Assistant Prof. Aslı Zuluğ, Chair of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, was honored with the “Rising Star” award at the 2026 Halkbank Producing Women Competition, selected from among 4,000 women entrepreneurs.

Assistant Prof. Zuluğ received the award in recognition of Pacha Natural Collagen, a venture born from her science-driven R&D approach and built around an innovative business model at the intersection of research, gastronomy, and entrepreneurship. With the venture now reaching approximately 3,000 points of sale across Türkiye, its success offers a powerful example of how knowledge generated at our University can be transformed into social and economic value through entrepreneurship.