Academic Journey

I earned my BSc and MSc degrees in Food Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Türkiye, where I focused on functional food formulation and quality optimization. This work laid the foundation for my interest in bioactive compounds and sustainable sourcing of functional ingredients.

I completed my PhD in Biotechnology at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Türkiye, specializing in food waste valorization and green extraction technologies. My doctoral research focused on sustainable methods to recover phenolic antioxidants from agrifood by-products, aiming to upcycle these compounds into value-added ingredients for functional foods.

During my PhD, I conducted collaborative research at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, where I gained hands-on experience in advanced analytical techniques for profiling bioactive plant compounds. I studied plant secondary metabolites—such as polyphenols and carotenoids—and evaluated their potential as natural colorants and health-promoting ingredients.

As a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA, I expanded into cellular and microbial metabolomics, gaining exposure to advanced methods for studying how metabolism operates across biological systems. This experience broadened my perspective, linking metabolomics-driven insights to ingredient development, nutrition, and sustainable food design.