Membership Q&A

This is a regular column to introduce our members. In this issue, we’re pleased to introduce İpek Kurtböke.

Where are you currently based?

The University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.

What is your area of specialism?

Bacteriology with specific emphasis on actinomycetology.

And more specifically?

Biodiscovery from Actinomycetes. Searching for industrially important compounds from these organisms such as antibiotics and enzymes.

Tell us about your education to date.

I obtained my BSc from the Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey (1982), one of the leading universities in Turkey where the language of instruction is in English. After that I did three years of postgraduate research at the University of Milan, Italy (1983–1986), where my interest in antibiotic-producing actinomycetes grew deeper in the laboratory of Professor Locci, who was part of the International Actinomycete Group. After that I moved to the UK to do my PhD at the University of Liverpool (1986–1990). Since early childhood I was encouraged for academia and scholarly work starting at home by my parents and grandparents and later by distinguished teachers. All of them had significant impact on my educational development contributing from different angles. I gratefully remember all of them.

Where did your interest in microbiology come from?

After the completion of my BSc degree, I obtained my first graduate employment at Eczacibasi Ilac A/S in Istanbul, Turkey (1982–1983). The company was then Turkey’s leading pharmaceutical company and was producing antibiotic gentamicin under Shering, USA, license. Following the discovery of the first potent antibiotic from actinomycetes (streptomycin), there was a global interest in this field, and gentamicin was another potent antibiotic produced by an actinomycete species. A career path was evolved for me in the field of actinomycetology, allowing me to work with the then leading scientists in this field, like the late Professor Stan Williams at the University of Liverpool, who supervised my PhD studies. His laboratory and research was then one of the leading ones in the field of biodiscovery, including links with GlaxoSmithKline and Xenova Group pharmaceuticals. Both at the University of Milan and University of Liverpool I had opportunities to take part in their industrially-linked research and become familiar with industrial and applied processes. I benefitted greatly from these experiences and incorporate them into my teaching related to applied microbiology and biotechnology.

What are the professional challenges that present themselves and how do you try to overcome them?

At the scientific level: the changing world of microbial ecology with new advances such as the metagenomics. Careful interpretation of the huge data generated to reveal true functional diversity of the micro-organisms, as well as their taxonomical status, is required. Knowledge generated at the eco-taxonomical level and their sound interpretation forms the basis for applied processes. At the professional level: tertiary education has to protect its foundational principles, one of which is scholarship. Current trends should not alter these principles, as true advancements can only derive from scholarly knowledge generation. I try to emphasise and make the younger generation aware of the traditional values. Tertiary education is not only gaining a well-paid job at the end of their studies but a scholarly transformation in their thinking which is important for the advancement of mankind.

What is the best part about ‘doing science’?

Science teaches us to be factual, analytical, objective and critical. Koch’s Postulates have to be justified in the scientific approaches with a rationale. Continuous questioning and the desire to better the best take the scientist into a mature level of understanding of life’s facts and develop tools to deal with them.

Who is your role model?

Experts I have encountered in the field, like the late Professor Stan Williams, Professor Arnold Demain, Professor William Fenical, Professor Julian Davies, Professor David Hopwood.

What do you do to relax?

At the moment I am extremely busy with teaching and research activities. But, if I have time, I love swimming. I grew up with the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Sea and miss it greatly. Australian oceans are too rough for me (I cannot surf!). I also like cycling, walking and visiting art galleries. The Queensland Gallery of Modern Arts (GOMA) in Brisbane has been a great place to escape when I have time. I also watch Turner Classic Movies, which contribute towards my understanding of my grandparents’ and parents’ generations – providing insights into their way of life and their changing way of life from World War I to World War II and then to the 1950s and 1960s.

What one record and luxury item would you take to a desert island?

Hamac and Verdi operas. My mother was an opera singer (Turkish State Opera and Ballet), and so I grew up listening to opera and Turkey’s leading opera singers who were friends of my mother. In later years, I was fortunate to attend many performances at La Scala when I was in Italy. I was frequently in the audience watching the Liverpool Philharmonic and Manchester Hallé Orchestras when I was in the UK. I also used to take the train to London to go to the Barbican Centre and would return to Liverpool on the last train.

Tell us one thing that your work colleagues won’t know about you.

Science has taken me from Turkey (motherland) to Italy, to the UK (1986–1990) and to Australia (1990–2016) with fascinating experiences shaping me in a truly multicultural way. I benefit greatly from all these experiences and incorporate them into my teachings to encourage my students to broaden their horizons and encourage them to take part in the Global Opportunities program that the University of the Sunshine Coast offers.

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be?

Maestro (perhaps a second Toscanini!). Although my mother was a musical person I was encouraged into science and academia by my late father, who was a colonel of the Turkish Army and was fascinated by the post-Second World War advancements in science (biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology…). I cannot play an instrument but the artistic background from my mother is always there, perhaps helping me be creative, which is required in science, and the discipline required probably comes from my father.

Upon my arrival to the University of Liverpool, I was introduced to the Microbiology Society (then SGM) in 1986 and became a member in 1987. Over the last nearly 30 years I read with great interest Microbiology Today, which has always been contemporary and visionary. I have also become a member of the Microbiology Australia Editorial Board in 2004 and since then guest edited six special issues, including the special issue on ‘Actinomycetes’ (Vol. 25, Issue 2, 2004), which was contributed by distinguished UK scientists as well. I am very happy to be able to connect both societies in 2017 to produce a joint special issue on an important topic of microbial diseases of travel.

If you would like to be featured in this section or know someone who may, contact Paul Easton, Head of Membership Services, at [email protected]