A Milestone and a Moment of Gratitude - August 2025
Yesilbas Lab is in the Midsummer celebrations with a few missing (Surendra is waiting for the picnic table, and Frida is with her family).
As I quietly mark a personal milestone, I want to take a moment to express sincere appreciation for the remarkable team I have the privilege of working with.
The past years have reinforced how impactful it is to be part of a group where collaboration, respect, and curiosity are shared values. I’ve come to deeply value the environment we’ve created—one where scientific integrity, academic principles, professionalism, and a sense of humor coexist in meaningful ways.
Working alongside colleagues who bring thoughtfulness, commitment, and support to our everyday efforts has been both motivating and grounding. I’m grateful not only for what we accomplish together with my team, but for how we do it.
We welcomed our new Kempe postdoctoral fellow Alef and our new PhD student Zoe into our group.
My fantastic postdocs, Surendra and Alef have already completed their first papers and make it ready for submission.
Frida and Alef have performed very cool experiments together during summer and now they are drafting a new extremophile paper.
We have set two new collaborations and looking forward to doing exciting science together!
We have published two Mars papers till today and will submit three more during this semester.
My VR project has been recognized and awarded by the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute, NASA and European Organizations.
I have been invited to the interview for ERC Starting Grant 2025 call this year.
Looking ahead, I feel fortunate to continue building this lab together—toward new ideas, out-of-this world questions, and a culture that brings out the best in all of us wherever we work.
Per aspera ad astra!
/Merve
