My background is in agricultural genetic engineering, and during my undergraduate years I concentrated on both classical and modern plant breeding techniques. My family runs a farm in the southeastern region of Turkey, so I have firsthand experience with the challenges farmers face during crop production and post-harvest storage. I believe that one of the most effective and sustainable ways to address these problems is plant breeding. Among the major limitations of crop production, disease pressure stands out and developing disease-free or disease-resistant varieties is essential for increasing yield. For this reason, my undergraduate research focused on developing PVX- and PVY-resistant potato varieties.
I later started my master’s degree in plant biotechnology. My primary goal was to strengthen my knowledge of plant physiology and nutrition. I strongly believe that even if we develop crop varieties with strong genetic resistance to diseases, their long-term survival and productivity ultimately depend on their physiological performance and nutritional status. During my master’s studies, I aimed to understand plant–microbe interactions and how these associations enhance plant fitness. At the same time, I gained hands-on experience in laboratory and greenhouse work, as well as exposure to the early-stage development of agricultural biotechnology startups.
Afterwards, I worked as an agricultural engineer at a plant breeding company. I was responsible for screening tomato, pepper, cucumber, melon, watermelon, and squash breeding lines and hybrids using molecular markers. My role also included analyzing genetic similarity and determining seed purity using DNA-based techniques.
More recently, I have been working to integrate my prior experience with computational biology, high-throughput phenotyping, and comparative genomics. My goal is to identify yield-related QTLs and genes in maize.
In summary, my research interests include plant breeding and the application of computational tools to enhance crop improvement. Although my current focus is on maize, my long-term career goal is to gain the expertise needed to establish a startup that promotes environmentally friendly and sustainable crop production systems. Further details about my research can be found on the Projects page.