MEHMET AYDIN AKBUDAK

Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Aydın Akbudak is an Associate Professor at Akdeniz University in the Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology. He holds a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Arkansas and has postdoctoral experience in transgenic models at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS in Prague and the University of Arkansas.

• Education: PhD (2006-2010), University of Arkansas; Postgraduate (1999-2002), Selçuk University; Undergraduate (1996-1999), Selçuk University

His research spans plant biotechnology, molecular biology, and genetics, focusing on stress-responsive gene families, genomic resource development, and bioinformatics in crops like tomato, sorghum, and rice. Recent work includes CRISPR/TALEN genome editing, nitrate and boron transporter genes, and DNA damage response models.

His publications highlight stress adaptation mechanisms in plants, with a focus on drought, salinity, and heavy metal tolerance. Key genes studied include NRT2, BOR, CAMTA, SlPR-1.9, and AMT1, with implications for crop improvement.

Scientific Awards & Scholarships

• First & Third Place, Plant Biotechnology Post-Doc Competition
• Spooner Scholar Award
• Worldwide Travel & Participation Awards
• Faculty/Student Exchange Program Grants

He serves on the Scientific Committee of Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences (2018-Present) and peer-reviewed for journals like Plant Cell Reports and Turkish Journal of Botany. He has led TUBITAK projects on plant stress genomics.