Oya Rose Aktas is the Turkish Research Programme Assistant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. For her Bachelor of Arts, she studied Humanities and Economics at Washington University in St. Louis, where she researched how images of women were used to shape Turkish national identity throughout the history of the Turkish Republic. Before the Washington Institute, Oya worked on income inequality research at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, specifically focusing on how economic policies affect women and minorities. Previously, she also worked as a Legislative Intern at the United States House of Representatives.