Welcome to the Spotlight Series, where we put the focus on the talented individuals who contribute to the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy here in Trinity College Dublin.
Each month, we sit down with a member of our research team to learn more about their areas of expertise, what the turning points have been in their career, and what inspires them in their daily lives.
Dr Asli Ceren Cinar
Dr Asli Ceren Cinar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. Her research focuses on candidate preferences, political representation, social identity, and gender. Emphasising candidates' demographic and physiological features, She investigates voter preferences for political candidates and the factors influencing their decisions in various country contexts, including the United States, Germany, and Turkey. Her work also examines the complex relationship between social identity and political behaviour, with a particular interest in the role of gender in politics and its impact on political outcomes.
What is your current area of research?
My research centres on understanding the ways in which nonverbal cues shape political behaviour and candidate–voter interactions, with a particular focus on the intersections of political communication and gender.
What question or challenge were you setting out to address when you started this work?
I am interested in how physical and physiological traits, beyond the socio-demographic characteristics of politicians, affect voters’ decision-making processes. I wanted to examine whether we can disentangle the unconscious, harder-to-change aspects of political persuasion from the more strategic ones. My research has begun to show that how a politician looks and sounds can strongly influence how voters evaluate them.
Share a turning point or defining moment in your work as a researcher?
A defining moment for me came during graduate school, when I listened to interviews with voters during election period in Turkey. I realised that most voters were focusing on how politicians presented themselves — whether they had a charismatic look or a competent voice. That was when I became interested in how much voters form their first impressions of politicians through nonverbal signals.
Briefly, what excites you about your research?
What excites me most about my research is exploring the trade-offs that can help offset stereotypes formed from physical traits. I hope that this work can contribute, even in small ways, to improving the political representation of many underrepresented groups.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I really enjoy going to the theatre to see new plays — something I’ve been trying to do more regularly. I also love watching films and then spending hours discussing them with friends and family.
What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading Human Acts by Han Kang, which is based on the student uprising in South Korea in the 1980s. After being captivated by Kang’s The Vegetarian, this is the second book of the author that I’ve read. It is both courageous and moving.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
It would be Frida Kahlo, whose paintings and self-portraits are brave, symbolic, and deeply personal. I would love to talk with her about her life and her experiences, and how these intersected with her explorations of societal roles in her art.
What would people be surprised to find out about you?
I played basketball for four years in high school and even became team captain. We competed in both city and county tournaments. This usually surprises people when they meet me, let’s just say I wasn’t exactly the tallest player on the court!
December 2025
Past Stories
- Ashley Shaw October 2025
- Kat Chzhen February 2025
- Maylis Avaro December 2024
- Phil Mullen October 2024
- Gizem Arikan February 2025