TÜBA Young Academy Member Prof. Dr. Zeki Candan Elected to the EU COST WIRE Working Group
Prof. Dr. Zeki Candan, TÜBA Young Academy Member, Founder of Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Group | BioNanoTeam and Lecturer at Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Industrial Engineering, was elected to the European Union COST Action CA20127 Working Group.
By 2030, the bio-based economy is expected to develop significantly in Europe. One of the pillars of this bioeconomy is the concept of "Biorefinery", which refers to the sustainable processing of various types of waste and biomass into a range of marketable products and energy. This COST Action brings together experts from academia, industry and technology transfer organizations.
Who is Zeki Candan?
Prof. Dr. Zeki Candan graduated from Istanbul University, Department of Forest Industry Engineering as the 2nd in his semester and successfully completed his master's and doctoral studies at Istanbul University. He visited many universities and research institutions in the United States of America, Canada, Sweden, England, Germany, Spain, Germany, Spain and China during his master's, doctoral and post-doctoral studies and conducted scientific research and studies with the world's leading scientists in his field.
Among them is the University of Maine, Advanced Structures & Composites Center - ASCC in the United States of America, which is considered to be the world's largest laboratory in the field of composite materials/biomaterials/renewable energy. Professor Candan also served as the Secretary General of the MDF and Particle Board Industrialists Association (YOMSAD) between 2005 and 2006 and has been active in non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Prof. Dr. Zeki Candan, discusses sustainable materials, nanocomposites / bionanocomposites, biomaterials, applications of nanotechnology in furniture/wood/glue industry, bioadhesives, glue and wood-based composite board products reinforced with nanoparticles, Industry 4. 0, smart products / smart manufacturing systems / smart factories, renewable energy / bioenergy (wood / non-wood pellets, wood / non-wood briquettes, etc.), thermal characterization of materials (DMTA, TMA, TGA, DTA, DSC), applications of biomaterials in the field of medicine. Professor Candan, who conducted the first PhD studies on the applications of nanotechnology in wood science / forest products industry in Türkiye, also made significant contributions to the establishment of the first "Nanotechnology Laboratory" and "Thermal Analysis Laboratory" in Türkiye. In addition, it has played an important role in the establishment of the "Renewable Energy Laboratory", which successfully studies the possibilities of using furniture waste, forest industry waste, forest waste, agricultural/agricultural waste, urban transformation waste, etc. as renewable energy/biomass energy. Its R&D and innovation activities contribute to the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly, high performance, high strength, reduced formaldehyde emission, antibacterial/antiviral, high dimensional stabilization, high resistance to combustion and biological factors wood/wood-based composite board products and furniture components. On the other hand; R&D and innovation studies on the applications of nanocellulose, nanolignin and other sustainable biomaterials in the fields of medicine, pharmaceuticals, energy, composites, composites, food and electronics continue.
Professor Candan, who worked at Istanbul University between 2006 and 2018 and at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa since 2018, was awarded the "Outstanding Young Scientist Award" by the Turkish Academy of Sciences & TUBA in 2019.
Prof. Dr. Zeki Candan is the founder of the Biomaterials & Nanotechnology Research Group (BioNanoTeam). The Biomaterials & Nanotechnology Research Group is a multidisciplinary research group that carries out R&D and innovation studies in the fields of nanoscience/nanotechnology and biomaterials/sustainable materials. It collaborates intensively with industrial organizations in order to transform R&D studies carried out in the laboratory environment into innovation by providing added value. The Research Group conducts scientific projects, industrial projects, articles and patents on nanotechnology, biomaterials, green materials, composites, thermal analysis, Industry 4.0, bioenergy, innovation and entrepreneurship. It shares the results of its scientific activities with the society through events such as national and international conferences / congresses / symposiums / workshops / panels.
Professor Candan, who has served as Associate Editor / Editorial Board Member / Reviewer in many prestigious scientific journals scanned by Web of Science, has various working group memberships in European Union COST Actions. Professor Candan, who has been continuing his cooperation studies with many industrial organizations, including global companies that have an important place in the economy of our country, as well as various non-governmental organizations for many years, has board membership, committee-advisory board membership duties in addition to his memberships in leading scientific associations in various countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. The work of Professor Candan and his research group BioNanoTeam is supported by the Turkish Academy of Sciences & TUBITAK, European Union COST, various industrial organizations and non-governmental organizations, and has won dozens of national and international awards/scholarships/grants in numerous scientific conferences/R&D/design and innovation project competitions.