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Bilgenur B

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at National University of Singapore

Expertise

dna sequencing, environmental science, molecular ecology, bioinformatics

Bio

Hi! I am Bilge and I am a molecular biologist and bioinformatics scientist, currently working as the lead bioinformatician at a small start-up specialized in skin microbiome characterization. My PhD work at the National University of Singapore and postdoctoral work in Canada focused on biodiversity monitoring and developing molecular and bioinformatics tools to make DNA sequencing technologies cheaper, faster, and more accurate. I am passionate about aquatic research, DNA sequencing technologies, and bioinformatics. I also had opportunities to do field work in the tropics as well as sub-arctic Canada, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Outside of scientific research, I enjoy travelling, climbing, hiking (I almost summited Mt Whitney recently!).

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

The resilience of aquatic ecosystems against anthropogenic changes

Understanding and managing the impacts of anthropogenic changes on biodiversity, especially in freshwaters, is a major challenge for 21st-century biologists. The outcome of the project would be a report/research paper that will help explore tools to improve biodiversity monitoring, provide early detection of nonindigenous species, and inform management efforts to protect biodiversity from threats including climate change, pollution, and invasive species.

Biodiversity assessment with Next Generation Sequencing

Biodiversity assessment is so integral, whether it is for characterizing skin microbiome to better understand your skincare needs, or for investigating water quality by studying freshwater insect communities. The outcome of this project will be a report/research paper investigating bioassessment tools, with a focus on DNA sequencing technologies including Nanopore sequencing.

Coding skills

python, R

Languages I know

Turkish, German

Teaching experience

Lecturer in Bioinformatics and programming with Python, where I teach StarDust Squad, a community of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from Turkey. Teaching assistant for three years for undergraduate-level classes in Biodiversity, Animal Behavior, and Comparative Genomics and Evolution courses (in-class lectures, labs, and field trips) at the National University of Singapore. Mentor for undergraduate thesis at the National University of Singapore and University of Guelph.

Credentials

Work experience

Sequential Skin (2020 - Current)
Lead bioinformatician
University of Guelph (2018 - 2020)
Postdoctoral fellow
PhD student

Education

Istanbul Technical University
BS Bachelor of Science (2012)
Molecular biology and genetics
National University of Singapore
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2018)
Biological Sciences

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