معرفی
Prof. Dr. Seda Kizilel is a full-time tenured Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at Koç University's College of Engineering, Istanbul, Turkey, where she has held a faculty position since 2008 following postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago. She leads an active research group focused on translational medical technologies and maintains strong industry-academic collaborations.
Her academic credentials include:
- B.S. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul
- Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (2004)
Professor Kizilel's research centers on designing responsive hydrogel particles to address critical medical challenges including insulin and protein secretion deficiencies, cellular immune protection, and regulatory T cell recruitment for long-term graft functionality. Her interdisciplinary work bridges chemical engineering principles with immunological applications to advance regenerative medicine and targeted drug delivery systems, with recent breakthroughs in anti-icing asphalt technology gaining significant scientific and governmental attention.
Her distinguished recognition includes multiple institutional and international honors:
- Best Entrepreneur Award, Nationwide TEKNOFEST Competition (2023)
- Outstanding Patent Application Award, Koç University (2023)
- Outstanding Faculty Award, Koç University (2018)
- Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) Young Women in Science Award, L’ORÉAL (2009)
- Marie Curie Fellowship (FP7-PEOPLE-IRG), European Commission (2008)
- Best Laboratory Research Award, University of Chicago (2006)
She has mentored over 24 Master's and 15 Ph.D. students while securing approximately 4 million Euros in research funding across 23 projects from TÜBİTAK, the European Commission, and industrial partners. Her lab actively recruits highly motivated graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, offering competitive stipends, tuition waivers, and accommodation support through Koç University's Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering.
The research group maintains robust industry partnerships and focuses on translational applications, particularly in medical device development and biomaterials innovation, with ongoing projects targeting clinical implementation of their hydrogel-based therapeutic systems.
