Onur Serçinoğlu, PhD

Assistant Professor, Bioengineering Gebze Technical University Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey

Areas of Interest

Molecular Modelling, Structural Bioinformatics, Biomolecular Simulations, Structure-based Drug Design, Protein Dynamics, Scientific Software Development

Academic Positions

Visiting Researcher

2025–present

Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

Assistant Professor

2020–present

Gebze Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey

Deputy Head of Department. Member of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program Executive Committee.

Assistant Professor

2019–2020

Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Bioengineering Department, Rize, Turkey

Deputy Head of Department.

Research Assistant

2013–2018

Marmara University, Bioengineering Department, İstanbul, Turkey

Internship

2006

Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany

Environmental Microbiology Department

Education

PhD in Bioengineering

2012–2018

Marmara University, İstanbul

Bioengineering Department, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Research Group. Grade: 3.93/4.00

Thesis: "Computational Dynamical Characterization of Human Major Histocompatibility Complex Proteins"

MSc in Biotechnology

2008–2011

Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Germany

Grade: very good (1.5)

Thesis: "Development of a MATLAB-based Tool for Evaluation of Fed-Batch Process Strategies in Mammalian Cell Culture"

ERASMUS Exchange Student

2007

Abo Akademi, Turku, Finland

Chemical Engineering

Bachelor of Science, Bioengineering

2003–2008

Ege University, İzmir, Turkey

Grade: 79.5/100

Research Funding

Development of an AI-Based Innovative Bioinformatics Workflow for Kinome-Wide Discovery of Selective and Allosteric Kinase Inhibitors

2026–present

TÜBİTAK (1001 programme) · Principal Investigator · 2,350,000 TL

Discovery of novel allosteric ERK5 kinase inhibitors using a drug repurposing approach

2022–2023

Health Institutes of Türkiye · Researcher

Prediction of sub-type specific drug targets and novel drug candidates from transcriptome data: Application to Alzheimer's disease and liver cancer

2022–2023

GTÜ · Researcher

Systematic characterization of structure and function of HLA-B39 subtypes to decipher their association with autoimmune (Type 1) diabetes

2021–2022

GTÜ · Joint Coordinator with M. A. Garstka, XJTU

Dynamical Characterization of HLA Proteins

2013–2015

TÜBİTAK · Scholarship Holder

Supervision

Completed

Tuba Okur

2025

MSc, Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University

"Rational design of L-alanine dehydrogenase variants for enhanced catalytic efficiency"

İlayda Erdoğan

2024

MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

"Computational investigation of potential allosteric ERK5 kinase inhibitors"

Esra Büşra Işık

2023

MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

"Computational characterization of ligand specificity and promiscuity of Staphylococcus aureus NorA efflux pump"

Halil İbrahim Özdemir

2021

MSc, Bioengineering, Marmara University (co-supervisor)

"Development of a software tool for investigation of allosteric communication within protein structures via energy dissipation in molecular dynamics simulations"

Ongoing

Şuara Şahin — MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

Dilara Önal — MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

Öyküm Önel — MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

Emre Taha Çevik — MSc, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Gebze Technical University

Teaching

Gebze Technical University, Bioengineering Department

2020–present

Bioinformatics Fundamentals, Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Drug Design, Mass and Energy Balances, Fundamentals of Bioengineering

Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Bioengineering Department

2019–2020

Introduction to Programming with Python

Marmara University, Bioengineering Department

2013–2018

Mathematical Applications in Bioengineering Systems, Biotransport Phenomena, General Biology for Bioengineers Laboratory, Biochemistry for Bioengineers I/II, Bioengineering Laboratory I/II

Software & Tools

Next-generation web server for protein energy network analysis of heterogeneous biomolecular systems with LLM-powered natural language exploration of results

Web-based application for exploration and analysis of protein structures using network formalism

Tool for calculation of residue interaction energies and protein energy network analysis of molecular dynamics simulations

Publications

For a complete list of publications, please visit the Publications page.

Invited Talks

HLA Alt Tipleri Arasındaki Yapısal ve Fonksiyonel Farklılıklar

2026

XXVII. Ulusal İmmünoloji Kongresi, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey

İlaç Tasarımında Biyoinformatik Odaklı Yaklaşımlar

2024

1st Kocaeli International Engineering, Natural Sciences and Health Technologies Conference (MDST 2024), Kocaeli Health and Technology University, Kocaeli, Turkey

Exploring Autoimmune Disease Mechanisms: A Structural Bioinformatics View of MHC Class I Diversity

2023

9th International BAU Drug Design Congress, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

Service

Editorial Board Member, Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio)

Skills

Languages

English: advanced level (IELTS 8/9, YÖKDİL 100/100) · German: upper-intermediate/advanced level (B2)

Programming

MATLAB (advanced) · Python (advanced) · R (intermediate) · C (beginner) · Javascript (beginner)

Software

VMD, NAMD, Gromacs, ProDy · Autodock and Autodock Vina · Rosetta Suite · Git

Computational Biology

Scientific programming · Molecular modeling and simulation · Molecular dynamics · Molecular docking · GUI development

Awards & Scholarships

TEV/DAAD Germany Master's Scholarship (Scholarship)

IAESTE Scholarship (Internship)