Turkish biology student joins Aziz Sancar’s Carolina lab

When Hümeyra Kaanoğlu was growing up in Turkey, her mother would purchase the latest issue of the National Geographic Kids magazine for her before each dentist appointment.

“It was a ritual for us, and I loved it,” Kaanoğlu said.

Now, a graduate research assistant and doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill, Kaanoğlu credits her mother for helping her discover her love of biology at an early age.

Kaanoğlu lived in a small town in Turkey near the Black Sea, before moving to Antalya, on the southern coast. Eventually, Kaanoğlu attended Koç University in Istanbul, where she studied molecular biology, genetics and psychology.

While she was studying there, one of the guest lecturers was Aziz Sancar, the world-renowned, Turkish molecular biologist and Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UNC-Chapel Hill. He had recently received the 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Kaanoğlu tried to attend a lecture in person, but the auditorium was so crowded, she had to watch it elsewhere on a livestream.

“Dr. Sancar’s background is similar to mine. He was born in a little village and came all the way to the U.S. to research,” Kaanoğlu said. After hearing him speak, she said she thought, “Maybe I can do it, too!”

Hümeyra Kaanoğlu (second from right) celebrates graduation at Koç University before beginning her Fulbright doctoral program. (Submitted photo)

On a late-night walk to her dorm from the library, Kaanoğlu saw a bulletin board with information about an opportunity to conduct research in Sancar’s lab at Carolina, offered through the Türkiye Fulbright Education Commission.

Kaanoğlu applied for the Fulbright program with the help of Halil Kavakl, her biochemistry professor at Koç who happened to be a former student of Sancar at Carolina. After she applied, the Türkiye Fulbright Education Commission narrowed the applications to eight candidates for Sancar to consider, and he chose Kaanoğlu.

“The Fulbright Program is an amazing scholarship opportunity for any international student interested in pursuing a graduate degree or research in the United States,” said Tom Lasater, program coordinator for Carolina’s inbound Fulbright students and scholars. “Fulbright brings together some of the world’s leading minds — like Hümeyra and Dr. Sancar — to conduct research at leading universities like UNC-Chapel Hill.”

Sancar’s lab focuses on DNA enzymology and genomics, the mammalian circadian clock and DNA repair. The team’s research improves understanding of how to better treat certain diseases in humans. Currently, Sancar’s team is conducting critical cancer research that they hope will go to clinical trials soon.

“I received outstanding recommendations from her professors in Turkey,” Sancar said. “She has been an exceptional student both as a scientist and as a responsible lab member, one of the best I’ve had in my 40 years at UNC.”

Kaanoğlu came to Carolina for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even then, she was able to make friends in Chapel Hill, including within the local Turkish community and among researchers in the Sancar Lab.

“Cultural exchange and collaboration with American partners are important parts of the Fulbright experience,” Lasater said. “And the support the program provides — through its funding, professional development and alumni network — helps bring some of the world’s best talent to Carolina.”

UNC Global Affairs, the Office of Distinguished Scholarships and the Center for Faculty Excellence coordinate various inbound and outbound Fulbright programs at Carolina. A complete list of Fulbright opportunities is available on UNC Global Affairs’ website. Each year, UNC-Chapel Hill hosts dozens of visiting Fulbright students and scholars and sends many more Tar Heels abroad through the Fulbright student, scholar and specialist programs.