Department of Biology

About/History

Department of Biology started offering undergraduate and graduate programmes in the 2009-2010 academic year. Our department, which completed all its infrastructure projects till 2014, continues to offer undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programmes successfully since then.

Mission

Mission of the Biology department is to raise individuals who have a researcher and entrepreneur spirit in the Botany, Zoology, Hydrobiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and other sub-branches of biology. Also, to contribute to our students journeys to become questioning, participatory, dynamic individuals who embrace cultural values, and think universally. Our department will also commit itself to serve humanity by training individuals who improve science and technology, and thus to contribute to the development of the country and the region.

Vision

Our Vision is to be a pioneering department that is open to technological innovations and has international competitive power; under the guidance of the academics equipped with the knowledge, experience, and competence required by the 21st century, to carry out creative and useful researches that will mark the history of humanity at international level in various fields; to train highly qualified biologists for the future of the country, and also to use the knowledge in research and education for the benefit of society. To achieve the goals that are mentioned above, the purposes of the academic stuff are:

In the short term:

• To improve the physical facilities like classroom, laboratories, and materials
• To prepare up to date laboratory leaflets in which the students can access basic biology information and to increase the library resources.
• To prepare instruction manuals for the devices in the laboratories and make the list of consumables
• To prepare instructions warning against the dangers that may occur during the use of laboratories (such as fire, chemical substances, etc).
• To take the necessary steps to purchase equipment and consumables that the laboratories lack.
• To contribute offering master's and doctoral programmes within the Institute of Science.

In the long term:

• To provide biology students with the opportunity to use the information when they reach it.
• •To cooperate with some local and national industry organizations to solve the existing problems of the region (for example, determining and protecting the wetlands of the region, creating an herbarium and zoology museum which will serve for the researchers of the field)
• To establish a central laboratory of advanced research which will meet the needs of local people.
• To contribute to the establishment of our university's research fund.
• To provide laboratory devices to our department in accordance with the projects which will be submitted to organizations like the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the State Planning Organization (DPT).

As the Department of Biology, we have achieved most of the above objectives that we promised during the establishment phase and we are working on our long-term goals with our increasing number of stronger staff.

Message from the Head of Department

Dear Students,

The main research area of biology is life, and it helps us understand the structures, environments, and relationships of all organisms. Apart from these, it acts as a bridge connecting the fields of science like environmental engineering, food engineering, medicine, pharmacy, etc. by dealing with the diversity of life forms and constitutes the basis of these fields.

Biology, as mentioned above, has a very comprehensive field of study that draws the interest of almost everyone. When just the taxonomy field, which deals with the diversity of living things, considered, it is thought that around 38 million living species are still waiting to be discovered. Sub-branches of biology such as Molecular Biology and Biochemistry consistently reveal problems about the structures and functioning of living things with the new methods that are updated day by day. Nowadays, the problems triggered by the increasing industry and correspondingly increasing pollution are globally modelled with sub-research areas of biology such as ecology and solutions are offered.

Our department has a broad range of experienced researchers and educators in biology and offers well-supported graduate and undergraduate programmes with our up-to-date laboratories. As the head of the department, it is a great pleasure to invite you to become a student in our department to explore and learn. For further questions and details please visit our website and please do not hesitate to contact us.

Academic Staff

Division of Botany

Prof. Dr. Aysel SIVACI (Head of Division)

Division of Zoology

Prof. Dr. Özgür FIRAT

Prof. Dr. M. Zülfü YILDIZ

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet GÜVENÇ (Head of Division)

Division of General Biology

Prof. Dr. Yusuf SEVGİLER (Head of Division)

Division of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Prof. Dr. Eyüp RENCÜZOĞULLARI (Head of Division)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hesna YİĞİT

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhsin AYDIN

Division of Hydrobiology

Prof. Dr. E. Rıdvan SIVACI (Head of Division)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serdar SÖNMEZ

Division of Ecology and Environmental Biology

Prof. Dr. Tamer KAYIŞ (Head of Division)

Division of Biotechnology

Prof. Dr. Mustafa COŞKUN (Head of Division)