About Me

I am Selin Cildir, a Turkish-Australian scientist-in-training with a rich and diverse background shaped by experiences across Türkiye, Italy, Singapore, and Australia. I am currently a Master of Research student at Adelaide University (Australia), working on the genetic architecture of lipoedema—a chronic and complex adipose tissue disorder whose multifactorial nature and poorly understood biological mechanisms make it an important target for genomic research. I hold a Bachelor of Science from Flinders University (Australia), where I majored in molecular biology and genetics and minored in computer science, graduating with a GPA of 6.77 out of 7.00.

My academic journey began with an undergraduate degree in Textile Engineering in Türkiye, followed by professional experiences, which included more than seven years in administrative roles across academia, industry, and government in multiple countries. These diverse experiences were more than career steps; they were transformative. They cultivated creativity, adaptability, resilience, and strong problem‑solving skills. Each chapter taught me something meaningful and brought me closer to a deeper self‑understanding—one that reflects both who I am and what I aspire to contribute.

Ultimately, this path led me to academia, where I discovered my passion for human biology and bioinformatics—a field that excites me, challenges me, and allows me to make a meaningful impact. Today, my research interests continue to expand into transcriptomics, genomics, and epigenomics. I am eager to deepen my expertise in these areas through a higher degree by research.

Balancing motherhood and academic pursuits, I am inspired daily by the opportunities to grow, learn, and contribute. As I navigate this path, I hold onto a guiding principle that has shaped my journey: "Every challenge I have faced has been an opportunity to grow, and every setback has been a setup for a greater comeback."

Projects

Genetic Architecture of Lipoedema: Rare-Variant Mapping across Lymphatic Development, Connective-Tissue Biology, and Adipose Distribution

Ongoing Supervisors: A/Prof. Chung Hoow Kok, Prof. Hamish Scott, Prof. Natasha Harvey, Dr Kelly Betterman

Summary: This project investigates the genetic basis of lipoedema, a chronic and complex adipose‑tissue disorder characterised by disproportionate, painful fat accumulation and frequently associated with lymphatic and connective‑tissue abnormalities. Despite its prevalence and clinical burden, the molecular mechanisms underlying lipoedema remain poorly defined. The overarching aim of this research is to advance foundational understanding of the disease's genetic architecture and identify biological pathways that may contribute to its development and progression. This work is undertaken as part of my Master of Research at Adelaide University within the College of Health and Medical Sciences.

Cloud-Integrated Building Management System for Environmental Monitoring in Medical Laboratories Using Node-RED

Completed Supervisor: A/Prof. Alireza Jolfaei, Flinders University

Summary: As part of a Cloud and Distributed Computing course at Flinders University, I developed a cloud-integrated Building Management System (BMS) tailored for medical laboratory environments using Node-RED. This system simulates temperature, humidity and air-quality readings, validates and classifies them against safety thresholds, and then seamlessly logs and visualises the results while triggering alerts when conditions fall outside acceptable ranges.

Investigating Immune Function in IKKα: T and B Cell Profiling in Health and Disease via Genetic Demultiplexing of scRNA-Seq

Completed Supervisor: Dr. Nick Warnock, Centre for Cancer Biology, Adelaide

Summary: This study employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and genetic demultiplexing to investigate immune function in individuals with the G167R homozygous germline mutation in the IKKα (CHUK) gene. The pipeline involved STAR for bulk RNA-seq read alignment, VarDict for SNP calling from bulk RNA-seq, and cellSNP-lite for SNP calling from scRNA-seq. Vireo was then used to demultiplex pooled scRNA-seq samples based on the detected SNPs.

Smart Manufacturing Dashboard: An Intuitive Web App for Monitoring and Managing Factory Operations

Completed Supervisor: Dr. Brett Wilkinson, Flinders University

Summary: Developed a web-based dashboard for real-time monitoring and management of factory operations, designed for Administrators, Factory Managers, Production Operators, and Auditors. The platform provides CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) functionalities for managing machines, jobs, and maintenance requests, featuring real-time alerts and performance analytics to support data-driven decision-making.

Research Interests

Publications & Awards

Education

2026 - Ongoing: Master of Research, College of Health, Adelaide University, Australia
2023 - 2025: Bachelor of Science (Molecular Biology and Computing), Flinders University, Australia - cumulative GPA 6.77 out of 7.00

Degree Highlights:

  • Human Bioscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics and Evolution
  • DNA to Genome
  • Protein to Proteome
  • Disease and Immunology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biostatistics
  • Computer Programming I (Java)
  • Computational Intelligence
  • Computer Programming II (C++)
  • Neural Networks and Machine Learning
  • Cloud and Distributed Computing
  • Human Factors for Interactive and Web-based Systems
2006 - 2011: Bachelor of Textile Engineering, Ege University, Turkiye
2008 - 2009: Exchange Program in Textile Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy

Professional Memberships

Contact

ORCID Profile
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