Prof. Dr. Tayfun Özçelik

Dr. Tayfun Özçelik is a human geneticist who graduated from Istanbul Medical School. He was trained at Yale and Stanford Universities as a medical geneticist, and conducted research on the chromosomal localization of human genes at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  He returned to Istanbul University about a decade ago as the founding head of the Department of Genetics.  He introduced DNA-based individual identification to the Turkish judiciary system.  Currently, he is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Bilkent University.  He is the author of many scientific publications in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Genetics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and American Journal of Human Genetics.

Since his early childhood, Prof. Dr. Özçelik was interested in Byzantine, Ottoman and early Renaissance art.  With the discovery of a genetic mechanism, namely somatic mosaicism that leads to a neurodevelopmental disorder in one of his patients, he realized the power of artistic expression in disseminating scientific knowledge.  He currently designs genome art motifs and continues his research on Rett Syndrome and the role of skewed X-chromosome inactivation in female predisposition to autoimmunity in Ankara. Özçelik`s designs have been applied to various home and personal accessories with the use of traditional handicraft techniques and authentic material. These products are on sale domestically and internationally under the brand name "ScienceConnexion."

Reference: scienceconnexion.com, lebriz.com