, Austria, the Czech Republic, Scotland, Jerusalem, and Saudi Arabia, feed her motivation. When motivation drops, she does not force herself; she clears her mind with walks, travel, or archery and violin, then works more productively. Planning summer holidays throughout the year and financing them through saving also builds the habit of setting goals. Writing refreshes her mind; she publishes in a magazine and on a blog.
She says she has no major regrets of the "I wish I had done it differently" kind; she still feels drawn to the practical side of entrepreneurship and mentions several technology startup attempts since her bachelor's that never fully materialized. She would like to try that chapter of life at some point.
Among her book recommendations are works by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, İhsan Oktay Anar, Mustafa Kutlu, J.D. Salinger, Cameron, Ayn Rand, and Yaşamak İstiyorum. She advises young people first to question why they chose their profession and not to set out for popularity's sake. She wants them to do work they truly love, not what others call "a good career." She tells them not to hesitate to try, not to listen to voices that say "it won't work," and that there is no such thing as a stupid question. If a path you were sure about a year ago no longer fits, she urges them not to fear changing direction; even in technical fields, she highlights finding a human dimension. She says everyone should have a mentor to consult. Starting corporate internships early helped her see work she did not enjoy; the moment she felt bored at a desk became a turning point toward academia. Her recommendation for the series is Merve Çirişoğlu Çotur in animation.
Highlights: ITU to Imperial and Birkbeck · refugee entrepreneurship PhD · Erasmus Munich · Imperial acceptance through a sincere meeting · proposal and funding difficulty · multilingual career · volunteering and Mühendishane · choose work you love · stay open to change
