People

I like viruses. My career has been dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that viruses use to manipulate their hosts and the counter defense systems that microbes employ to defend themselves from infection. As a pre-doctoral fellow, my dissertation focused on the unusual viruses that infect thermoacidophilic archaea. In what was maybe the best Ph.D. project ever, I traveled around the globe collecting samples and isolate viruses from geothermal features located in some of the world's wildest places (e.g., Yellowstone National Park, Kamchatka Russia, etc.). The resilience of life in these seemingly inhospitable environments (i.e., +80C and ~pH3) fueled my curiosity to understand the genetic, biochemical, and structural basis for life at high temperatures.

Today I continue to be intrigued by the mechanisms of resistance but instead of high temperate my lab aims to understand how bacteria contend with pervasive viral predators. Our work focuses primarily on understanding the structural and functional basis of adaptive immunity in bacteria.

Curriculum Vitae

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During my Masters work here at MSU, I developed skills in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and the Cryo-EM workflow for both Single Particle & Tomography experiments. I have a great appreciation for the physics that govern the TEM and love solving the unique problems associated with optimizing new protocols, be it sample preparation or data collection. We are in an exciting time for the field of Cryo-EM as the associated technology is progressing rapidly, bringing more and more answers to complex biological questions within our grasp as scientists.

In the Wiedenheft lab, I research prokaryotic immune response, hoping to use Cryo-EM to examine this process in situ at high resolution with visual proteomics experiments.

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I am a graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology program at Montana State University. I am originally from Turkey and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering with Microbiology and Genetics minors from MSU. My research focuses on the functional versatility of Type I-F CRISPR-Cas systems. Apart from being a graduate student, I enjoy hiking, biking, traveling and, playing guitar.

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I enjoy the interface between chemistry and biology. I've worked in labs doing organic synthesis to natural product isolation to protein biochemistry. One of the basic outcomes of scientific research is the identification and characterization of biological entities (natural products, proteins/enzymes, etc.) and adapting them as tools for use in the lab or to bring a benefit to society. CRISPR-based genome editing is one of the latest 'headline producing' examples of the ways that basic scientific research can lead to paradigm shifts in the way we do science or live our lives.

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PubMed Bibliography

I'm currently a Ph.D. student at Montana State University. The CRISPR system diversifies due to the selection pressure exerted by phages on host cells in an ongoing molecular arms race. CRISPR-associated (cas) proteins experience rapid evolution and may occasionally merge with domains outside of the CRISPR system. My research focuses on a unique system where a cas protein is genetically fused with the antitoxin of the toxin-antitoxin system. By using cryo-EM structural and biochemical experiments, I aim to demonstrate that the CRISPR system regulates a toxin via allosteric mechanisms. 

I'm an undergraduate student studying microbiology and music. I am intrigued by the unique actions of different nucleic acid-binding CRISPR complexes, and how those complexes can be repurposed to solve current issues, such as the efficacy and availability of rapid viral diagnostic tests. I am currently working on a biochemical analysis of a different reporter system for a Type III CRISPR-based viral diagnostic developed here at the Wiedenheft lab. Outside of academics, I enjoy reading, hiking, cooking, and making and listening to music.

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I am an undergraduate student studying microbial biotechnology. I research Type I CRISPR systems using expression, protein purification, and Cryo-EM techniques. I was drawn to the Wiedenheft lab with the desire to be at the forefront of science. In my off time I enjoy lifting weights, snowboarding and hiking all around Montana.

After earning my Bachelor's degree in Immunology with a focus on eukaryotes, I joined the Wiedenheft lab to explore prokaryotic immune mechanisms. My current research centers on ATPase-based antiphage defense systems in bacteria, investigating how these intricate macromolecular machines protect cells from phage attacks. Using a combination of structural biology and biochemical approaches, I aim to unravel the mechanisms that drive their function. Through this work, I aspire to complete my PhD combining expertise in both structural biology and biochemistry.

I am primarily engaged in understanding the intricacies of biological systems co-evolved due to symbiotic or antagonistic relationships between mobile genetic elements and their microbial hosts. Further, I am interested in harnessing their potential to revolutionize biotechnology and genome editing.

My academic journey began in chemical biology. I pioneered a method to label specific gene loci with synthetic small molecules using a nuclease dead CRISPR-Cas system and bioorthogonal click chemistry. This work led me to the Sternberg lab for my postdoctoral training; supported by a cross-disciplinary fellowship from the Human Science Frontier Program, I shifted my focus entirely to life sciences to delve into the targeting pathways of type V-K CRISPR-associated transposases (CASTs). At the Wiedenheft lab, my research focuses on unraveling the structure and mechanism of prokaryotic immune systems encoded as cargo by CASTs.

Outside of my professional pursuits, I am an avid photographer, and I relish long hikes and exploring the vastness of the wilderness.

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