On 28 November 2023, Professor Ayşe Zarakol was presented with the Koç University Rahmi M. Koç Medal of Science in the fields of ‘Administrative Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Law’ for her research at the intersection of historical sociology and international relations, focusing on East-West relations in the international system, the history and future of world order(s), conceptualizations of modernity and sovereignty, rising and declining powers, and Turkish politics in a comparative perspective. This is the first time the medal has been awarded for contributions to political science and international relations.
The Koç University Rahmi M. Koç Medal of Science is Koç University’s answer to the question, ‘What permanent gift can we leave to humanity?’ The goal is to positively move science forward and encourage the research of tomorrow. This award recognizes the achievements of the most promising minds of the nation of Turkey, exceptional individuals of Turkish origin under the age of 50 who have shown outstanding success and significant progress in their field. The award was created to motivate the winner to continue to achieve excellence in research throughout the rest of their career.
The recipient is chosen by a special panel of academic experts, and is bestowed in alternating years in the fields of “Science, Engineering, and Health Sciences” and “Administrative Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Law”.
Professor Ayşe Zarakol is a professor of International Relations at the University of Cambridge. She grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, but moved to the United States to pursue her education. Professor Zarakol has been with the Department of Politics and International Studies at Cambridge since 2013. She is widely published and her 2022 book Before the West: the Rise and Fall of Eastern World Orders has won multiple awards including both the Yale H. Ferguson Award from the International Studies Association and the Allan Sharlin Memorial Book Award just last month.