Meet Ferhat Ay | Genome Scientist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ferhat Ay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ferhat, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I am interested in epigenetics. By definition, epigenetics is anything beyond the sequence of the four letters in DNA that controls the activity of genes. That would be chemical modifications of DNA and proteins intimately associated with DNA, and in my case specifically, how the DNA is folded in the nucleus a.k.a. the HQ of a cell. If you stretched out the DNA from all of your body’s cells and lined it up end-to-end, it would cover the distance between the earth and sun a few hundred times. While this is certainly an intriguing tidbit of information, it goes to show how much information needs to be compacted into a tiny cell. This doesn’t happen randomly and we work on understanding what controls this process and what happens when things don’t work as they normally do (hint: disease). As abstract as all of these sounds, they may be where the next cures or drug targets will come from. Biomedical research is challenging, unpredictable, and full of failures in so many different ways BUT is exceptionally rewarding when you first-hand solve some of nature’s mysteries or help move the field one step forward towards finding those transformative therapies.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Sometimes you hear people say that they have been dreaming of doing what they are doing now since they were a kid or they had a plan and they followed it. This just wasn’t the case for me. I simply tried to make the most out of every opportunity that was there for me and followed my instinct to make decisions when I am at important crossroads. I realized the importance of making my own informed decisions early on in life, I would probably not be here if I listened to my 5th-grade teacher when she said I should only choose schools that I can “realistically get in”. I don’t come from a wealthy family or a family where having a college degree is a given. I was the first to finish college in all of my family and extended family. I always loved math and science, I still do. Learning new things excites me and I am happy that I am in the right profession for that. All of us constantly overcome challenges big and small every day and I have done my fair share of that. One thing that helped was that I had the most supportive parents one can ask for, their unwavering belief in me made me believe in myself. Now I try to instill the same in my own kids.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live in San Diego so that happens a lot actually. As my knowledge of the city and my taste evolve, some places change but some always remain on my favorites list. One of the things I love is to enjoy a low-key weekend breakfast at Caroline’s Cafe near Scripps Pier. Also amazing is a breakfast at the Thyme in the Ranch at Rancho Santa Fe. Of course, everyone has to go see La Jolla Cove and first get mesmerized by the view then take a deep breath in with its “signature smell” 🙂 Calling it a day at Sunset Hills or at the Seagrove Park in Del Mar will never disappoint. Liberty Station is a gem with great food, great coffee, and great beer. What else can one want 🙂 I am very particular about my coffee and my beer, maybe it has something to do with the 4 great years I spent in Seattle. Blue Bottle, Zumbar Coffee, Bird Rock, and Elixir are places I go when I have time beyond picking up a latte at the nearest Starbucks. Hiking with friends at Torrey Pines, Lake Poway, and Mission Trails. Did I say I love San Diego? One time I flew from Chicago to San Diego in February and on the day of my return trip I was thinking of chaining myself to a tree in Del Mar so they can’t take me back there 🙂 If it was summer it would have been a different story of course.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Everything I do is for my family and is only possible because of them. My wife is my biggest supporter. I like to believe I am hers too! My parents and my brother have always been there for me. Same with my extended family and my family-in-law. My teachers and mentors throughout my education and training. My lab at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, which is full of smart, responsible, and kind people who are working on a common goal to make a difference in people’s lives. My friends most of whom are far away now but would pick up from where we left off the moment we meet again.

Website: https://www.lji.org/labs/ay/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferhat-ay-27190a18/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ferhatay