Dashboard – I'm a Scientist 2024

About Me:

I am from Turkey and have lived and worked in three countries (Turkey, the USA, and the UK) before moving to the UK (the second time) to relocate to Lancaster in 2023. I am a chemical engineer and work as a Lecturer at Lancaster University. This means that I do lots of scientific research and higher education teaching. I love being active and try to travel as much as possible. My wife and I love road trips. I love sports activities, especially snowboarding, football, and working out!
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I love meeting new people and learning about new cultures. I have a passion for science and research and I love our work in the lab to solve problems. I am also learning Spanish at my own pace 🙂
My pronouns are:

He/Him
My Work:

I am a scientist working at Lancaster University. I teach several topic to engineering undergraduate and graduate students. I also do a lot of cool stuff in my lab. My research focuses on topics in bioengineering (biology+engineering) subject to solve problems in medical and environmental areas.
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I would love to bring our lab to the students or the other way around. I would like to explain/show more of what we do in the lab to solve real-life problems to encourage more students in STEM research subjects.

We design sensors that can give information about our body or our environment. They help us identify diseases earlier and also monitor our environment. I would like to make our scientific concepts more understandable and accessible to secondary and high school students.
My Typical Day:

I don’t wake up very early, I think this is because we don’t have any kids yet 🙂 But I do wake up fairly on time to start my day efficiently. My typical day mostly depends on my teaching schedule and pre-arranged meetings. So I am bound to my day-to-day schedule. I also work on my research proposals and networking activities for the rest of the time. I work quite flexibly and I work out at least three times a week after work. I go home around 6-7 pm and get comfy for the evening. I sometimes end up working at home too but I try to avoid it if I can.

CV

Education:

Undergraduate and Masters degrees in Chemical Engineering at Hacettepe University, Turkey

PhD in Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University, UK
Qualifications:

BSc, MSc and PhD in Chemical Engineering
Work History:

Teaching Assistant – Newcastle University, UK

Assistant/Associate Professor – Bilecik University, Turkey

Fulbright Fellow – Northwestern University, USA

Lecturer – Lancaster University, UK
Current Job:

Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Lancaster University
Employer:

Lancaster University

My Interview
- How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
  
  ambitious researcher, sociable, sporty
  
  What did you want to be after you left school?
  
  Abroad. I grew up and went to school in Turkey, I always wanted to discover the world and see more of it.
  
  Were you ever in trouble at school?
  
  Not really. I was very active in sports and spend most of my time socialising and doing sports when not in school.
  
  If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
  
  I think I would establish my business or do professional sports (I am a former national taekwondo team member of Turkey)
  
  Who is your favourite singer or band?
  
  There is certainly not one answer to this. I love music and have a collection of old records!
  
  What's your favourite food?
  
  Baklava (Turkish dessert)
  
  If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
  
  Nobel Prize, happy family, good health
  
  Tell us a joke.
  
  Why are chemists excellent for solving problems? -They have all the solutions.