#019: Gunes Ozhan Story

Published: March 31, 2017, 10 a.m.

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Gunes Ozhan earned her Bachelor\\u2019s degree from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Middle East Technical University in 2003.

Shortly after, she was admitted to the Molecular Biology Program of International Max Planck Research School in G\\xf6ttingen, Germany. She received her PhD in 2009, with her thesis on the molecular evolution of embryonic development in arthropods, which was conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in T\\xfcbingen.

After working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Biotechnology Center of TU Dresden and gaining experience in signal transduction and the zebrafish animal model, Dr. Ozhan was offered a PI position at iBG-izmir and moved to her hometown Izmir in 2014, to achieve her vision of establishing an independent lab in a top-notch biomedical research center in this lovely city.

Upon her return, she has been successively awarded Reintegration Fellowship of TUBITAK, EMBO Installation Grant, L\'Or\\xe9al\\xa0Turkey For Women In Science award, Academy of Science BAGEP award and Turkish Academy of Sciences GEBIP award.

Dr. Ozhan is a molecular and developmental biologist and made valuable contributions to our understanding of Wnt/\\u03b2-catenin signaling regulation at the plasma membrane. At iBG-izmir, she explores the tight regulation of Wnt signaling that will reinforce discovery of novel drugs\\xa0and its roles in adult zebrafish brain regeneration.

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