Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, and completed my PhD in Pharmacology in 2023. During my PhD, I researched the diabetic heart and miRNAs. I have a special interest in senescence and age-related diseases, which aligns with my current research as a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Georgina M. Ellison-Hughes' Research Group, where I focus on the relationship between senescence/aging, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
What is a typical day like for you?
These days I spend most of my time doing research, experiments and reading. I try to make the time I'm here productive.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
You are the only one who can help yourself, never stop dreaming and working.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I see myself as a successful scientist involved in multiple projects and groundbreaking work, having made significant contributions to the field, and I am determined to make that happen.
What do you do with your time outside academia/work?
I usually spend my time with my family. I also love reading, walking and visiting new places.
Who inspires you most and why?
I am inspired by scientists and their achievements, especially those who have faced difficulties, remain empathetic, and persist in pursuing their dreams despite challenges and negativity around them. Their determination gives me the strength to keep going...
What is something positive that happened to you over the last year?
With the project I prepared under the supervision of Prof. Georgina Ellison-Hughes, I was awarded an International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (TUBITAK 2219), which has brought me here as a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences at King's.
QUICK-FIRE:
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite book: The Museum of Innocence
Netflix recommendation: Breaking Bad
One thing you could not go a day without: Coffee