dr.ir. D (Deniz) Turan-Kunter

Driven by an interest in applied science, technology transfer, and innovation, my research focuses on sustainable food packaging, post-harvest physiology of fruits and vegetables, and food technology. With a bachelor’s and a Ph.D. in food engineering, I dedicate my scientific work towards contributing to the plastic and food waste problem. 

I studied food engineering at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey. In 2010, I graduated (B.Sc.) with distinction. Honour track of B.Sc also gave me the opportunity to be admitted to a Ph.D. program straight out of undergrad. For my Ph.D., I decided to move towards macromolecular chemistry/polymer science to improve my knowledge on plastic packaging materials to ensure food safety and reduce food waste. I received a TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) research grant for developing a smart thermosensitive polymer material which was patented and has yielded a significant contribution in the food packaging field. This work led me to receive the best Ph.D. thesis award and the Nestle Young Scientist award for my contribution to the field of the sustainability challenge by addressing food loss/waste reduction. As a postdoctoral researcher, I focused on unravelling the factors influencing the quality of fresh products after harvesting, using digital data-driven models to optimize fresh fruit cold chains from tree to table.

I have officially started as a tenure-track assistant professor at FQD as of April 1st, 2023. My research focuses on data-driven sustainable smart package design.