College of Humanities and Sciences

Gamze Bulut, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist, transitioning to become a bioinformatician. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics and development from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. After postdoctoral training at VCU and UVA, she taught at William & Mary for two years as a visiting assistant professor, before joining VCU’s School of Life Sciences and Sustainability in 2025. She is currently pursuing the Genomic Data Scientist Certificate from the Department of Biostatistics at VCU.  

Q&A with Gamze Bulut

Where did you grow up? Can you tell us a little about your educational journey?

I grew up in Türkiye and studied molecular biology and genetics in Bilkent University. I came to do my Ph.D. in UTSW Medical Center at Dallas, TX in 2008. I studied cell biology of red blood cell differentiation. Then we moved to Richmond for my husband's job. I completed postdoctoral training in and around Richmond.

When did you first fall in love with your field of study? What made you decide to work in academia?

I fell in love with single cell RNA sequencing when I was a postdoc at Dr. Gary Owens' lab at UVA. I wanted to learn the math, statistics, and logic behind the UMAP plots that we were generating. That is how I steered toward a bioinformatics focus. I love to learn, so staying on a path that gives me ample opportunities to keep learning was very appealing.

Can you explain the focus of your research?

I am a molecular cell biologist specializing in immunology, cancer, inflammation, and vascular biology. I have strong hands-on experience with basic biochemical and molecular techniques. During my post doc I gained experience in single-cell RNA sequencing, high parametric flow cytometry, and transgenic mouse models. I am working on becoming a multi-omics scientist working with big data, metabolomics, integration of big biological data types, and expanding into novel methods such as spatial transcriptomics.

Can you talk a little about your teaching philosophy? What do you most like about teaching?

I enjoy connecting with students in such a way that knowledge finds a natural way to just "flow." Teaching feeds my lifelong passion of wanting to learn more. I also enjoy coming up with non-traditional ways to solidify new concepts and encourage learning such as making songs out of content, acting out role play, or introducing a gamified version. This makes the class both engaging and fun for all of us.

What attracted you to VCU? What are you most excited about in regards to VCU and Richmond?

We have been in Richmond since 2015, since my husband got his position in computer science. Richmond is very close to the Washington, D.C. area, which makes it very appealing for us with a manageable commute but also avoiding the complexities of living in a big city such as increased cost and traffic.

Can you tell us either a quirky fact about yourself or some of your hobbies?

I enjoy reviving almost dying orchids. I made a handout explaining how to take care of orchids. I try to play tennis, although I am still not very advanced. I have a blog where I write about anything. If the emotions pile up, some poems and songs also spill out.