• PhD, 2025-current

 Molecular Biology Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz/Germany

Doctoral Researcher

• 2021-2024

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc Dissertation: Identification of long non-coding RNAs in Monilinia fructicola species

• 2016-2021

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Çanakkale/Türkiye

BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

• 2023-2025, continued

TUBITAK-COST Project (International 2519 COST Working Group Program, Project No. 122Z863) (Researcher)

• 2022-2024

Investigation of In vitro Host Mimicry in Fungal Pathosystems (TUBITAK-1002) (Project No. 123Z611) (Researcher)

• 2021-2024

Syngenta Agriculture Industry and Trade Inc. 58K R&D Project within the scope of University-Industry cooperation (Researcher)

• 2019-2021

Sensitivity of Monilinia Pathogens Causing Brown Rot of Peach Against Respiration Inhibitor Fungicides Having Specific Mode of Action Mechanisms, Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes and Investigating Relation Between Fungicide Resistance and Mutations on Mitochondrial Genome (TUBITAK-KBAG, 1001, Project No. 217Z134) (Researcher)

  Fidanoğlu, B.T., Keresteci, N. & Özkılınç, H. A Model System for Understanding Host–Pathogen Relationships Through In Vitro Host Mimicry. Eur J Plant Pathol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-025-03030-3

Özkılınç, H., Fidanoğlu, B. T., Öncel, S., Kurtuluş, E., & Kadıoğlu, İ. E. (2025). Resistance Evolution and Local Adaptation of Venturia inaequalis to Old and New Generation SDHI Fungicides. Fungal Biology, 129(2), 101543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2025.101543

Fidanoğlu, B.T., Mestav, B. & Özkılınç, H. A case study of the effect of temperature on aggressiveness in the Monilinia-peach pathosystem. Eur J Plant Pathol 167, 1–10 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-023-02681-4

• PhD, 2022-current

Agricultural Bioinformatics, Justus Liebig University, Geissen/Germany

Doctoral researcher

• MSc, 2019-2022

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc Dissertation: Prediction of microRNAs in Monilinia spp. and their roles in host-pathogen interactions

• BSc, 2014-2019

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Çanakkale/Türkiye

BSc n Molecular Biology and Genetics

• 2020-2022

Prediction of microRNAs in Monilinia spp. and their roles in host-pathogen interactions, BAP project (Researcher)

• 2018-2021

Sensitivity of Monilinia Pathogens Causing Brown Rot of Peach Against Respiration Inhibitor Fungicides Having Specific Mode of Action Mechanisms, Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes and Investigating Relation Between Fungicide Resistance and Mutations on Mitochondrial Genome (TUBITAK-KBAG, 1001, Project No. 217Z134) (Researcher)

  Durak, M. R., Arslan, K., Silan, E., Yildiz, G., & Ozkilinc, H. (2021). A novel approach for in vitro fungicide screening and the sensitivity of Monilinia populations from peach orchards in Turkey to respiratory inhibitor fungicides. Crop Protection, 147, 105688.

  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105688

  Arslan, K., Ozkilinc, H. MicroRNA cross-talk between Monilinia fungal pathogens and peach host. Phytoparasitica 52, 29 (2024). 

  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-024-01131-z

Arslan, K., Durak, M. R., & Özkılınç, H. (2025b). Towards Uncovering New Insights into Respiratory Inhibitor Fungicide Resistance in Molinia Fungal Plant Pathogens: Insights from a Mitogenomic Approach. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 13(6), 1577–1589. https:// doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v13i6.1577-1589.7703

• PhD, 2023-current

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön/Germany

Doctoral Researcher

• PhD, 2022-2023

Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni/Vienna

Doctoral Researcher

• MSc, 2019-2022

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc Dissertation: Genome-wide discovery of structural variants and their potential role in DMI-propiconazole resistance in Monilinia species

• BSc, 2014-2019

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Çanakkale/Türkiye

BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

• 2020-2022

Genome-wide discovery of structural variants and their potential role in DMI-propiconazole resistance in Monilinia species, BAP project (Researcher)

• 2018-2021

Sensitivity of Monilinia Pathogens Causing Brown Rot of Peach Against Respiration Inhibitor Fungicides Having Specific Mode of Action Mechanisms, Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes and Investigating Relation Between Fungicide Resistance and Mutations on Mitochondrial Genome (TUBITAK-KBAG, 1001, Project No. 217Z134) (Researcher)

  Arslan, K., Durak, M. R., & Özkılınç, H. (2025). Towards Uncovering New Insights into Respiratory Inhibitor Fungicide Resistance in Molinia Fungal Plant Pathogens: Insights from a Mitogenomic Approach. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 13(6), 1577–1589. 

  https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v13i6.1577-1589.7703

Durak, M.R., Özkılınç, H. Transposable elements in genomic architecture of Monilinia fungal phytopathogens and TE-driven DMI-resistance adaptation. Mobile DNA 16, 8 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13100-025-00343-2

  Durak, M. R., & Ozkilinc, H. (2023). Genome-Wide discovery of structural variants reveals distinct variant dynamics for two closely related monilinia species. Genome Biology and Evolution, 15(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evad085

  Durak, M. R., Arslan, K., Silan, E., Yildiz, G., & Ozkilinc, H. (2021). A novel approach for in vitro fungicide screening and the sensitivity of Monilinia populations from peach orchards in Turkey to respiratory inhibitor fungicides. Crop Protection, 147, 105688. 

  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105688

• PhD, 2021-current

Quadram Institute, Norwich/England

Doctoral Researcher

• MSc, 2018-2021

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc Dissertation: Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies of Monilinia brown rot pathogens from a worldwide collection

• BSc, 2012-2016

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Çanakkale/Türkiye

BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

• 2019-2021

Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies of Monilinia brown rot pathogens from a worldwide collection, BAP Project (Researcher)

• 2018-2021

Sensitivity of Monilinia Pathogens Causing Brown Rot of Peach Against Respiration Inhibitor Fungicides Having Specific Mode of Action Mechanisms, Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes and Investigating Relation Between Fungicide Resistance and Mutations on Mitochondrial Genome (TUBITAK-KBAG, 1001, Project No. 217Z134) (Researcher)

Silan, E., Ozkilinc, H. Phylogenetic divergences in brown rot fungal pathogens of Monilinia species from a worldwide collection: inferences based on the nuclear versus mitochondrial genes. BMC Ecol Evo 22, 119 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-022-02079-6

  Durak, M. R., Arslan, K., Silan, E., Yildiz, G., & Ozkilinc, H. (2021). A novel approach for in vitro fungicide screening and the sensitivity of Monilinia populations from peach orchards in Turkey to respiratory inhibitor fungicides. Crop Protection, 147, 105688.

  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105688

  Ozkilinc, H., Yildiz, G., Silan, E. et al. Species diversity, mating type assays and aggressiveness patterns of Monilinia pathogens causing brown rot of peach fruit in Turkey. Eur J Plant Pathol 157, 799–814 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02040-7

• PhD, 2021-current

Justus Liebig University, Geissen/Germany

Doctoral researcher

• MSc, 2017-2020

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics

MSc Dissertation: Next-generation sequencing of the mitochondrial (MT) genomes and comparative MT-genomics of the fungal plant pathogens Monilinia and closely related species

• BSc, 2016-2020

Anadolu University, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences, Department of International Relations

BSc in International Relations

• 2014-2015

RWTH Aachen University, Germany

German Language School

• BSc, 2009-2013

Haliç University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, İstanbul/Türkiye

BSc in Moelcular Biology and Genetics

• 2018-2021

Sensitivity of Monilinia Pathogens Causing Brown Rot of Peach Against Respiration Inhibitor Fungicides Having Specific Mode of Action Mechanisms, Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes and Investigating Relation Between Fungicide Resistance and Mutations on Mitochondrial Genome (TUBITAK-KBAG, 1001, Project No. 217Z134) (Researcher)

Yildiz, G., Ozkilinc, H. First characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of fungal plant-pathogen Monilinia laxa which represents the mobile intron rich structure. Sci Rep 10, 13644 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70611-z

Ozkilinc, H., Yildiz, G., Silan, E. et al. Species diversity, mating type assays and aggressiveness patterns of Monilinia pathogens causing brown rot of peach fruit in Turkey. Eur J Plant Pathol 157, 799–814 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02040-7

Yildiz G and Ozkilinc H (2021) Pan-Mitogenomics Approach Discovers Diversity and Dynamism in the Prominent Brown Rot Fungal Pathogens. Front. Microbiol. 12:647989. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.647989

  Durak, M. R., Arslan, K., Silan, E., Yildiz, G., & Ozkilinc, H. (2021). A novel approach for in vitro fungicide screening and the sensitivity of Monilinia populations from peach orchards in Turkey to respiratory inhibitor fungicides. Crop Protection, 147, 105688.

• MSc, 2014-2016

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Biomoleular Sciences

MSc Dissertation: Antepfıstığı türlerinde Alternaria yanıklık etmeni Alternaria spp.'nin popülasyon genetik analizleri

Ozkilinc, H., Sevinc, U. Molecular phylogenetic species in Alternaria pathogens infecting pistachio and wild relatives. 3 Biotech 8, 250 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-018-1277-0

Guven, H., Everhart, S.E., De Miccolis Angelini, R.M. et al. Genetic diversity assessments of brown rot pathogen Monilinia fructicola based on the six simple sequence repeat loci. J Plant Dis Prot 128, 1459–1465 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-021-00504-4

Ozkilinc, H., Yildiz, G., Silan, E. et al. Species diversity, mating type assays and aggressiveness patterns of Monilinia pathogens causing brown rot of peach fruit in Turkey. Eur J Plant Pathol 157, 799–814 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02040-7

• PhD, 2020-2025

Seoul National University, Seoul/South Korea

PhD in Agricultural Biotechnology

• 2020

Seoul National University, Seoul/South Korea

Korean Language Course

• 2020

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul/South Korea

Korean Language Course

• MSc, 2016-2018

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çanakkale/Türkiye

MSc in Biomolecular Sciences

MSc Dissertation: Molecular characterization of Monilinia species associated with brown rot of stone fruits

Hilal OZKILINC, Zerrin KOZMA, Burcu PEKDEMİR, Birgul GULNAR., 2018. ‘Characterization of Cryphonectria parasitica From Native Chestnut Trees in Kaz Mountain (Mount Ida)’. Journal of Agricultural Faculty of Gaziosmanpasa University http://ziraatdergi.gop.edu.tr/ JAFAG ISSN: 1300-2910 E-ISSN: 2147-8848 (2018) 35 (1), 38-45 doi:10.13002/jafag4357