I have completed my high school education Izmir Private Science High School in 1997, where I have had the chance to be a member of Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Biology Olympics team and project contest. I still remember it like yesterday that it was a great introduction to science and research.

I have continued my education in Middle East Technical University (METU), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics - where I was admitted through University Matriculation Exams ranking 241st among more than 1.5 million students.

Middle East Technical University (METU) has been an intense period of training for me - giving its students a world wide open perspective and a good depth knowledge.

I have continued my Master of Science (M.Sc.) education in Bilkent University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, where I have had the chance to work with Prof. Dr. Tayfun ÖZCELİK on molecular genetics of breast cancer. We have performed numerous projects in human molecular genetics trying to understand the impact of several factors in the onset and progression of breast cancer, such as CHEK2 mutations, X-chromosome inactivation, RNASEL mutations, etc.

My thesis defense was on elaborating the impact of mutations in the RNASEL gene, and its ipacts on onset and progression of breast cancer. We have published our findings in the manuscript titled "Lack of Association Between RNASEL Arg462Gln Variant and the Risk of Breast Cancer" in the Anticancer Research Journal. PUBMED LINK

My doctoral studies were on molecular genetics, biochemistry and biophysics of human disease conditions. More specifically, I have worked on directed mutagenesis, interactome research and biophysics of spectrin, which is a protein implicated on onset and progression of Alzheimer's Disease.

Our first publication was on deciphering the importance of an aminoacid residue on the tetramerization, which is required for the tertiary structural arrangement of the protein, and was published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology Letters with title "Important Residue (g46) in Erythroid Spectrin Tetramer Formation". PUBMED LINK

Initial findings of this study was presented in FEBS Conference and was published in the FEBS Journal.

Our second project consisted of performing site directed mutagenesis (use introduced mutations) trying to understand protein dynamics in its function. In this project, in addition to the molecular biological techniques of yeast hybrid studies, we have also performed Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) studies, which enabled us to understand the biophysics of spectrin tetramer formation. Our study was published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology Letters with a title "Yeast Two-Hybrid and ITC studies of Alpha and Beta Spectrin Interaction at the Tetramerization Site". PUBMED LINK

My dissertation defense was on investigation of interacting partners of spectrin protein in the human brain to further our understanding about the functions of spectrin and its implication of Alzheimer's Disease. For this study we performed Yeast Libary Screening, which was followed by preparation and analysis of the interacting proteins, which can be potential therapeutical targets for Alzheimer's Disease. Our study was published in Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology Letters with title "Non-Erythroid (Brain) Spectrin Interacting Proteins and Their Effects of Spectrin Tetramerization". PUBMED LINK