Born and raised in Istanbul (Turkey), I studied both Genetics & Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering as a double major student at the Yeditepe University. I completed my Bachelor thesis on the identification of promiscuous enzymes for specific reaction by means of computational chemistry, namely docking and molecular dynamics simulations.

After my graduation, I continued to pursue a Master's degree in the same university, where my study focused on molecular biology of Prostate cancer. Besides investigating the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with Prostate Cancer, I also analysed the possible molecular effects caused by these genetic alterations through computational analysis.

Luckily, in addition to increasing my knowledge on CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for SNP modelling during my master study, I also had the opportunity to take part in the in-vivo studies to assess effectiveness of MEIS inhibitors in prostate cancer xenograft model.

I started my PhD in the Schelhaas Lab as of January 2020. My study focuses on the effects of aging and different extracellular matrix components on keratinocyte permissiveness for human papillomavirus (HPV) entry.