Professor of Izmir Institute of Technology, Turkiye.
Research & industrial production of functional fermented foods, probiotics, postbiotics, starter cultures.
The medium of instruction at our institute is English in IZTECH. We are currently the only internationally distinguished advanced technical university in Turkey. We established graduate programs in 1994 in the center of İzmir and began admitting students to undergraduate programs in 1998. The campus relocated from the city center to the seaside town of Urla, İzmir in 1999. Our institute owns approximately 8,600 acres of land, 32 acres of which are currently dedicated to education and research. Within Turkey, our university is known as “İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü,” abbreviated as “İYTE.” Our international name is İzmir Institute of Technology, or “IZTECH” for short. Our Mission IZTECH has taken on a mission to carry out advanced research, education and production as well as publication and counselling in the field of science and technology. Our Vision IZTECH’s vision is to be a leader in science and technology and a unique world university in terms of its educational standards. The extended notification by the main strategic axes constituting the IZTECH Vision is to; lead the establishment of high technology in national priority areas, provide unique and qualified contribution to digital transformation and technological changes by providing a cooperative, student-oriented and practical learning opportunity in the work environment in education, protect environmentally and humanly sensitive development sustainably, be a respected research university in the thematic areas that it leads in the world.
Prof. Harsa has been interested Food Science & Technology and Bioprocesses for 30 years. Her interest in these areas developed at the end of his first degree in Food Engineering, when she went to the University of Reading, UK to study for her PhD in Food Technology. She was appointed Postdoctoral Fellow in Tokyo University, Japan (1992-1994). After, started working as Assistant Prof. in İzmir Institute of Technology, Turkey in 1994 and contributed for the construction of this university. She has become an Associate Prof. in 1995 and later in 2001 appointed as full professor. She is consultant of various scale of food & bio industries and commissions for Turkish Agriculture and Forest Ministry; currently directing industrial projects on starter cultures, probiotics, agro-industrial waste valorization and functional fermented foods.