Dr. Pelin Acar is an accomplished biologist with over 15 years of experience in plant genetics, currently enhancing forest ecology and genetic diversity programs at the National Botanical Gardens of Türkiye/TAGEM. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ankara University and her PhD from Middle East Technical University, where she also served seven years as a research assistant. In the role, Dr. Acar contributes to the development of biodiversity agreements and protocols, linking scientific expertise with policy implementation at the national level. She also leads efforts to establish living collections and common gardens, advancing multidisciplinary research initiatives focused on Salix, Populus, and Quercus species. Her technical expertise has been pivotal in national and EU-funded projects, driving policy development and stakeholder engagement to foster long-term biodiversity conservation. Her studies encompass taxonomic revisions, evolutionary relationships, and the impacts of climate change on forest and parasitic plant species. Most recently, in her postdoctoral research, she is focusing on the evolutionary interactions of parasitic plants, aiming to bridge fundamental research with applied conservation strategies.