Kadir Yağız Çetin
Full-time glutton, part-time technologist & researcher.
Initiatives
CDR — Founder & CEO (2020-now)
CDR is an independent technology and research organization focused on public policy based in the U.S. and Türkiye. Working at the intersection of technology and governance, CDR develops digital tools and delivers capacity-building programs that strengthen transparency, expand participation, and support evidence-based decision-making.
CDR’s work spans a growing portfolio of technology products and programs. Policyful is an AI-powered public policy intelligence platform that helps organizations monitor regulatory and legislative change and understand what it means for them. Referandom, a “Tinder for Parliament,” makes parliamentary and local decision-making more accessible through an interactive civic participation experience. gov2ai helps NGOs build the skills, workflows, and institutional capacity to use AI responsibly and effectively. RENEW-Intel is an AI-powered intelligence platform that tracks EU policies and regulations affecting renewable energy, critical materials, and energy-grid companies, researchers, and NGOs. CDR Youth is a capacity-building program for university students aged 18 to 25, designed to strengthen governance literacy and youth participation.
Experience, Fellowships & Awards
Stiftung Mercator — TEFF Fellow (2026)
Stiftung Mercator is a German foundation that supports democratic participation, European cooperation, and social transformation. I was selected as a fellow of its Türkiye Europe Future Forum (TEFF), which brings together emerging leaders from Türkiye and Europe for dialogue and exchange on the future of Turkish-European relations.
National Endowment for Democracy — Hurford Fellow (2023)
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an independent, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. As a Hurford Fellow at NED, I spent four months in Washington, DC, conducting a perception analysis on how MPs in Türkiye approach youth-related issues by examining parliamentary records. Also participated in and spoke at roundtables on Türkiye’s 2023 elections.
Oxford Centre for Technology and Development — Research Fellow (2021-2023)
OCTD is a University of Oxford spin-out specializing in research, consulting, and project management. As a Research Fellow at OCTD, I contributed to international projects, including a Meta-funded study on digital citizenship in Türkiye, an EU-funded analysis of high-skilled labour migration to Türkiye, and a MARKA-funded feasibility study on establishing a Smart Agriculture R&D Centre.
JCI Türkiye — Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award (2021)
Selected by JCI Türkiye as one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the field of political, legal, and governmental affairs.
German Embassy — Sustainable Future Project Competition, 3rd Place (2020)
Education
Boğaziçi University — Bachelor of Arts, International Trade
Contact:
kadir@cdr.technology & kadir@yagizcet.in
