Event Details

Lancaster Environment Centre alumna Prof Perihan Binnur Kurt-Karakuş shares the inspiring story of her route into a career in environmental research specialising in persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Prof Perihan Binnur Kurt-Karakuş says, "Research is an endless struggle that is always present, demanding, irritating, and occasionally rewarding. Meanwhile, as researchers, we have a fun and exciting job. The difficulty in research is coming up with questions that are both answerable and unpredictable. Because of the challenge, I became a researcher."

We are delighted to welcome Prof Perihan Binnur Kurt-Karakuş, now of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Bursa Technical University, Turkey, to our LEC Seminar programme. The session will be chaired by her former postgraduate supervisor Prof Kevin Jones.

"I knew I wanted to be a researcher since I was in the secondary school. There is nothing particularly special about my story except, perhaps, for how it began. Being rejected 3 times in my scholarship applications for my master's degree abroad made me more ambitious instead of discouraged. The director of Turkish Education Foundation, a person whose name I always remember with love and respect realized my determination on these applications and she especially supported me in granting a scholarship on my third application. After I came to Lancaster for my MSc, I met Prof Kevin Jones, whom I always appreciate and have a great respect for all his support and help with my studies.

"When you start doing research at the PhD level, you begin to work and meet with real scientists - occasionally the very scientists whom you are impressed with their way of thinking on the research topics. On your way to your path to a career in research, these people are usually happy to let you in to their science club. I have been lucky enough to meet many of big guys of global POPs research community. During my studies under their supervision, the most important thing I learned is science is not about finding the truth at all, but about finding better ways of being wrong.

"In summary, in this seminar, I will talk about little bit details on my research career journey."

Joining the seminar

This seminar will be held live online through Microsoft Teams. All are very welcome to join us!

Follow this link at 13:00 (UK time) 15 June 2021 to join the session: Click here to join the meeting

Guidance on joining a Teams event available here.

Format

• 13:00 (UK time) Welcome and introduction
• 20-minute presentation from our speaker
• Speaker takes questions from our live virtual audience submitted through the text 'Chat' function
• The seminar will be recorded and the video will be uploaded in due course onto Lancaster Environment Centre's YouTube channel

Full LEC Seminar series

Follow the full programme at https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/about-us/events/

You can also join the conversation on Twitter: #LECSeminar.