Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences

Molecular Biology and Genetics

Message from the Head of Department

Molecular biology and genetics is a very important field of science that investigates the basic molecules of life in viruses, microorganisms, plants, animals and humans, at the level of DNA, RNA, proteins and metabolites, and tries to understand all living systems by examining the interactions between these molecules. Molecular biology and genetics offers solutions in the diagnosis and treatment of important problems such as single-gene and multifactorial hereditary traits, cancer and aging with the application of high-scale omics and cell technologies today. In addition, it allows its use in a wide variety of fields limited by imagination, such as the cultivation of high quality plants and animals, the use of microorganisms to improve environmental problems. With current technologies, the hereditary materials of living things can be changed with gene transfers and molecular scissors such as CRISPR-Cas9, Cpf1, or prime corrections. The main research areas are diagnosis and treatment of genetic and epigenetic characteristics, establishing disease models in animal systems, directing plant characteristics in accordance with the purpose, and producing desired secondary metabolites, especially in plant and microorganism systems. Accordingly, our students who graduate from our department can carry out researches in medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry, pharmacy, etc.

Together with the courses given by expert academic staff and laboratory practices that support them, and via R&D projects starting from the student period, all opportunities are offered to train qualified personnel who have the ability of entrepreneurship, adopt scientific and ethical rules, and have analytical thinking ability. During the education, national and international researchers who are experts in their fields provide support to education with seminars and opportunities are offered for students to work in their fields of interest.