Rate My Professor Zeynep Akcay

Dr. Zeynep Akcay serves as Senior Lecturer at Griffith Film School, Griffith University, where she convenes the Animation Program. An award-winning animation filmmaker and scholar, she focuses on experimental aesthetics and narrative strategies of animation in diverse environments. Akcay earned her BA in Radio Television and Cinema from Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey. She gained professional experience as a character animator and in post-production while studying in Montreal, Canada, completing an MA at Concordia University. She then returned to Turkey, working as a lecturer in Izmir while pursuing a practice-based PhD at Yasar University, producing an interactive animated film for preschool children titled 'A Case Study with Bo & Di'. Prior to Griffith in 2018, she held positions as Lecturer at Bahçeşehir University, Visiting Assistant Professor at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, and faculty in the Animation Department at Yasar University.

Akcay teaches courses including Character Animation: Applied Practice (3303GFS), Character Animation: Acting and Performance (2304GFS), Exploring Animation (1304GFS), and Character Animation: Processes and Tools (3306GFS). Her short films, such as 'Kam', have screened internationally and won prizes at festivals including Sundance and Cannes. Key publications include 'Dance, Long Exposure and Drawing: An Absurd Manifesto about the Female Body' (2021, International Journal of Film and Media Arts). She has collaborated on projects like Mangrove Timelapse VR with the GLOW Project for sustainable development goals and the multimedia installation 'James the Rat' showcased at Curiocity Festival. In 2024-2025, Akcay received a Fulbright Scholarship as Scholar-in-Residence at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, University of Texas at Dallas, developing undergraduate and graduate courses on experimental animation techniques. Her research extends to animation theory, history of animation, stop-motion, and applications in serious games for mental health design. Akcay contributes to creative arts research through the Creative Arts Research Institute and public presentations on animation practices.