Ilgaz Cakin

Ilgaz Cakin is a Research Fellow at the Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, based in Thurso, United Kingdom. Their research focuses on sustainable wastewater treatment technologies for Scottish whisky distilleries, particularly using constructed wetlands and metagenomic barcoding to understand microbial community dynamics. Their PhD work explores optimizing reed bed systems for distillery effluent treatment through advanced ecological and molecular analyses.

Research Interests: Ilgaz’s work integrates microbial ecology, environmental engineering, and sustainable technologies to enhance wastewater treatment efficiency. They investigate factors influencing treatment variability in reed beds, leveraging metagenomic tools to link microbial community structures with system performance. Key projects include biochar-based pretreatment methods and substrate comparison studies for constructed wetlands.

Publications (2024-2025): Ilgaz has published on topics such as microbial dynamics in distillery wetlands, biochar applications for pollution control, and wildlife toxicology studies. Their articles highlight interdisciplinary approaches to environmental challenges, including lead ammunition impacts on wildlife and peatland restoration effects.

Awards: No scientific awards explicitly mentioned in the text. Supervisors: Dr. M.A. Taggart, Dr. B. Morrissey, Dr. L. Marcello, and Prof. P.P.J. Gaffney supervised Ilgaz’s doctoral thesis titled Understanding how microbial community contributes to wastewater treatment performance in constructed wetlands within Scotch whisky distilleries (2025).

Collaborations: Ilgaz has collaborated with researchers across environmental microbiology, chemical engineering, and conservation biology, as evidenced by co-authored papers and interdisciplinary projects. Their work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to clean water and responsible consumption.