Involved in sport from an early age, Sedat Öztürk completed his primary and secondary education on a full scholarship at the Turkish Education Association (TED). During this period he played basketball first for TED Bursa Kolejliler and then in the Bursaspor youth academy, captaining at youth-team level. Experiencing first-hand how psychological factors shape performance and athlete health laid the foundation for his later academic and professional path.
After high school he began a full-scholarship double major in Psychology and Sports Management at Istanbul Bilgi University. During his studies he took part in international projects, conferences and workshops, graduating with honours in Psychology and as valedictorian in Sports Management.
To specialise in sport psychology he was admitted to the MSc programme in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Leipzig University, Germany. During his master's he worked for over a year as a research assistant, contributing to several scientific studies, and graduated with high honours in 2024 with a thesis on psychological safety in sport.
In 2025 he began his doctoral studies at ENS Rennes, France, as a European Union fellow, researching the relationship between sport and mental health. As of September 2026 he continues his doctoral research at Harvard University's Department of Psychology.
Alongside his academic work he practises applied sport psychology: in the 2025–2026 season he served as the sports psychologist of the Turkish Football Federation's U19 Men's National Team. He currently works online with athletes at the Madalyon Psychiatry Center.
Education
- 2026 – presentHarvard University — PhD (European Union fellow)
- 2025–2026ENS Rennes — PhD (European Union fellow)
- 2022–2024Leipzig University — MSc Sport Psychology
- 2018–2022Istanbul Bilgi University — Psychology & Sports Management (double major, full scholarship, valedictorian)
- 2011–2016Turkish Education Association — High school with preparatory year (full scholarship, student athlete)
Experience
- 2025 – presentMadalyon Klinik — Sports Psychologist
- 2025–2026Turkish Football Federation — U19 Men's National Team Sports Psychologist
- 2023–2024Leipzig University — Research Assistant
- 2021–2022Anadolu Efes — Sport Psychology Intern
Certificates & training
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Training — Turkish Psychological Association
- MMPI Practitioner Training — Turkish Psychological Association
- AASP West Virtual Regional Conference of Sport and Performance Psychology — California Baptist University
- Intensive PhD Course in Sport Psychology — Leipzig University
- Gender Equality in Sports — We Play Equal
Memberships
- MemberTPD — Turkish Psychological Association
- MemberFEPSAC — European Federation of Sport Psychology
International Projects
- Istanbul“Fit For Kids Europe” Mobility
- Split, Croatia“Food4Good” Youth Exchange
- Frankolo, Slovenia“Towards Holistic Well-Being of Youth” International Training Course
- Sofia, Bulgaria“Life After Sport” Final Conference
- North Macedonia“Experiential Learning for Education Through Sports” International Training Course
- Tenerife, Spain“The S(Po)Tart Hub” International Training Course
- Sapareva Banya, Bulgaria“Women Empowerment in Sport” International Sport Event