Bengisu Şimşek
Communication Science
Teaching Assistant
608-263-3998
6166 Vilas Hall
Bio
Bengisu is a PhD student in communication science, focusing on media psychology. Her work engages broadly with positive media effects pertaining to questions at the intersection of media violence, morality, and gender. More specifically, she is interested in the ways we engage with violence in the media, why we are drawn to it and the processes through which we make sense of it.
Most recently, she has worked in projects about sexual violence in fictional media and political violence in contexts of large-scale criminal violence. She has worked with experimental and survey methods thus far.
Education
M.A., Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025
M.A., Media and Visual Studies, Bilkent University, 2023
B.A., Communication and Design, Bilkent University, 2021
Selected Conference Presentations
Riddle, K., Şimşek, B., Woods, B.E. (2026). Gender Differences in Reactions to Media Depictions of Sexual Violence: A Retrospective Memory Approach. Presented in the Top Papers in Mass Communication Panel at the Annual Conference of the National Communication Association (NCA), New Orleans, LA.
Şimşek, B., Mares, M.L. (2026). Who Blames Which Victim? Selections and Interpretations of Crime Dramas about Sexual Violence. Presented in the Top Student Papers in Mass Communication Panel at the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Cape Town, South Africa.
Mares, M.L., Yang, S., Krcmar, M., Sun, L., Meier, M.L., Şimşek, B., Zhang, X. (2026). Love Wins Out: A Cross-Partisan Test of Parental Messaging in Support of Trans Youth. Presented at the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Cape Town, South Africa. Top Faculty Paper.
Meier, M.L.,Şimşek, B., Mares, M.L. (2025). Disrupting Gender in Communication Research: A Meta-theoretical Review. Presented at the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Denver, Colorado.
Publications & Current Projects
Meier, M. L., Şimşek, B., & Mares, M.-L. (2026, July 14). Gender in/as communication: A constitutive framework and review. Annals of the International Communication Association. https://doi.org/10.1093/anncom/wlag036
Badillo-Sarmiento, R., Şimşek, B., Moscoso-Rojas, M., & Skigin, N. Words as weapons: How criminal groups distort the state and undermine authority through non-violent communication
Grants & Scholarships
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression | University of Chicago
Helen K. Herman Award | Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Weaver Excellence Award | Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Marilynn R. Baxter Research Award | Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fulbright PhD Scholarship | August 2023-August 2025
Full Scholarship, Bilkent University for M.A.
Merit Scholarship, Bilkent University for B.A.
Teaching:
CA272: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication | Teaching Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
CA260: Communication & Human Behavior | Teaching Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
CA100: Introduction to Speech Composition | Instructor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
COMD422: Advanced Issues in Communication Studies | Teaching Assistant, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
COMD358: Professional Communication | Teaching Assistant, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
COMD321: Analysis of Moving Image | Teaching Assistant, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye