Child Development Specialist · Neuroscientist
Merve Meral İçilensu
Understanding development begins with seeing the connections.
I work where child development, neurodevelopment and education meet. I hold two undergraduate degrees, in International Relations and in Child Development; I completed two master’s degrees in 2026, in Child Development & Education and in Neuroscience, and I am now continuing a doctorate in child development at Istanbul Aydın University. Here I try to translate the science of children’s development into language that means something in everyday life.
- Undergraduate degrees
- 2
- Completed master’s degrees
- 2
- Doctorate in progress
- 1
- Developmental span
- Prenatal–18
Areas of work
What I work on
Child Development & Neurodevelopment
The biological and experiential foundations of development: how the maturing brain and the child’s environment shape one another.
Executive Functions
Planning, inhibitory control and working memory — the shared subject of my master’s thesis and my neuroscience work.
Family, Relationships & Context
Approaching development not through the child alone, but within family relationships, caregivers and the wider bioecological context.
Learning & Development
The developmental ground beneath learning: what a child can learn and when, and what that means in an educational setting.
Developmental Assessment & Monitoring
Developmental inventories, attention and visual-motor perception assessments; ongoing monitoring and interpretation alongside the family.
Research & Current Literature
Evaluating scientific knowledge through a critical, evidence-based lens, and narrowing the distance between academic knowledge and practice.
Background
Education and experience
Experience
English Teacher
KALEV Schools
2024 –
Present
Child Development Specialist
Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital
2024
Clinical placement
English Teacher
Artı Sonsuz College
2020 – 2024
Alongside coordinating English language teaching and serving as primary school vice principal
English Teacher
Amerikan Kültür Derneği Preschools, Çanakkale
2017 – 2019
Education
Child Development, PhD
Istanbul Aydın University
In progress
Neuroscience, MSc
Üsküdar University
2024 – 2026
Completed · Project: “The functional neuroanatomy of executive functions in childhood”
Child Development & Education, MA
Istanbul Okan University
2023 – 2026
Completed · Thesis: “An examination of the relationship between the executive functions of 60–72-month-old children and their mothers across several variables” · full text in the Turkish National Thesis Centre
Child Development, BA
Istanbul University
2019 – 2023
International Relations, BA
University of London
2006 – 2009
Talks & Publications
Teacher Talks #89 — Speaker
INGED (English Language Educators Association)
2022
Follow the title to watch the recording
“Research on executive functions in children and adolescents in Türkiye: a scoping review”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Migration, acculturation and adaptation from a lifespan development perspective”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Developing writing skills in young people through comics”
2024 Autumn Teachers’ Symposium (ATC)
2024
Seminar
I like spending time in nature and walking, skiing, listening to music, and painting.
Blog
Latest writing
The first post will appear here soon.
Have a question?
Write to me about education, child development, or collaboration.