Until recently, Dr. Okumus was Head of Sector – Energy and Climate Action Division within the Secretariat of the Union of Mediterranean (UfM), a position where she oversaw efforts across a wide range of energy and climate policy effort lines throughout the Mediterranean region. She has also run projects in Turkey, Belgium, France, and Nigeria.

Dr. Okumus holds a PhD in the Sociology of Public Administration from Sciences Po, Paris, where her dissertation focused on the “Financial, Economic and Political Aspects of Energy Negotiations of Turkey with Its Neighbors.” Dr. Okumus has been an adjunct professor at Sciences Po, and her analyses have appeared in a wide variety of outlets, including Al-Monitor, Oil Price, and Al Jazeera. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Turkish.