Our Graduate Receives First Prize in Covid-19 Global Outbreak Special Award from TÜBA

Our graduate Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Şafak Şeker was awarded the “First Prize in the Field of Diagnosis” in Special Award for Covid-19 Global Outbreak organized by TÜBA Academy Council.

Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) organized an award for 2020-2021 in order to encourage, support and honor scientists who stand out with their high quality scientific studies focused on developing original methods and products for all stages from diagnosis to treatment in the fight against the COVID-19 global epidemic. Three faculty members were deemed worthy of the award for their successful work in the field of treatment and prevention and in the field of diagnosis.

Within the scope of this award, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Urartu Özgür Şafak Şeker, 2003 graduate of Istanbul Technical University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a faculty member of Bilkent University, was deemed worthy of “First Prize in TÜBA Special Award for Covid-19 Global Outbreak in the Field of Diagnosis” with his work titled “Development of RNA Switch Systems for SARS-COV-2 Diagnosis”.

While Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine faculty member Prof. Dr. Aykut Özdarendeli received “Special Award in the Field of Treatment and Prevention” for his study, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University School of Medicine faculty member Prof. Dr. Tanıl Kocagöz won “Second Prize in the Field of Diagnosis”. 

We congratulate our graduate Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şeker and wish him continued success.

Click for TÜBA awards.

About Assoc. Prof. Dr. Urartu Özgür Şafak Şeker

He was born in 1978. After graduating from Hacettepe University, Department of Food Engineering in 2001, he completed his master’s and his Ph.D. at Istanbul Technical University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. After finishing his Ph.D., he worked at Singapore Nanyang Technological University Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics between 2010-2011, and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) and Synthetic Biology Research Center between 2011-2014 as a postdoctoral researcher. He was appointed assistant professor in 2014 and associate professor in 2019. Winner of TÜBA GEBİP (Outstanding Young Scientist) Award in 2014, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Urartu Özgür Şafak Şeker is currently working at Bilkent University UNAM - Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology in the fields of synthetic biology, genome engineering, and nanobiotechnology.