NAME
Duygu Bayat
BRIEF CV
My name is Duygu, I am Turkish. I come from Istanbul (Turkey). I completed my bachelor’s degree in Chemistry Education from Middle East Technical University in Ankara in 2019 with first in class. Although I have a degree from the department of Chemistry Education, I was voluntarily involved in two summer practices:
one at the University of Radboud in the Netherlands and the other at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation in Turkey. At the University of Radboud, I focused on carbohydrate chemistry and the functionalization of carbohydrates via the Erasmus student exchange program for two months. Later, I participated in an internship at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation and earned hands-on experience related to different characterization techniques in organic chemistry.
My passion for science has always encouraged me. After graduation, I joined a master’s program in the same year in the organic chemistry department at Middle East Technical University. During my master’s program, I focused on the synthesis of aziridine derivatives as potential piperazine precursors. My research centered on creating organocatalysts, asymmetric synthesis, synthesizing biologically active molecules and designed cheap, nontoxic, and recoverable chiral molecules used as catalysts.
After I completed my master study, I applied to Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher from ITN- GlycoNovi project. This project offers various opportunities to get practical experience, present in many different interdisciplinary projects, and develop new skills as a young researcher. Moreover, I look forward to working with other researchers with different backgrounds.
I’m currently an Early-Stage Researcher at the GlycoNovi ITN of the European Union and a Ph.D. candidate (DC1) at the University of Florence (UNIFI). I will focus on the synthesis of Human Milk oligosaccharides analogues as Nov ligands for Noroviruses, responsible for gastroenteritis worldwide. Also, I will study on the functionalized HMOs analogues for diagnostic screening as DC1 of the GlycoNovi network.
HOST INSTITUTION
University of Florence – www.unifi.it
EMAIL ADDRESS
duygu.bayat@unifi.it
SUPERVISOR
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Glycans are carbohydrates which present on cell surfaces, playing an important role in many biological processes. Human noroviruses (NoVs) cause gastroenteritis and foodborne illnesses with many complications among immunocompromised individuals, the elderly, and young children. Because of these reasons, I aim to synthesize, purify, and characterize of C- and S- HMOs analogues (in collaboration with DCs 4 (WP1) and DCs 2,3 (WP2). Particularly, I will replace O-fucosyl linkages with C- and S-linkages. Also, GM3 ganglioside analogues presented a 9-fluoro- and 8,9-difluoro-sialyl moiety and fluoro-fucosyl derivatives of 2′-fucosyl lactose and 3′-fucosyl lactose will be synthesized.
MAIN RESEARCH FIELD
Carbohydrate / glycosides synthesis
