0000-0002-5604-7540
Asst. Prof. Melek ÇAYLAK was born in Trabzon, Türkiye. She graduated with honors from the Department of Sociology at Sakarya University in 2012 and completed her Pedagogical Formation Certificate Program in the same year. She earned her Master's degree in Sociology from the Institute of Social Sciences at Sakarya University in 2016 and completed her Ph.D. in Sociology in 2024. Her master's thesis received the "Best Master's Thesis of the Last Five Years Award" from the Institute of Social Sciences at Sakarya University in 2020.
Asst. Prof. ÇAYLAK began her academic career in 2013 as a Lecturer in the Social Services Program at the Vocational School of Health Services, Üsküdar University, and was appointed Assistant Professor in 2024. Between 2013 and 2014, she served as Head of the Disability Care and Rehabilitation Department. Since 2014, she has been serving as Head of the Department of Social Work and Counseling and Chair of the Social Services Program. Since 2024, she has also served as the Director of the Center for Accessible Life Support Research and Practice (ENMER) at Üsküdar University. In addition, she serves as the Erasmus Departmental Coordinator, Chair of the Commission for Students with Disabilities, and a member of various academic boards and committees.
Her research interests include social work, family studies, women's studies, disability, aging, migration, social identity, stigma, secularization, and cultural studies. She has published articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of social work and sociology, presented papers at scientific conferences, and contributed to books and book chapters. Her publications primarily focus on social identity and stigma, migration, consumer culture, secularization, social structure, and women's studies.
At the graduate level, Asst. Prof. ÇAYLAK supervises master's and doctoral theses in the fields of family, marriage, gender, childhood, women's studies, and social structure. She has actively participated in numerous nationally funded and institutionally supported research and social responsibility projects focusing on family, women, youth, aging, disability, and inclusive care services. Among the projects she has led or contributed to as a principal investigator or researcher are "Women Empowered Through the University, A Stronger Future with Mothers," "Active Aging University: Life Support Workshops for Older Adults Living Alone," "Young Red Crescent Academy: Youth and Family Research Program," and "An Examination of the Levels of Secularity Among University Students and Their Parents in Türkiye."
Alongside her academic work, Asst. Prof. ÇAYLAK collaborates with non-governmental organizations through consultancy and social responsibility initiatives. She continues her scholarly research in the areas of family, women, disability, aging, and community-based social work practices, contributing to both academic knowledge and social development.