Dr. Esra Mine Ünal

Ünal, who completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in the field of aquaculture and his doctorate in biotechnology, focused on the integration of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies into biological monitoring processes, the creation of a local reference database, and the development of a holistic bioinformatics analysis pipeline in his doctoral thesis.

His research focuses on the genomic monitoring of invasive, rare, and economically/ecologically important species in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; the integration of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding methods into environmental biomonitoring; species verification and traceability in plant and animal-derived products; genomic assessment of ballast water-derived bioinvasion risks; and the characterization of microbial communities and resistance genes in archaeological settings. Within this scope, he has numerous publications in internationally indexed journals in the fields of environmental DNA, invasive species ecology, ecogenomic applications, and food verification.

Ünal specializes in DNA barcoding, eDNA metabarcoding, gene expression, population genetics, phylogenetics, next-generation sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis; and plays an active role in the design and implementation of automated DNA/RNA isolation, library preparation, and laboratory quality control processes. He has strengthened international collaborations through postdoctoral research in Brazil and Norway; and provides training to academia and the private sector on molecular genetics and environmental genomics applications.

With its experience in team management, project coordination, and the implementation of innovative genomic solutions at both laboratory and company levels, it continues to contribute to the development of ecogenomics and biomonitoring fields in Türkiye.