Hi, I’m Yakup — a psychotherapist-turned-developer blending emotional insight with clever code. I build tools that think deeply, design thoughtfully, and help people connect better with themselves and the world around them.
Ever stared at an image and thought, “These colors get me”? ColorFinder is a native iOS app that pulls dominant color palettes from photos — perfect for designers, artists, or anyone who just loves vibes.
Meet Q. A minimalist journaling app that asks one powerful question each day to inspire deep reflection. No feeds, no likes — just you, your thoughts, and a daily prompt worth thinking about.
Mental health support, reimagined with AI. Mindful Reflections is a GPT-4-powered web app offering personalized, thoughtful responses to help users reflect, grow, and feel seen — no logins full of judgment, just honest insight.
Teaching Python with a global community of learners through Stanford’s Code in Place — making code less scary, and a lot more human.
Building clean, intuitive apps from scratch, including:
Tools used: Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, Core ML, CloudKit — and a bit of obsessive perfectionism.
From full-stack builds to AI assistants, I’ve worked across mental health tech, education platforms, and backend systems. Basically, if it runs on code and has a heartbeat — I’m in.
Additional Work: Library & course management systems (Spring Boot), engaging user experiences (Jakarta).
Worked with clients facing trauma, loss, and complex emotional issues. Brought that depth into my tech work — because building apps that understand people starts with actually understanding people.
Received GPT-4 research credits to explore how LLMs can support mental wellness. Currently in the lab, making sure your next therapy bot doesn’t make things worse.
I used to sit with people and help them process deep emotions. Now I also sit with machines and teach them to understand human complexity.
My background is in clinical psychology, but I’ve always been fascinated by how tech can support mental health in ways that are scalable, smart, and kind. After working as a therapist for years, I transitioned into full-stack development — specializing in AI, mobile apps, and digital tools that don’t just work, but feel right.
I hold a Master’s in Information Technology from Sabanci University, and earlier degrees in Psychology and Forensic Sciences from Istanbul University. My work now lives at the intersection of empathy and engineering.
I speak Kurdish, Turkish, and English fluently, and I’m conversational in German. Probably skating through the city with some niche electronic playlist, then winding down with code and a psychoanalysis paper I pretended not to already have bookmarked.
Want to collaborate, brainstorm, or just talk about how weird AI is getting? Reach out — I’m always happy to connect with curious people building meaningful things.