Ismail Cakmak

Ismail Cakmak is a Professor at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey, specializing in Plant Nutrition. He earned his PhD from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1988 (summa cum laude). Currently, he serves as a Section Editor for Plant and Soil (Springer) and an Editorial Board Member for European Journal of Agronomy (Elsevier) and Frontiers in Plant Nutrition.

• 2010–present: Coordinator of EU COST Action 0905 Working Group 1 on Soil-Plant Interactions and Physiology
• 2009–present: President of the International Plant Nutrition Council
• 1998–2002: Honorary Theme Editor for UNESCO's Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems

His research focuses on mineral nutrient deficiencies in plants, including zinc deficiency in cereals and its implications for human health, root adaptation mechanisms, physiological responses to micronutrient stress, and antioxidant systems in plants. His work has attracted significant citations (h-index: 40), with over 125 peer-reviewed articles and 7 book chapters.

Scientific honors include the Georg Forster Research Award (2014), IFA International Crop Nutrition Award (2005), and the TUBITAK Science Prize (1999). He has directed projects funded by organizations like the Gates Foundation, World Bank, and HarvestPlus, including a $12 million global zinc fertilizer initiative.

• Coordinated a NATO-funded $1 million project on zinc deficiency in Turkey
• Acted as external examiner for PhD defenses at the University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia, and Copenhagen University
• Received research fellowships from USDA, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, DFG, DAAD, and OECD