Karim Karimli

EDUCATION

College / University

Middle East Technical University

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Molecular Biology and Genetics

Country

Azerbaijan

Lab Experience

Mammalian cell culture techniques, Immunofluorescence Staining and Widefield Microscopy, Image processing (ImageJ), siRNA design and transfection, qRT-PCR and expression data analysis (Excel, GraphPad Prism), Molecular Cloning (Primer design and optimization, PCR, restriction digestion, ligation, transformation and transfection), SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting, plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) handling for plate, soil, and hydroponics experiments, plant genotyping by PCR and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis

Projects / Research

2023 – 2024: Undergraduate Research Project “Site-Directed Mutagenesis of CXXC5 Constructs for the Characterization of Ubiquitination Locations”, Prof. Dr. Mesut Muyan’s lab, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
2023: Summer Research Internship Project “Establishment of Experimental Baselines for Imaging and Quantification of Extracellular Matrix in Cellular Model of Kidney Fibrosis”, Group of Dr. Rainer Pepperkok, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
2022: Summer Research Internship Project “The Functional Characterization of a POPEYE Interacting Protein OLIVIA in Iron Homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana”, Group of Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany

Scholarships / Awards

2024 – 2025:	DAAD Scholarship for Master Studies
2024:	Bachelor graduation with a High Honor Degree, ranked #2 amongst the class of Molecular Biology and Genetics in METU
2023 – 2024:	Türkiye Scholarships – Success Scholarship for International Undergraduate Students
2023 – 2024:	Tuition Fee Exemption for Academic Success
2023:	Erasmus+ EU Traineeship Grant

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

I have a profound interest in stress, resilience, and death mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels. I am fascinated by how cells perceive and dynamically respond to stress and turn on adaptive cellular mechanisms to survive under challenging conditions. Specifically, I am interested in the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its function in the restoration of protein homeostasis during unfolded protein response via recognition of misfolded proteins, IRE1 signaling, and ER biogenesis. Through my previous research experience, I have developed an interest in immunofluorescence imaging techniques to visualize dynamic cellular changes upon external stimuli. In conjunction with structural biology and biochemistry, I would like to investigate cellular stress or disease-related events at the organelle and protein levels to shed light on inherent molecular mechanisms and their crosstalk to confer cellular survival under stress conditions.