Kivanc Bilecen

• Outcome: Identified new environmental factors that affect human pathogen Vibrio cholerae’s environmental survival and virulence • Outcome: Discovered new signal transduction pathways affecting Vibrio cholerae’s biofilm formation • Future Applications: Antibiofilm compounds with potential to be used in the treatment of biofilm infections to increase the efficiency of conventional antibiotics

Designed and developed a molecular biology kit targeted to college molecular biology classes. “Guess the Murderer DNA Electrophoresis Kit” “http://www.obitek.com.tr”

• Outcome: Discovered a new metallothionein gene in wheat species – Triticum durum, and determined its function using theoretical approaches. • Outcome: Published the first experimental and theoretical 3D structure of a plant metallothionein protein. • Future Applications: To engineer cadmium resistant wheat species allowing agriculture in contaminated areas.

Performed enzyme extraction/kinetics assays from a fungus species for a possible new product.

Dissertation Topic: “Environmental factors that affect Vibrio cholerae’s biofilms, virulence and environmental survival; and novel antibiofilm chemicals through a high-throughput chemical library screening.”

Thesis Topic: “Cloning, characterization and expression of a novel metallothionein gene from Triticum durum; and theoretical and experimental structure-function relationship prediction.”