Saniye Türk Çulha

I am currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Fisheries at İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University. My multidisciplinary research program lies at the intersection of hydrobiology, aquatic ecotoxicology, water quality and control, heavy metal accumulation and its effects on human health, environmental biotechnology, and advanced biomaterial engineering. Throughout my academic career, I have aligned my research topics to bridge marine sciences with sustainable industrial applications. Between 2006 and 2011, my work focused on heavy metal bioaccumulation in marine organisms across the Black Sea and Marmara regions. From 2014 to 2020, I expanded my scope to investigate the biochemical structures, metal accumulation, and cancer risk values of marine organisms—specifically sea cucumbers and farmed mussels—in the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea. In recent years, I have directed my research toward circular economy solutions and green nanotechnology. Following my successful work on electrospun nanofibers for heavy metal remediation, I am currently contributing to projects focused on developing next-generation medical implant raw materials suitable for additive manufacturing. In this context, we aim to produce high-value-added and cost-effective biocomposites using different methods by utilizing calcium carbonate derived from mussel shells and marine collagen proteins. Another core area of my project research involves microplastic and potential toxic element pollution in seafood, standing at the crossroads of modern marine ecotoxicology and food safety.