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. 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.

Prof. Dr. Hans Konrad Biesalski

Head Of Department Of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition and Food Security Center, Hohenheim University

Prof. Dr. med. H. K. Biesalski is currently heading the Department of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition and the Food Security Center at University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After his studies of Physics at University of Mainz (1971-1974) and his appointment as Research Assistant at the Department of Physiology, Division of Physics, in 1979, he graduated in 1981 with an MD thesis about „Progressive Hearing Disorders in Childhood“. After several years’ activity as Assistant Professor, he obtained his habilitation in 1987 with the thesis "Vitamin A and Inner Ear. Development and Application of Biochemical and Electrophysiological Studies". In 1993 he became full Professor and chair at the Department of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition at University of Hohenheim.

Prof. Dr. Biesalski has over 30 years experience in research on retinoids and their actions on cellular growth and differentiation, vitamin A and human health, especially lung diseases. Since 1993, his research activities have concentrated on antioxidants and vitamins in basic and applied research on reactive oxygen species and their role in human nutrition. He is holder of several patents and has founded a biotech company (BioTeSys GmbH) in Esslingen, Germany, in 2000, which develops cell and organ culture models to test biological compounds and also carries out clinical studies. His actual scientific focus is assessment and treatment of hidden hunger in low income countries.

Prof. Dr. Biesalski is a member of the advisory board of the Ministry of Agriculture and Nutrition and Executive Boards and Scientific Advisory Boards of the different German health societies and academies and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US Pharmacopoeia. He is also European editor and board member of several international scientific journals and member of different international societies and vitamin consultative groups. He has edited 8 textbooks related to hidden hunger, nutrition medicine, nutrition physiology, clinical nutrition and aging (some of them translated in English, French and Chinese) and has published more than 330 peer-reviewed papers in the most prestigious scientific journals dealing with nutrition, vitamins and nutrition medicine. Professor Biesalski has given lectures in nutrition physiology and nutrition medicine in European Medical Schools. He has chaired several international conferences (amongst others the WHO Conference on Nutrition and Cancer in 1997 and the First Congress Nutrition Teams and the 1 st. and 2nd. Hidden Hunger Conference in 2013 and 2015).

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. 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. Beraat Özçelik

Dean Of The Faculty and Head Of Food Engineering Department and Rectorate Advisor İstanbul Technical University

Beraat Özçelik, after graduation from Ege University in 1990, Food Engineering Department, has gained her Ms and PhD degrees from ITU Food Engineering Department. She worked as visiting scholar at Ohio State University Food Science and Technology Department, for her post-doctorate study. Having a number of scientific national and international publications, her research studies focused on functional foods and nutraceuticals, health effects of bioactive food compounds, nanoencapsulation and bioavailability. To date, she worked as coordinator or researcher in many EU projects, and conducted TUBITAK and other national projects. Having scientific committee memberships in Turkish Food Codex Commitee and some foundations, she has taken place in Editorial Boards of Scientific journals and in organizing committee of international congress. Being a former Head of Food Engineering Department and Rectorate advisor, Prof. Dr. Beraat Özçelik is actively working as Dean of the Faculty.

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.

Dr Julian D Stowell

Science Committee Member 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.

Prof. Dr. M. Temel Yılmaz

Head Of Department Of Immunology At The Experimental Medicine Research Institute, Istanbul University and Head Of Diabetes Foundation Of Turkey


Prof. Dr. Yılmaz obtained his specialization in the Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty at Istanbul University. He works in the fields of immunology, metabolism and diabetes. He worked as Head of Department of Diabetes at Medical Faculty of Istanbul, Head of Department of Immunology at the Experimental Medicine Research Institute of the Istanbul University. He is currently Head of IU Diabetes Practice and Research Centre, Diabetes Foundation of Turkey. Prof. Dr. Yılmaz is also the author or a member of the editing council of 14 books in this field. He has written over 320 articles.