Şebnem Yalınay Çinici (Prof.Dr.) received her B.Arch (1989), M.Arch (1991, in Architectural Design) and Ph.D. (1999, in Architectural Design) degrees from Middle East Technical University (METU), Department of Architecture; and completed her Post-Doctorate studies (2001) in Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. She started and pursued her academic career at METU, Department of Architecture (1991-2006), and Yıldız Technical University, Department of Architecture (2006-2011). In 2022-2023 academic year, in her sabbatical leave, she was invited to teach in the Department of Architecture (First Year Studios), at Pennsylvania State University; where she is currently a member of Immersive Environment Lab Research Team.

In 2003 she founded and initiated Digital Design Studio in the Faculty of Architecture at METU.  In 2007 she started delivering courses in the Graduate Program of Architectural Design at İstanbul Bilgi University. Besides conducting basic design and architectural design studios, her major field of research is ontology, technology and philosophy; architectural design; high-end design+production technologies and their integration into design education. She has numerous national and international publications; exhibition participations and curations. She was the curator of VCMD 3 on Architecture and Education (Dreams to Realities: Projections on Education Exhibition at İstanbul Modern); and exhibit her studio work at the collateral events of 16th Venice Biennale 2018 and architect@Work 2018 (First Year Student Projects: Carapace and Woodle; ComputationBased BasicDesignStudio@BILGI, 1:1@1 Material Performance).

Şebnem Yalınay Çinici, being a co-founder of Department of Architecture (2009) and ComputationBased_BasicDesignStudio@BİLGİ (with an alternative approach for first year design education), is continuing her academic career at Istanbul Bilgi University, where in years 2011-2020 she was the founding Head of Architecture Department.

• Post-Doc. Research, Columbia University, GSAPP, 2001 _ Gelassenheit and Architecture_An Inquiry into Design Education with Digital Technologies 

• Ph.D. in Architectural Design, Middle East Technical University, 1991-1999 _ “Lines and Architectural Thinking: An Inquiry into the Nature of Architectural (Re)presentation” 

• M.Arch in Architectural Design, Middle East Techncial University, 1989-1991 

• B.Arch in Architecture, Middle East Technical University, 1985-1989