Dr. Çiğdem Yılmaz Çolak

Dr. Çiğdem Yılmaz Çolak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Technical University, where she conducts academic and applied research in microbiology, bacteriology, and vaccine technologies. She holds her BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in Biological Sciences from Middle East Technical University. Prior to her academic role, Dr. Yılmaz Çolak worked for many years at The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Marmara Research Center (TUBITAK) as a senior research scientist specializing in vaccine technologies. Her expertise includes the development of innovative vaccine platforms, particularly against Bordetella pertussis and other pathogenic bacteria. In addition to her work in vaccinology, she is actively involved in projects in microbial biotechnology, including antimicrobial agent development, metagenomic analyses, and synthetic biology-based research. As an advisor and collaborator, Dr. Yılmaz Çolak supports the design and organization of experimental studies, particularly in the context of metagenomics research.