Member Spotlight: Deniz Goekbuget, PhD

Deniz Goekbuget, PhD
UCSF, USA

Hometown
Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Current Residence
San Francisco, CA, USA

Graduate Degree
Ph.D. in Biology, ETH Zurich

Postdoc Work
Gene regulation in pluripotent cells

Current Position
Postdoctoral Fellow, Blelloch Lab, University of California San Francisco

• What is the current focus of your research?

  Regulatory interplay of epigenetics, transcription, and DNA replication underlying pluripotent cell fate decisions and genome integrity.

• How would you explain the significance of this work to a lay audience?

  This research explores how the pluripotent cells which give rise to all cells in the growing embryo coordinate cell fate decisions with accurate duplication of genetic information. As such, it sheds light on crucial aspects of cell biology that could impact medical advancements, particularly in fields like regenerative medicine and disease prevention.

• What do you find most rewarding about your work?

  Contributing to human knowledge about health and disease.

• What is the most exciting aspect of your work?

  Diving into the unknown.

• What led you to become a scientist and to stem cell research?

  Both of my dear grandmothers died from cancer when I was a kid. With my mom being an MD, I developed an interest early on into how the human body mechanistically works.

• What guidance would you share in talking with trainees interested in pursuing your area of research?

  Stay passionate about the research you do and remember that negative and positive results are equally important in guiding you towards a deeper understanding of your biological problem.

• Do you have any mentors or individuals who have inspired you in your stem cell work?

  Robert Blelloch

• How do you spend your free time?

  Cooking, Hiking, Golfing, Skiing, Playing Golf

• What is something your peers would be surprised to learn about you?

  Once needed to be rescued by a helicopter in the mountains.

• What do you most value about your membership with the ISSCR?

  Connecting with a large community of stem cell scientists from both academia and industry on a regular basis is a very inspiring and rewarding experience.