Work experience

• Jan 2023 - Dec 2024: Scientific Collaborator
  • Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, Ecological Genetics Research Group
• Sept 2020 - Oct 2024: Post-doctoral Research Fellow
  • University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Laboratory of Evolutionary and Conservation Genomics
• Sept 2019 - Aug 2020: Post-doctoral Research Fellow
  • University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Laboratory of Population Ecology

Education

• Ph.D in Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 2018
  • Thesis title: “Bridging in situ and ex situ Conservation with Genomics and Stakeholder Management: Case Studies of the Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis) and the Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata)”
  • Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Frank E. Rheindt, Assoc. Prof. Dr. David P. Bickford
  • (GPA 4.65 / 5.00)
• M.Sc. in Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 2012
  • Thesis title: “Maternal Phylogeography of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in Turkey and Testing the Utility of Non-invasive Genetic Samples”
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Can Bilgin
  • (GPA 4.00 / 4.00)
• Exchange Student (Erasmus Programme) Jul 2008 - Feb 2009
  • Roskilde University, Science Systems and Models Department, Molecular Biology Module, Roskilde – Denmark
• B.Sc. in Molecular Biology & Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, 2010
  • Graduation Thesis title: “Agent Based Modelling of Honey Bee Nectar Foraging Behavior with NetLogo”
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H. Nuzhet Dalfes
  • (GPA 3.23 / 4.00)

Grants, Scholarships, Distinctions & Awards

• University of Zurich, Postdoc Grant, project title “Using genomic and epigenomic approaches for the conservation of Aldabra giant tortoises”, September 2022 – August 2023
• University Research Priority Programs (URPP) Evolution in Action Research Grant, project title “Age estimation by DNA methylation in the Aldabra giant tortoise”, January - December 2022
• Graduate Research Campus, University of Zurich, Travel Grants, project title “Blood sampling Aldabra giant tortoises in Mauritius”, January 2022
• National Geographic Society 2021 Collaboration Grant, project title “Bobbing for black-bills: enabling local stakeholder research participation to assess declines of endemic Jamaican parrots”
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Postdocs, September 2019- August 2020
• Society for Conservation Biology Conservation Genetics Working Group 2018 Early Career Award
• National Geographic Society Early Career Grant, project title “Democratization of Science for Biodiversity Conservation in Myanmar”, December 2017
• Best Oral Presentation Award at the 21st Biological Sciences Graduate Congress, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2016
• Lu Yinru Graduate Student Travel Awards for the North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Wisconsin, Madison, United States, 2016
• Conservation Asia 2016 Scholarships for Students, The Symposium of Progress and Challenges in Turtle Conservation in South and Southeast Asia, Singapore, 2016
• ASEAN EURAXESS Science Slam, Science Communication contest runner-up, 2015
• Singapore EURAXESS Science Slam, Science Communication contest winner, 2015
• Wildlife Conservation Society Research Fellowship, 2015
• The Lady Yuen Peng McNeice Graduate Fellowship, 2014
• Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA), 2013-2017
• Graduate Lecture Performance Award, Middle East Technical University, Department of Biological Sciences, Ankara, Turkey, 2010-11
• Darwin Initiative Scholar Bursary, Annual Darwin Scholarship Programme, Field Studies Council, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom, Aug – Sep 2011
• Turkish Education Foundation Graduate Fellowship, Türk Egitim Vakfı (TEV), 2010-12

Scientific Proceedings

• Çilingir, F.G., A’Bear, L., Hansen, D., Davis, L.R., Bunbury, N., Ozgul, A., Croll, D., Grossen, C. Chromosome-level de novo assembly of the Aldabra giant tortoise genome using HiFi sequencing and Hi-C proximity scaffolding. Biodiversity Genomics 2022, online conference, 3-7 October 2022.
• Çilingir, F.G., Hansen, D., Robinson, M., Grossen, C. Age estimation by DNA methylation in the Aldabra giant tortoise. URPP Evolution in Action 2022 Retreat, Grindelwald, Switzerland. 5-6 September 2022 (poster presentation).
• Çilingir, F.G., A’Bear, L., Hansen, D., Davis, L.R., Bunbury, N., Ozgul, A., Croll, D., Grossen, C. Chromosome-level de novo genome assembly for the Aldabra giant tortoise enables insights into the genetic health of a threatened population. European Conservation Genetics Meeting 2022, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 30 August – 1 September 2022.
• Çilingir, F.G., Hansen, D., Bunbury, N., Postma, E., Baxter, R., Turnbull, L.A., Ozgul, A., Grossen, C. Low-coverage reduced representation sequencing reveals subtle population genetic structure in Aldabra giant tortoises. The Aldabra Research Station 50th Anniversary Research Symposium, The Royal Society, London, United Kingdom, 21 April 2022.
• Çilingir, F.G., Hansen, D., Bunbury, N., Postma, E., Baxter, R., Turnbull, L.A., Ozgul, A., Grossen, C. Low-coverage reduced representation sequencing reveals subtle population genetic structure in Aldabra giant tortoises. International Congress of Conservation Biology, Society for Conservation Biology, Kigali, Rwanda. 13-17 December 2021.
• Çilingir, F.G., Rheindt, F. E., Garg, K. M., Platt, S. G., Platt, K., Bickford, D. P. Can applied conservation genomics help to save the critically endangered Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) in the wild? The 50th Population Genetics Group Meeting, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. 5-7 January 2017.
• Çilingir, F.G., Rheindt, F. E., Garg, K. M., Platt, S. G., Platt, K., Bickford, D. P. Saving the World’s one of the rarest chelonian, Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata), with applied conservation genomics. 21st Biological Sciences Graduate Congress, University of Malaya, Malaysia. 15-17 December 2016.
• Çilingir, F.G., Rheindt, F. E., Bickford, D. P. Applied Conservation Genomics of the Chelonian at the Brink of Extinction, Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata). North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Society for Conservation Biology, North American Section, Madison, Wisconsin, United States. 17-20 July 2016.
• Çilingir, F.G., Rheindt, F. E., Bickford, D. P. Applied conservation genomics of the critically endangered Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata). Conservation Asia 2016 Sustainable Landscapes for People, Business and Biodiversity Joint Meeting, Society for Conservation Biology Asia Section, Tropical Biology and Conservation Asia-Pacific Chapter. National University of Singapore, Singapore. 29 June-2 July 2016.

Active Membership in Scientific Societies

• Society for Study of Evolution, USA, 2021 –
• Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, USA, 2021 –
• Society for Conservation Biology, USA, 2015 –
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Society of Turkey, 2010 –