SELIN EREKUL
Champaign,34
Summary
Creative and highly dedicated Industrial Design student with a deep passion for thoughtful, human-centered design and the power of crossdisciplinary collaboration. Pursuing minors in Computer Science and Informatics to bridge the gap between physical product design and digital user experiences. Experienced in both product development and UI/UX design, with strong skills in design research, visual communication, and collaborative thinking. Especially drawn to projects that bring people together, tell meaningful stories, and use design as a tool for connection and impact.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
Intern
Invent.ai
New York & Istanbul
07.2025 - 09.2025
- Led the research and interface design for a customizable dashboard tailored to different retail professional roles (e.g., merchandisers, demand planners, store assistants), improving usability across business functions.
- Designed and prototyped modular widgets in Figma, including data-driven forecasting tools and SKU management interfaces, focusing on flexibility, generalizability, and urgent-action visibility.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with internal teams to gather domain insights and integrate real-world retail workflows into interface logic.
- Applied user-centered design principles to solve complex retail optimization challenges, receiving positive feedback from leadership for structured work and initiative.
Intern
Newell Brands
Nantes
06.2022 - 07.2022
- Completed internship within the design and development of Parker, Waterman, and Rotring branded writing instruments.
- Collaborated with the brand management team on the development and finalization of design briefs for a new Rotring mechanical pencil.
- Participated in cross-functional design-review meetings for various product development projects under Parker and Waterman brands.
- Gained hands-on experience across design, development, and manufacturing stages of writing instruments, produced visual design assets for etching and engraving on multiple Parker pen models.
Design Development Experience
Ford Motor Company
- Company Overview: Truck and Heavy Duty Vehicles
- Worked with Prof. Mert Ilkin, senior design lead and gained insights into 'Product Design and Development Stage Gate process' via workshop sessions, going over various stages of the design process for one of their most recently launched heavy duty truck models (from initial competitive landscape search, UseEx study, need identification, new technology review, core design, all the way through to the design freeze and handover stage to manufacturing team)
Education
BACHELOR OF ARTS - INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL05.2027
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA -
Koç High School
Istanbul06.2023
Skills
- Product design
- Prototyping techniques
- Presentation
- Visual design
- Design Tools (Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, XD, Keyshot, Figma, SolidWorks)
- Figma app design
- UI and UX design
- Research skills
- User interviews & Surveys
- UI and UX design
- Research synthesis
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Feedback integration
- Data visualization
Languages
- English, First Language
- Turkish, First Language
Activities
- EntreCorps
Helped develop an application design for a start-up (Unable to name due to NDA contract) that focuses on immediate aid, shelter and response for those in need. Conducted a longitudinal case study in the span of a year to provide deliverables and consultancy to the business owner.
- Industrial Design Student Association at University of Illinois
Helping connect Industrial Designers to Business owners through firm crawls, Networking events and portfolio workshops.
- IlliniThon
Helped individually raise 300 dollars through Trick or Treat charity event for child patients at the Saint John's hospital. Contributed to the organization of/participated in the IlliniThon annual Dance Marathon to cumulatively raise 70,128.63 dollars.
- UI/UX Design Pre-College Program at Koc University
Learned how to use crucial tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, Adobe InDesign, Miro. Designed an application to encourage reading and listening to story books for ages 4-8 in a team of two and presented deliverables to a team of jury and college professors, program completed with A+.
Selected Recognition
- Recognized by the FAA Career Services Department for exemplary resume, cover letter, and portfolio materials; invited to serve as a student example for future applicants
- Personally selected by Ana Rodas, Career Services Advisor, to showcase professional documents and inspire peers navigating the job search process
References
Carlos Aguiar, PhD (he, him, his)
Assistant Professor | Industrial Design | School of Art + Design
Timeline
Intern
Invent.ai
07.2025 - 09.2025
Intern
Newell Brands
06.2022 - 07.2022
Design Development Experience
Ford Motor Company
BACHELOR OF ARTS - INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA -
Koç High School