Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum is an interdisciplinary artist, cognitive scientist, educator, science communicator, documentary filmmaker, photographer, painter, and podcast host. She brings together scientific inquiry and creative practice to tell stories that are both intellectually rigorous and deeply human. Whether in a classroom, behind a camera, or in front of a canvas, her work is rooted in listening, collaboration, and empowering others to share their own stories.

Özge is returning to Rice University as an Assistant Teaching Professor, where she previously spent more than a decade on the faculty. In the interim, Özge served as Director of Scientific and Public Affairs at the Association for Psychological Science, where she established the organization's first Scientific and Public Affairs department. In this role, she led initiatives spanning global engagement, science policy, professional development, and public communication. Through Moon Ay Luna Consulting, she partners with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations to strengthen strategy, programs, and communication, helping translate ambitious ideas into lasting impact.

A recipient of the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching and the Sarah Burnett Teaching Prize, she sees teaching not simply as the sharing of knowledge but as the creation of spaces where curiosity, confidence, and community can flourish. Her approach emphasizes mentorship, inclusive learning environments, and helping students connect ideas across disciplines while developing their own voices.

Her creative practice spans multiple long-term projects united by a shared interest in human connection and lived experience. Portrait of a Festival is a documentary celebrating women in jazz in Washington, DC. Through the painting series Unapologetic Femininity and Familiar Displacements, she transforms familiar objects into visual metaphors of identity, freedom, and belonging. Scenes of Play is an ongoing photography series that captures everyday moments of imagination and wonder. Previously, she hosted and produced Under the Cortex, a science podcast for the Association for Psychological Science that translated cutting-edge psychological research for audiences around the world.