Researcher to Reader is pleased to announce that Dr Cem Birol has joined the R2R Advisory Board.
Cem is a Research Data Senior Specialist at Koç University Suna Kıraç Library in Turkey, where he leads institutional initiatives in research data management, Open Science, and FAIR data practices. Koç University is one of Turkey’s most research-intensive institutions, with a strong research environment that includes a solid medical research programme.
Cem brings together expertise in research data, research management experience, and a strong academic background. He received his PhD in Political Science from Rice University in 2019, specialising in quantitative methods, statistical modelling, and the study of international conflict. Alongside his work in research management, he continues to publish on applied statistics and political science.

He serves as Co-Chair of the Open Science Thematic Group of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators, contributing to evidence-informed discussions and initiatives on Open Science across Europe. He currently leads the TÜBİTAK 2237-A project, Research Data Management Training for Multi-Partner Projects, coordinates ECCCH: ACCESS, an ECHOES Cascade Grant project supporting digital capacity building in the cultural heritage sector, and contributes to the Horizon Europe STARDAST project, which advances research data stewardship and FAIR data competencies across Europe.
His current interests include evidence-based research management, institutional incentives for Open Science, research data stewardship, and practical governance mechanisms that strengthen research quality and collaboration. Cem is the curator of the Missile Tests Dataset. This dataset contains daily records of live missile tests from all countries between 1943 and 2015.
Cem’s perspective will be especially valuable as R2R continues to engage with underrepresented geographies that have outstanding research capacities and highly dynamic research communities. His experience will strengthen R2R’s engagement with research data, Open Science, institutional governance, FAIR practices, and the broader infrastructures that support the full Researcher to Reader cycle.

We warmly welcome Dr Cem Birol to the R2R Advisory Board.