People - Synthetic Biosystems Lab

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Urartu Özgür Şafak ŞEKER

Postdoc : MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Synthetic Biology Center, Research Laboratory of Electronics 2011-2014

Singapore Nanyang Technological University, Electrical-Electronics Engineering, 2010-2011

PhD: Molecular Biology -Genetics and Biotechnology , Istanbul Technical University , 2009

Research Assistant (Visiting Graduate Student): University of Washington, Materials Science and Engineering, 2004-2007

Postdoctoral Researchers

Ebru Şahin Kehribar, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2010

MSc: Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Sabancı University, 2013

PhD: Material Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 2021

Ebru’s current research focuses on recombinant protein expression using yeast surface display technology via synthetic biology tools. Her aim is to develop screening systems that target amyloid-forming proteins associated with diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, Huntington and Creutzfeld-Jakob. She enjoys watching anime, playing piano and practicing yoga.

PhD Students

Recep Erdem Ahan – PhD Candidate

BSc : Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, 2014

BSc: (Double Major) : Chemistry, Istanbul Technical University, 2015

MSc: Material Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 2018

Recep graduated from the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Istanbul Technical University. He also did double major with Chemistry. His main interests focus on bioengineering. He participated the iGEM competition in 2013 with iGEM team of ITU as president of team.In his free time, he likes to watch movies, hangs out with friends, walks the Istiklal Street with a coffee. Also, he is a daydreamer and enjoys to dream that he can fly without wings.

Merve Erden – PhD Candidate

BSc : Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2016

MSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2018

Merve is graduated from the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Bilkent University at 2016. Her main research focus is on biochemistry. She is interested in understanding the transcriptomic response of nanoparticle triggered toxicity. She aims to use the clues from transcriptomic data to build genetic circuits to overcome the toxic effects of the nanoparticles. In her free time, she likes to dance, watching movies and hanging around with friends.

Merve Yavuz – PhD Candidate

BSc : Molecular Biology and Genetics, METU, 2016

Merve has graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Currently, she is working on developing synthetic genetic circuits to produce bacterial magnets within the cell for biomedical applications.

Besides science, she is willing to spend time with special children (with leukemia or Down syndrome). She loves music and enjoys playing violin, painting and reading novels.

Cemile Elif Özçelik – PhD Student

BSc : Molecular Biology and Genetics, Middle East Technical University

MSc: Material Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 2020

Elif has graduated from METU, department of molecular biology and genetics in 2017. She has participated in iGEM team of METU in 2015 as an active member. She has an experience in cell culture applications. Besides them, she likes painting, knitting, fencing, and travelling.

Suat Tüçer – PhD Student

MSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2019

Suat was graduated from ITU, Molecular Biology and Genetics department. He got his MSc degree in Bilkent University MBG department and his main research focus was on immunology. He is now in UNAM to broaden his knowledge in biology related interdisciplinary fields in his PhD degree.
He loves nature and in his free time he likes to go camping and doing sport.

Senem Şen – PhD Student

BSc: Bioengineering, Ege University, 2018

MSc: Bioengineering, Ege University, 2021

Senem graduated from Ege University, department of bioengineering in 2018. She likes particularly the works that require analytical intelligence. Besides them, she enjoys doing yoga and chatting with her loved ones.

Aslı Semerci – PhD Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, İstanbul University, 2015
MSc: Medical Biotechnology, Acıbadem University, 2018

Aslı is graduated from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at İstanbul University in 2015. She has a strong passion to understand the pathologic characteristics of disorders and developing new approaches for diagnosis of treatment. Besides that, she has two startup experiences as a cofounder. Her motivation is using scientific knowledge for improving human life quality. She likes spent time in nature and animals.

Melis Karaca – PhD Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, İstanbul Technical University, 2021

Melis has graduated from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Technical University, in 2021. She is mainly interested in biotechnological drugs and drug delivery. Her hobbies include singing, listening to Turkish Classical Music, doing yoga, playing tennis and bridge, and spending time with her loved ones.

M.Sc. Students

Ahmet Hınçer – MSc Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2020

Ahmet graduated from molecular biology and genetics department of Bilkent University. His main interests are computational biology and protein engineering. His reason to study this field was curing his mother’s blindness, thus applicable side of synthetic biology was fascinating him. He was the member of iGEM teams at 2018 and 2019. This year, he became one of the advisors of the team. On his free time, he loves watching and playing basketball, hanging out with his friends and chatting with everyone around him.

Gozeel Binte Shahid – MSc Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2019

I graduated from the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent 2019. I did my internship in Sabanci University. My main interest lies in the field of bioengineering. I find it fascinating to be able to create tangible devices using biological principles. I also have experience and interest in the fields of marketing and management.
My hobbies include English literature, music, sketching and drama. I’m also a hard-core animal lover.
One of my guiding principles in life is “Amat victoria curam”.

Doğuş Akboğa – MSc Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2021

Doğuş has graduated from the Molecular Biology and Genetics Department of Bilkent University in 2021. He has been working in SynBioLab since February 2019. He was a member of the iGEM team in 2019 and 2020. He has worked on a variety of projects for SynBioLab throughout his undergraduate, his main area of interest now is synthetic biology applications for cancer immunotherapy. He is a bookworm, has experience in playing and coaching professional junior varsity basketball teams of Hacettepe University, Ankara University, and Turk Telekom, and loves making hip-hop music.

Mehmet Emin Bakar – MSc Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 2021

Mehmet graduated from Bilkent University Molecular Biology and Genetics Department in 2021, and he is a member of SynBioLab since February 2019. He is currently interested in engineered living biomaterials. He is a cinephile, a music geek, an economics enthusiast, a coffeeholic, and a snake lover. Spending time with his loved ones and pets is meditative to him.

Ece Avcı – MSc. Student

BSc: Biology, Middle East Technical University, 2021

Ece graduated from the Middle East Technical University, Department of Biology with honors. She was a long-term intern at Ankara University, Department of Medicine, In Vitro Fertilization Laboratory. She is now interested in applications of the recently discovered CRISPR tool in combating viral diseases. She enjoys baking and trying out new recipes. She was a classical ballet dancer for 6 years and a professional standard ballroom dancer in the METU dance-sport team.

Cem Dirse Polat – MSc. Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Middle East Technical University, 2022

Cem graduated from the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of METU. He was fascinated by the complexity of biological systems starting from a young age and thus he decided to pursue a degree in this field. Now he is interested in synthetic biology and creating biotechnological tools to combat problems such as environmental pollution. In his free time he enjoys watching sports and playing video games.

Nazlıcan Tunç – MSc. Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, 2022

Nazlıcan graduated from Izmir Institute of Technology, department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2022. She is interested in designing biosensors through genetic circuits. She likes playing video games, watching anime and folk dancing.

Abdurahman Atilla – MSc. Student

BSc: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul University, 2022

I graduated from the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of Istanbul University. I did internship in Synthetic Biosystems Lab in Bilkent University. I was fascinated synthetic biology when I was a third grade student in university. My hobbies include playing video games and watching movies and tv series.

Alumni

Postdoc Alumni

Dr. Ebru Aras Hira (2019-2022)

Research with SBL : Engineered Bacterial Therapeutics for Metabolic Diseases

Current Position : Scientist at Harvard University Medical School Joslin Diabetes Center

Dr. Esra Yuca (2018-2020)

Research with SBL : Engineered bacterial biofilm proteins for living materials

Current Position : Assistant Prof. at Yildiz Technical University Molecular Biology&Genetics

PhD Graduates of Synthetic Biosystems Laboratory


Dr. Ebru Şahin Kehribar, 2021 Completed Ph.D. degree with SBL Current Position: CTO at Synbiotik Biotechnology Postdoc at SBL	Dr. Behide Saltepe, 2020 Completed Ph.D. degree with SBL Current Position: Postdoc at University of Edinburgh, School of Biological Sciences, Wang Lab	Dr. Elif Duman, 2019 Completed Ph.D. degree with SBL Current Position: Senior scientist at Synbiotik Biotechnology

Dr. Tolga Tarkan Ölmez, 2017 Completed Ph.D. degree with SBL Current Position: Postdoc at Yale University, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, ACAR Lab	Dr. Ebuzer Kalyoncu, 2017 Completed Ph.D. degree with SBL Current Position: Assistant Professor, İstanbul Health Science and Technology University (ISTUN), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc. Graduates of Synthetic Biosystems Laboratory