Prof. Telat YANIK

Prof. Dr. Telat YANIK is a distinguished scholar in the field of aquaculture, specializing in fish nutrition, environmental toxicology, aquatic physiology, food preservation technologies, and freshwater biodiversity conservation. He earned his undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Atatürk University in 1988 and completed his Ph.D. in Aquaculture in 1996 at the same institution. Between 1992 and 1994, he received specialized training in molecular genetics and fish nutrition at The Ohio State University, USA. He was appointed as Associate Professor in 1998 and became Full Professor in 2004.

Using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as a model species, his research has focused on dietary strategies to enhance fish growth, immunity, reproduction, and fillet quality through the supplementation of herbal oils (e.g., grape seed, sage, mint, thyme), vitamin E, trace elements, and novel compounds such as diludine. He has developed innovative food preservation techniques including quinoa-based edible films and chitosan coatings enriched with essential oils to prolong shelf life and maintain the quality of fish products. His environmental toxicology research examines the physiological, biochemical, and molecular effects of microplastics, synthetic chemicals, biopesticides, and heavy metals on freshwater species, using biomarkers such as oxidative stress enzymes, neurotoxicity markers, hematological profiles, 8-OHdG gene expression, and histopathology.

Prof. Dr. YANIK has also contributed to conservation biology through research on freshwater mussel biodiversity and wild fish stock assessments (e.g., bluefish – Pomatomus saltatrix), and has studied photoperiod regimes, feed granule size, and water quality parameters to improve aquaculture resilience under climate change. Nationally, he played a key role in major development projects including the Eastern Anatolia Project (DAP), the 8th Five-Year Development Plan, and UNDP-supported initiatives. Internationally, he participated in EU projects in France, Romania, and Greece, collaborated with Belarusian research institutions under TÜBİTAK programs, and represented Turkey at FAO-NACE meetings in Armenia.

From 2010 to 2016, he served as Vice-Rector for International Affairs at Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, where he coordinated Erasmus and Mevlana exchange programs and led the integration of Project-Based Learning (PBL) into vocational education as part of an EU-funded initiative. He has delivered invited lectures and plenary speeches at universities in the USA, India, Pakistan, Russia, and several European countries. His publications have earned multiple awards from TÜBİTAK and have been cited over 1000 times in SCI-indexed journals, with 17-H index in WOS.

Fluent in Turkish and English, Prof. Dr. YANIK continues to supervise graduate students, serve on editorial boards, and contribute to interdisciplinary research. His academic travels span more than 30 countries, including the USA, EU member states, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. His interests extend to statistics, computing, and winter sports.