Dr. Talat İçöz

Chairman of Sabri Ülker Food Research Foundation

Mr. Talat İçöz was born in Bursa in 1947. He graduated from İzmir Maarif Koleji in 1965 and from Management Department of METU Administrative Sciences Faculty in 1969. He completed his MS degree in City and Regional Planning Department of METU Architecture Faculty in 1971. Upon completion of his military service in 1973, Talat İçöz worked at several private companies as Project Manager, Deputy General Manager, Manager and Founding Partner until 1987. Elected as a member of parliament, he served as Vice President of Motherland Party and also took part in the Constitution Commission, and Industry and Technology Commission of Turkish Grand National Assembly. He engaged in commercial activities both in Turkey and abroad between the years 1991-2000 and also worked as consultant at various private companies. He has been lecturing “Turkish Business Environment” course at Management Department of Bilgi University since 2011.

Begüm Mutuş

General Manager Of Sabri Ülker Food Research Foundation - Board Member

Begüm Mutuş, completed her graduate studies in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Yıldız Technical University. Mrs. Mutuş spent most of her working career in the food and beverages branches working in various assignments in research and development, regulatory and scientific affairs. She joined Yıldız Holding in 2007 and worked as Regulatory, Scientific Affairs and Sustainability Director. She has been assigned to The Secretary General position and became Board Member of the Foundation as of 2014.

Prof. Dr. Diána Bánáti

Full Professor, Institute of Nutrition; Doctoral School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Debrecen

Prof. Bánáti is with 20-year long experience of research and that of teaching at university, she is a widely recognised professor on food safety, food policy, food regulatory sciences and consumer science.
During her professional career, she served as Director General of the Central Food Research Institute (CFRI/KÉKI), Hungary (2000-2011). She acted as a Ministerial Commissioner for food safety and international scientific research cooperation and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Hungarian Ministry of Rural Development (2011-2012)..
Prof. Bánáti was formerly Chair of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for 2 mandates (2008-2012) and Vice-Chair (2006-2008). She has been appointed member of several international scientific organisations (e.g. FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, EFFoST, OECD, European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies of the European Commission). Currently, she is elected Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST) and a member of Academia Europaea. She is also member of several Editorial Boards including Acta Alimentaria, International Journal of Horticultural Science and Food Science, Technology.
Prof. Bánáti is author of 120 peer-reviewed publications, 43 book chapters and more than 100 conference proceedings and abstracts related to food science, in particular food safety, food policy, legislation and consumer sciences. She has also organised and chaired a large number of international conferences (e.g. EFFoST, CEEFood). She was extensively involved in national and international R&D programmes and EU research projects (FP6, FP7).
She had role at ILSI Europe as Executive and Scientific Director between 2012-2018.

Prof. Dr. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil

J.S. Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism, Chair Of The Department Of Genetics and Complex Diseases and Sabri Ülker Center, Harvard University


Hotamisligil graduated from Ankara University, Medical School in 1986 and completed his specialty training and dissertation studies in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Genetics at Harvard University. He is currently the J.S. Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism, Chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases and Sabri Ülker Center. His seminal discoveries and innovative work has opened up new fields of study on fundamental mechanisms related to metabolic diseases and recognized by many distinctions including Markey and Pew Fellowships, TUBITAK Science Award, Outstanding Scientific Accomplisment Award of American Diabetes Association, Naomie Berrie, Wertheimer and Roy Greep Awards and Danone International Nutrition Prize. He is elected member of Turkish Academy of Sciences and elected fellow of AAAS and serves on the Board of Directors of Kadir Has University. Hotamışlıgil’s discoveries have introduced new concepts for diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease and inspired many drug development programs. Through multiple industry-academia partnership programs, Hotamışlıgil continues to pursue preventive and therapeutic solutions for common metabolic diseases.

Prof. Dr. Halit Tanju Besler

Istinye University, Vice Rector

Dr Halit Tanju Besler completed his undergraduate study (BSc) in the Nutrition and Dietetics Department at Hacettepe University in 1986 and he graduated (MSc) from Nutrition and Dietetics Programme in Health Sciences Institute at Hacettepe University in 1988. He commenced at Department of Human Nutrition of Medical Faculty of Southampton University in 1995. His areas of expertise are including "nutrition and dietetics" and "nutrition and nutritional biochemistry". He has published more than 60 papers in reputed journals. He has board memberships and consultancies in many public and non-public institutions, in particular Ministry of Health and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, in the matters of nutrition, food and health care areas. He has many national and international publications and he is one of the coordinators of Turkey Nutrition and Health Survey 2010 and National Obesity Action Plan.

Dr Julian D Stowell

Science Committee Consultant of Sabri Ülker Food Research Foundation


Dr Julian Stowell has retired from his previous position as a Vice President of Scientific Affairs for DuPont, becoming a consultant in nutrition science and legislation. Dr Stowell has a background in biochemistry, holding degrees from Birmingham University, the University of Kent and the University of Hertfordshire, all in the UK. He has more than 40 years experience in R&D, manufacturing, commercial and scientific roles in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Dr Stowell is a past board member of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe, and, from May 2010 to July 2020, served as a visiting research professor at the Oxford Brookes University Centre for Nutrition and Health, formerly the Functional Foods Centre. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and Past President of the RSM Forum on Food and Health. Dr Stowell has also chaired and participated in many other groups active in the field of health and nutrition.

Dr. Laura Fernández Celemín

European Food Information Council (EUFIC) - General Director

Dr Laura Fernández Celemín holds a Diploma degree in dietetics & human nutrition and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Laura role as Director General of EUFIC includes deciding on the Nutrition and Food Safety strategy for EUFIC and the supervision of EUFIC activities in EU-funded research projects
Laura has published several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, trade magazines and other specialised press. In addition, she has given numerous presentations about EUFIC, EUFIC’s consumer research as well as on results from EU-project research to various audiences.
EUFIC communicates science-based information on nutrition and health, food safety and quality, to help consumers to be better informed when choosing a well-balanced, safe and healthful diet.

Prof. Serhat Ünal

Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Head of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Department and Director of Vaccine Institute
Dr. Serhat ÜNAL graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1981. He received specialization training in Internal Diseases (1981-1985) and infectious diseases (1989-1990) in Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Ünal also received a specialty training in Infectious Diseases (1990-1992) at the Department of Internal Medicine at the United States Harvard Medical School New England Deaconess Hospital.

Dr. Unal, between the years 1987-1989 Hacettepe University Medical School Cubuk Health Group Deputy Chief of Training and Research Hospital, Family Planning Association of Turkey and the European Community between 1995-1998. AIDS: Senior Policy and Decision Bodies Initiative Project Consultant, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases «Nosocomial Infections Working Group» between 2003-2007, EFIM Congress Organization Committee Chairman and Congress Chairman in 2009.

Dr. Ünal served as the Deputy Dean of Faculty of Medicine at Hacettepe University between 1996-2000, and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the same university between 2006-2011.

Dr. Ünal is the founding president of the Turkish Hospital Infections Association founded in 2000. In addition, in 2010, he was elected as the president of the Turkish Internal Diseases Specialization Association. Between 2001-2013, he served as the head of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine. Since 2013, he has been appointed as the Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology and still continues this duty. Founded in 2018, he is still working as the Director of Hacettepe University Vaccine Institute.

Dr. Ünal started to work as an associate professor in the Department of Internal Diseases, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1989 and received the title of Professor in 1995. His research interests include resistance mechanisms to different antibiotics in Gram-positive bacteria, the use of molecular biology techniques in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, and HIV infection.

Dr. Ünal was selected as the "Fellow" of the American College of Physicians in 2010 and the Royal Collage of Physicians in 2017. İhsan Doğramacı Award; Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, Scotland (1980), Eczacıbaşı Medicine Encouragement Award (1995), TUBITAK Medicine Incentive Award (1996), Voluntary Organizations Women's Health Commission (KASAKOM) - Millennium Volunteers Outstanding Service Award (for her work in the field of HIV / AIDS (2002), Rotary Award for Successful Man of the Year (2006) and The Centenary Medal of Polish Society of Internal Medicine, Poland (2008).

Dr. Zeki Ziya Sözen

Science Committee Member of Sabri Ülker Food Research Foundation

Dr Sözen, completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Orta Doğu Technical University. He then obtained his PhD at the Chemical Engineering Department, British Columbia University in Canada. After developing his career in a variety of senior positions in several local and international companies, in 1996 Dr Sözen joined Yıldız Holding as General Manager of Ak Gıda. Between 2003-2009 he worked as Head of R&D and Business Development and retired from Head of the Food, Frozen Products and Personal Care Group at Yıldız Holding.