Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

Faculty Host: Matthew Walker
Faculty Host Contact: awalker@ucdavis.edu

I was born in 1969 in Adana, Turkey. I have a B.Sc. in Horticulture (Cukurova University, Adana) specializing in cultivation techniques and improvement of yield quality and quantity of Mediterranean fruit trees and vegetable species, which stimulated my love of plants. I decided to pursue a Ph.D. with the same group in the Plant Protection Department of Bari University (Bari, Italy) on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of two protein structures of grapevine viruses (GVA and GVB) in model herbaceous plants. Awards from CIHEAM brought me another international chance for postdoctoral work in the Viticulture and Enology Department, University of California, Davis for two years, to develop Xylella fastidiosa detection in bacterial cultures and infected plant material. Upon completion of my post-doctoral work, I returned to Turkey to continue my career in the Plant Protection Department of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University in Kahramanmaras, located in the Eastern Mediterranean. I have a long standing interest in grape pathology; however, I am also involved in pathological problems of other plant species such as pepper, stone fruits and pistachio. I have strong collaboration with international research centers in France, Italy and USA.

Last updated: 2017