Dr. Pehlivan completed her doctorate at Hacettepe Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biology in 1997. She is currently working at Istanbul Medical Faculty, Medical Biology Department. Before and during her doctorate, she took a part in projects at the Chicago Medical School (USA), Royal Free and Guy's Hospital (UK), and at the Erlangen University Molecular Medicine Faculty afterwards. She produced more than 130 publications and 250 congressional presentations, and worked as an administrator or co-investigator in 47 projects. The researcher, working as a member of editorial board or referee of many journals such as Immunological Investigations, Tumori, Genetic Testing & Molecular Biomarkers, Molecular Microbiology and Genetcs, Acta Oncologica Turcia, Journal of Pediatrics and Turkish Clinics, has 20 scientific awards, three of which are international. The researcher, who has a H-factor of 16, is a member of the European Human Genetics, Medical Genetics, Preimplant Genetic Diagnosis, Medical Biology and Genetics and Biochemistry Association and is married with two children.

Human Genetics, Molecular Genetics, Carcinogenesis, Genetics of Addiction, Epigenetic Memory, Functional gene variants, System Biology.