Education is important and highly prized by most people. While some people take a full and complete education for granted, there are still areas of the world where receiving even a high school education is financially impossible. Gizem Donmez was fortunate enough to come from a country where women were welcomed to pursue higher education. As a student, she completed her undergraduate degree in Turkey, which is a country located in the Middle East.

“As a young female student in Turkey, I was encouraged to pursue science,” says Gizem Donmez. She completed her undergraduate degree at Middle East Technical University in 2000. However, she decided to obtain her higher degrees in Germany.
“I completed my master’s of science degree in molecular biology at Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry at Gottingen University,” recalls Gizem Donmez. Gottingen University is in Gottingen, Germany. “In 2007, my PhD was competed in molecular biology and biochemistry.”

Gizem Donmez was always a top student. She credits much of her academic success to the support she had in her family. “They supported my desire to go to the best schools and receive the best education possible. They knew I was interested in science, even when I was only a child, and they continue to support me,” says Gizem Donmez. But even with family support, Gizem Donmez knows much of her success came down to her own efforts and hard work.

Today, Gizem Donmez believes there is even more competition for science students. She believes technology has done a lot to help introduce students to science earlier, but this creates the competition she sees regularly. “Technology exposes children to science much earlier and that is an advantage, but it also means more children want to become scientists. As more students enter into the applied sciences, competition to be the best increases,” says Gizem Donmez.

Gizem Donmez is still a young professional but she is ready to give her own words of wisdom to new and future science students. Gizem Donmez tells students to start early, get ahead of the game, work hard, and think creatively. While much of her advice is focused on young Turkish scientists, they are words of wisdom relevant to all science students.