Merve is a postdoctoral researcher in Functional Genetics group in NIBR, Novartis. Since the beginning of her career, Merve specialized in CRISPR technology and genome-wide phenotypic screening to identify mechanism of action of therapeutic agents. She received her PhD degree from Bern University, working on genome-wide mutagenesis as well as CRISPR/Cas9 screens where she unveiled new key regulatory elements of radiotherapy response in breast cancers. In her postdoctoral studies in Novartis, she expanded her interest unveiling working principles of agents to the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD). Throughout her career, she put emphasis on the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and communication in the field of drug discovery. Besides her scientific career, as an early career professional in ELRIG networking group, she organized the first SLAS-ELRIG networking meeting in Basel in June 2022 where she initiated a hub of scientific collaboration between pharma, academia, and biotech companies in Basel area. This year, together with ELRIG networking group, she will be organizing the ELRIG Cell and Gene Therapy forum in Basel.