Born in Istanbul Turkey, Birnur obtained her undergraduate bachelor’s (BS) degree from Bogazici University in Chemical Engineering. She holds master’s (MEng) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in Chemical Engineering, both from Stevens Institute of Technology. She has held various responsibilities in industries ranging from instrumentation, to personal care, to fragrance, and most recently media. She has published scientific articles on the rheological behavior of highly concentrated suspensions and holds several patents in the personal care product area.
In her most recent position as Health, Beauty and Environmental Sciences Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, the testing arm of the iconic media brand that has been a household name for nearly 135 years, she is responsible for evaluating products for their Seal -- a licensing agreement that carries a 2-year consumer warranty. Her team’s focus is with the beauty, health and wellness product categories. Their editorial product tests and investigations have ranged from safety of salon keratin treatments to longevity of liquid lipsticks, from potency of anti-aging serums to effectiveness of water purifiers in taking out emerging contaminants, and more. Each month, their product reviews and services reach 30+ million readers through Good Housekeeping’s website and magazine. Launched in 2010, her group’s testing is behind the success the magazine’s yearly Beauty Awards. She was one for the editors for the brand’s 7 Years Younger book, which hit the NY Times best-seller list within a week of its publishing in 2013. She has contributed to the launch of the brand’s Green Good Housekeeping Seal in 2009. She has been a key driving force behind the annual Raise the Green Bar green summits since 2017. This year, she is spearheading the brand’s first annual Sustainability Awards which is focusing on packaging of beauty, home care and toy categories. She has been a part-time student in the Sustainability Management Program at Columbia University since 2014 and is passionate about making a difference in channeling consumer and industry behavior towards a more sustainable one.
Birnur lives in NJ with her husband and two daughters. You can follow Birnur as @beautyscience on Instagram.