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Staff Profiles

Dr Ilke Turkmendag

Reader in Biomedicine and Society

Background

Introduction


I am a Reader in Biomedicine and Society. I have a PhD in Genetics and Society (Institute for Science and Society and School of Law, University of Nottingham), and a Master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies (University of Oslo). I have expertise in social and ethical aspects of biomedicine. My research lies in the intersection of Science and Technology Studies (STS), sociology, bioethics, and law. My work in the cross-section of these disciplines is unique at Newcastle, and I frequently represent the Law School in multi-disciplinary collaborations with engineers, scientists, clinicians, and artists on different aspects of biomedicine, and work to connect researchers across disciplines. In the Faculty, I served as the Chair of the HaSS Faculty Research Ethics Committee (2020-2023). I am the Faculty Lead for the Biomedical Engineering NUCoRE . At the Law School, I have co-ordinated and led activities across the theme of Law, Innovation and Society, and as the Director of Law and Futures research group. I am Associate Editor at the Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (part of the Nature journals’ portfolio), and regularly act as an international journal referee. I am a member of the Wellcome Trust Social Sciences Discovery Advisory Group, North of England Medico-Legal Society Council, UK Association for Studies in Innovation, Science and Technology, and AHRC Peer Review College. For these roles, I draw on my significant experience in reviewing applications as the grants panel member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association. In addition to frequent public engagement, including invitations to appear on both BBC and ITV as an expert in my field, my work has also informed a number of non-academic bodies, including Nuffield Council of Bioethics, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and Health Care Improvement Scotland. I sat on the Executive Board of the North of England Medico-Legal Society, building stronger links with the professional members and students in the North East.


I am the module leader for Medicine, Law and Bioethics module at undergraduate level and I teach Law and Emerging Technologies at postgraduate level. I also teach Medical Device Regulations to postgraduate biomedical engineering and law students. I supervise PhD students in my areas of research expertise.


Teaching qualifications

Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

Newcastle Teaching Award, June 2018. 


Qualifications

PhD, The Institute for Science and Society and School of Law, University of Nottingham. (Awarded July 2009)

‘The Removal of Donor Anonymity in the United Kingdom: The Silencing of Claims by Would-be Parents’ (Awarded 07.2009)

Supervised by Prof Robert Dingwall and Prof Therese Murphy

MA, European Studies of Society, Science and Technology, The Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture (TIK), University of Oslo, Norway. (Awarded 12.2003) 

‘Embryo in the Parliament: The British Parliament Debate on the Embryo Technology’.

Supervised by Prof Torben Nielsen

Bachelor of Business Administration, Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University, Turkey. (Awarded February 1997)


Memberships

The Wellcome Trust Social Sciences Discovery Advisory Group

Arts and Humanities Research Council Peer Review College Member (appointed December 2019) 

Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Executive Committee and Grants Committee (appointed September 2017)  https://www.slsa.ac.uk/index.php/executive-committee (2017-2019)

North of England Medico-Legal Society Council Member (appointed October 2019) http://www.nemls.co.uk/council-members/

Higher Education Academy (Fellow, June 2018)

Association for Studies in Innovation Science and Technology (ASSIST UK) 

Association for Responsible Research and Innovation in Genome Editing (ARRIGE)

International Genome Editing Network (University of Lisbon, University of Oxford)

Northern Bioethics Network

Northern Empirical Legal Studies Group 

European Association for the Study of Science and Technology 


Previous Positions


After the completion of my doctoral work in 2009, I joined the Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre (PEALS) at Newcastle University, which has provided me with a deep understanding in evidence based bioethics. Between January 2010-2012, I was a Post Doctoral Research Associate in 'Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Uses of Reproductive Tissue in Stem Cell Science', a project led by Professor Erica Haimes. 

In 2011, I was granted a Mildred Blaxter Postdoctoral Fellowships funded by the Foundation of Sociology of Health and Illness to disseminate the findings from my PhD thesis.

http://www.shifoundation.org.uk/?page_id=174

After completion of my fellowship, in February 2014, I joined Sheffield University to help coordinating the activities towards preparing large grant applications, as well as developing my own grant proposals with Professor Paul Martin. I also taught 'Social Theory and Analysis' and 'Sociology of the New Genetics'. In Sheffield I also coordinated the activities of the Biosociety Network and played role in launching a new university research centre, iHuman.

In February 2016, I joined the Newcastle Law School.


  • Research Associate, Department of Sociological Studies, Sheffield University
  • Mildred Blaxter Post-Doctoral Fellow, PEALS, Newcastle University
  • Post-Doc Research Associate PEALS, Newcastle University
  • Part-Time Teacher, University of Nottingham
  • Senior Resident Tutor University of Nottingham
  • Senior Financial Auditor, KPMG, Istanbul
Research

Research


I have two main areas of research interests. The first is the socio-legal and ethical issues associated with biomedicine, and the second focuses on the regulation of emerging medical technologies. Owing to my background, I bring a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to my research which enables me to apply insights and perspectives from science and technology studies, bioethics, and law.


Current Research Funding


Funding body: BBSRC 

Title: Programme of collaborative exchanges and training developing opportunities for Babraham Institute and Newcastle University staff-NU-018440

Starting date: April 2024 (36 months)

 

Funding Body: Innovate UK: UK Regulatory Science and Innovation Networks – Discovery phase

Title: UK Additive Manufacturing in Healthcare Regulatory Network -NU-019133

Starting Date March 2024 (6 months)


Current Research


Ethics of Anti-Ageing: I am interested in one area of anti-aging research concerns ‘longevity’, which is the length of the life span independent of the biological ageing process. I examine the everyday longevity protocols disseminated on social media and their ethical implications for managing personal health. 

You can find my podcast about ethics of healthy ageing here:

Mason Institute Investigates Episode 7: Longevity for me, but not for thee? Longevity protocols and the ethics of healthy ageing.

Mason Institute Investigates Episode 7: Longevity for me, but not for thee? Longevity protocols and the ethics of healthy ageing. - Media Hopper Create



Epigenetics and law: I am interested in the ways in which developments in epigenetics research influence how maternal responsibility and rights are perceived. In line with that, my recent research focuses on the ways in which the claims associated with epigenetics may give rise to legal claims. I was awarded British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Grant SRG18R1\180531 to explore this: ‘Sins of the mother: Socio-legal imaginaries of epigenetics’. (01/05/2019-28/02/2021) 

Project website: Sins of the Mother: Socio-legal Imaginaries of Epigenetics

Human genome editing: I am interested in the social, regulatory, and ethical aspects of human germline editing. In this context, I particularly focus on the meaning and limits of reproductive autonomy, and how our reproductive decisions may affect future generations.


Past research


In the past, I explored the social, ethical, and legal aspects of gamete donation, and focused on right-to-know claims by donor-conceived adults and the cross border reproductive care movements by the would-be parents who wanted to avoid the law or the long waiting lists in the UK. I disseminated most of my findings under the Mildred Blaxter Postdoctoral Fellowships funded by the Foundation of Sociology of Health and Illness http://www.shifoundation.org.uk/?page_id=174

Following the completion of my postdoctoral research on donor conception and cross border reproductive care movements, I examined the public debate on the novel mitochondrial replacement techniques, and the construction of rights in the regulatory process. With a small team of lawyers and bioethicists I have conducted a pilot project to examine the ethical, legal, and social implications of new health technologies, involving the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Following this, I was a Co-Investigator in an ESRC/BBSRC funded project on epigenetics: EpiStressNet: A biosocial systems approach to understanding the epigenetic embedding of social stress responses: http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=ES/N000528/1

To date, my research has been published in leading international peer-reviewed journals and as book chapters in high-profile edited collections resulting from research council-funded (ESRC and AHRC) projects. I also act as a referee for numerous journals including the Journal of Medical Ethics, New Genetics and Society, Reproductive Biomedicine Online, Human Reproduction, Sociology of Health and Illness, Biosocieties, and Bioethics and as a peer reviewer for the Wellcome Trust, ESRC, AHRC, Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (FWO), Belgium, and Czech Science Foundation.


PhD Supervision

I would be interested in supervising projects within my research interests as outlined below, but students who are interested in other areas of biomedicine and human reproduction are also welcome to contact me. 

  • Socio-ethical issues around healthy ageing, longevity research and self-tracking technologies.
  • Human reproduction technologies, 
  • Fertility treatment
  • Reproductive autonomy 
  • Reproductive tissue donation
  • Child's 'right-to know' in donor conception and mitochondrial replacement techniques
  • Cross border reproductive care (CBRC) movements 
  • Epigenetics and maternal responsibility
  • Socio-legal and ethical issues around the human genome editing techniques
  • Medical device and implants
  • Abortion and assisted human reproduction, including surrogacy

Completed PhD Supervision:

Ying-Qi Liaw, A Child-Centered Approach in Human Heritable Germline Editing

Current Students:

Jinshuo Liu, The Legal Status of Frozen Embryos and Disputes over their Disposition: An International Perspective


Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching 

LAW 3024 Medicine, Law and Bioethics (Module leader) (2016- present)

LAW 3098 Dissertation (2017-2018)

LAW 1110 Legal Institutions and Method (2017-2018)

LAW 8152 Theory and Methods of Research (Module leader) (2016-2019)

Postgraduate Teaching

LAW 8090 Legal Research Skills and Methods (Module leader) (2017-present)

MEC 8056 Medical Device Regulations (2019- present)

Law 8577 Law and Emerging Technologies (2022- present)



Publications