Dr. Selda Yildiz is a highly motivated and self-driven scientist with 15+ years experience in engineering, experimental design, data collection/analysis, high-level mathematics/physics, signal processing, computational algorithms, programming, and more recently, clinical research resulting in 10+ publications, 20+ conferences (e.g., ASA, SfN, ISMRM, SLEEP), invited talks, and awards including ISMRM Young Investigator Award (2017),  prestigious and competitive NIH-NCCIH K99 award (2019), and NIH-NIA funded Research Education Component  (REC) Scholarship (2020). In parallel, she is a Yoga-Alliance registered yoga & meditation teacher (2012), and Institute for Integrative Nutrition certified integrative nutrition health coach (2018).
 
Her academic training has provided her with expertise in imaging techniques using modalities of electromagnetics (BSc & MSc), underwater acoustics (PhD), and MRI & EEG (Post-docs). She has experience in leading multidisciplinary technical research projects with strong project management and technical communication skills and demonstrated record of success over a series of roles at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), and Istanbul Technical University (ITU).  
 
Dr. Yildiz’s current research — primarily funded by her NIH-NCCIH K99/R00 award — focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms for the benefits of yogic practices in the context of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, glymphatic function, sleep and aging using modalities of imaging and wearables. She is also a Visiting Scholar at UC San Diego, 2022–2023.