Görkem Deniz Sönmez

Görkem Deniz Sönmez is an Associate Professor at Adıyaman University Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Professional Sciences, specializing in Pharmaceutical Botany. He has been working at the university since 2015, initially as an Assistant Professor and promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. Prior to this, he worked as a Research Assistant and Research Assistant Doctor at Balıkesir University Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Biology from 2005 to 2015.

His educational background includes:

• Bachelor's degree in Biology Education from Balıkesir University, Necatibey Faculty of Education (2005)
• Master's degree in Biology from Balıkesir University Institute of Science (2007)
• Doctorate in Biology from Balıkesir University Institute of Science (2013)

Dr. Sönmez's research focuses on plant molecular biology, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical botany. His expertise spans Molecular Plant Systematics, Recombinant Gene Expression in Plants, and Biotechnology applications in pharmacy. He teaches courses including Pharmaceutical Botanical Laboratory, Cell Culture, Plant Biotechnology in Pharmacy, and Pharmacognosy Laboratory. His work bridges plant science with pharmaceutical applications, particularly in medicinal plants and plant secondary metabolites.

His research portfolio demonstrates a progression from olive molecular genetics to broader pharmaceutical botany research. Early work focused on olive genes (mevalonate kinase, β-glucosidase, metallothioneins), while recent research emphasizes Turkish endemic plants, phytochemical analysis, DNA barcoding, and biological activity assessment. He has also conducted significant research on boron-tolerant microorganisms and their environmental implications.

Dr. Sönmez has served in administrative roles including Head of Department (2015-2018 and 2018-present) and Vice Dean (2019-2023 and 2023-present). He has been a member of the Faculty Board of Directors since 2020.

His scientific contributions include numerous publications spanning plant molecular biology, phytochemistry, microbiology, and pharmaceutical sciences, with increasing focus on medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds in recent years.