Uğur received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from METU, Ankara, in 2017, and his Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey, in December 2022.

During his doctoral research, he focused on enriching collocated social interactions in public settings. He published several papers, presented at CHI, DIS, and other related HCI and Design venues, and got a Ph.D. Excellence award for his dissertation from the university. He also gave courses on several topics, including Design Thinking, UX Research, and 3D Printing for undergraduate and graduate levels.

Besides his Ph.D. studies, he also worked as a designer at Siemens for two years. During these years, he was involved in design projects on data visualizations for industrial smart machines with international teams.

In TUDelft, he is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher on Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction with the Knowledge and Intelligence Design Group (KIND).

Uğur's current research focuses on the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Persuasive Design. He investigates how AI-powered systems influence human decision-making, trust, and behavior. His work explores the persuasive capabilities of these agents, examining how factors like linguistic style and visual priming affect users' empathy, attitudes, and ultimately, their choices. A central theme throughout his research is the ethical/responsible design of AI, aiming to mitigate potential risks of manipulation and foster critical thinking, ensuring that AI systems support user autonomy and informed decision-making.