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January 29, 2026 - GTU Office of Press and Public Relations Under the TÜBİTAK 1001 Program, seven projects from Gebze Technical University (GTU) are awarded support in the second term of 2025.
Within the scope of the “1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program” launched by TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye), the scientific evaluation process of the projects submitted to the Directorate for Research Funding Programs (ARDEB) for the second term of 2025 has been completed and the results have been announced. As a result of the evaluation process, projects submitted by seven academics from Gebze Technical University (GTU) have been deemed eligible for funding.
The academics and research projects awarded scientific support under the 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program are as follows:
Prof. Nihal Bektaş, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Development of Sustainable Boron Doped Biochar Catalysts From Iron Wastes: Removal of Recalcitrant Organic Pollutants via Daylight Assisted Fenton Process and Artificial Intelligence Optimization.”
Project Details: The research aims to provide an environmentally friendly solution for the removal of toxic and persistent organic pollutants from industrial wastewater through the development of a boron doped biochar based heterogeneous Fenton catalyst (Fe/B-biochar) using wastewater treatment sludge and biomass wastes. While quantitatively evaluating environmental impacts through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the project offers a comprehensive sustainability approach by optimizing the process using artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies. The project also involves Prof. H. Cengiz Yatmaz, PhD (GTU, Environmental Engineering, Researcher); Assoc. Prof. Başak T. Ergan, PhD (GTU, Chemical Engineering, Researcher); Assoc. Prof. Özgün Yücel, PhD (GTU, Chemical Engineering, Researcher); and Assoc. Prof. Aliye Suna E. Yay, PhD (Sakarya University, Environmental Engineering, Researcher).
Assoc. Prof. Neslihan Tamsü-Selli, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Electrically Conductive MXene: Development of Lithium Fluoride (LiF) Doped Bioactive Glass Ceramic Nanocomposites for Bone Tissue Engineering and Controlled Ion Release.”
Project Details: The project aims to develop the first domestic prototype scaffold structure in the field of bone tissue engineering that provides both electrical and ionic biostimulation, as well as high biocompatibility and mechanical strength. It is well known that, in bone regeneration, not only biomechanical support but also electrical stimulation that directs cellular processes plays a critical role. Within this scope, the synergistic effects of MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ), which stands out for its high electrical conductivity and surface functionalization potential, and LiF doped bioactive glass ceramics will be evaluated together for the first time.
In this interdisciplinary project, Prof. Ebru Menşur, PhD; Research Assistant Neslihan Başaran, PhD; and doctoral student Kübranur Çatalbaş from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at GTU, along with Assoc. Prof. Ömer Kesmez, PhD from the Department of Chemistry at Akdeniz University and Lecturer Adem Yavaş, PhD from Aydın Adnan Menderes University, will take part as researchers.
Through this project, the development of a high value added, innovative, and domestic biomaterial platform in the field of bone tissue engineering is targeted, with the long term aim of making significant contributions to advanced biomedical applications and health technologies.
Assoc. Prof. Nurgül Kıtır-Şen, PhD, a faculty member of the Institute of Earth and Marine Sciences at Gebze Technical University and Deputy Director of the GTU Smart Agriculture Research and Application Center, has received support for the project titled “Purification of Enzymes From Bacillus Species and Humic Fulvic Acids From Leonardite via Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Their Innovative Applications for Carbon Sequestration in Sustainable Agriculture.”
Project Details: The project aims to obtain enzymes derived from Bacillus species and humic fulvic acids sourced from Leonardite at high purity using advanced technologies such as supercritical fluid extraction, and to utilize these biotechnological inputs to enhance soil carbon sequestration capacity in sustainable agriculture practices. In addition to providing original scientific contributions in the fields of sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation, and soil health, the study is expected to produce nationally applicable and strategic outputs. The project involves Prof. Barış Binay, PhD, and Lecturer Gülfem Soydemir, PhD from Gebze Technical University as advisors, and Prof. Hikmet Katırcıoğlu, PhD from Gazi University and Assoc. Prof. Ayhan Kocaman, PhD from Karabük University as researchers.
Asst. Prof. Bengisu Çiftçioğlu Gözüaçık, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Biotechnological Circularity in Domestic Wastewater Treatment: Determination of the Treatment Potential of Mycelium Pellets and Production of Chitosan Nanofibers From Waste Biomass.”
Project Details: The project develops an innovative biological wastewater treatment approach in which fungus derived mycelium pellets are used as biomass. By leveraging the high treatment performance and rapid settling characteristics of the mycelium pellets, the project aims to establish more efficient and cost effective systems. In addition, chitosan biopolymer will be produced from the biomass removed during the treatment process, enabling the development of environmentally friendly membranes for heavy metal and color removal. In this respect, the project offers a sustainable and circular solution that integrates wastewater treatment with value added product generation.
Asst. Prof. Ceren Özer-Sözdinler, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Assessment of the Sequential Effects of Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Coastal Areas and Development of a Computational Tool.”
Project Details: The project aims to identify the urban scale impacts of earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis in coastal areas, as well as the challenges that may arise during evacuation processes and the necessary precautionary measures. In Yalova city center, selected as the pilot region, an innovative machine learning based building structural system prediction algorithm will be developed. Damage and collapse conditions of buildings affected by earthquakes will be identified using a progressive collapse approach, and the secondary impacts of tsunamis will be assessed on urban areas that have already experienced seismic events. Unlike traditional disaster management methods that consider a single hazard at a time, this project focuses on the analysis of sequential disaster effects. A web based software will be developed for earthquake and tsunami hazard analyses, providing effective and rapid assessment and decision making capabilities. The software will be compatible with AFAD’s national disaster management systems, DEHAS and DEKAS.
Asst. Prof. Onur Serçinoğlu, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Development of an Innovative Machine Learning Based Bioinformatics Workflow for the Discovery of Selective and Allosteric Kinase Inhibitors at the Kinome Scale.”
Project Details: In protein kinase inhibitor discovery, most of the approaches developed over the past two decades have focused on the orthosteric binding site. Although these approaches have led to the discovery of new drug molecules, issues related to selectivity and side effects are still frequently encountered in the drug discovery process. Moreover, among hundreds of kinase types, only a limited number have been considered as drug targets, and there are currently no approved drugs for many “dark” kinases that play prominent roles in various cancer types. This project aims to go beyond these limitations by focusing on the systematic identification of alternative target regions, such as allosteric sites and cryptic pockets, at the kinome scale.
In this project, the development and experimental validation of a bioinformatics workflow integrating machine learning based conformational sampling, pocket detection algorithms, and GPU accelerated virtual screening are targeted. Through this approach, the project aims to overcome the complexity that renders kinome wide application of classical computational methods impractical and to accelerate the discovery of more selective inhibitors.
The project will be conducted under the supervision of Prof. Asuman Demiroğlu-Zergeroğlu, PhD, from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Gebze Technical University, and Prof. Günay Yetik-Anacak, PhD, from Acıbadem University. In addition, Research Assistant Gülseren Turhal from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Gebze Technical University will take part in the project as a researcher.
Prof. İbrahim Soğukpınar, PhD, a faculty member of the Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Gebze Technical University, has received support for the project titled “Detection of Voice Phishing Based on Psychoacoustics and Adversarial Learning.”
Please click here to view the TÜBİTAK announcement
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