Merve studies the geochemical changes on planet Mars focusing extreme environments on Earth from the coldest tundras of Arctic to the hottest volcanic environments. She has a wide expertise studying martian analogue mineral-water and ice interfacial chemistry and cryomineral formation using cryogenic vibrational spectroscopy techniques. Then, she uses the Martian spacecraft data to bridge Earth to Mars. Merve is the Assistant Professor and Group Leader of the Yeşilbaş Lab, based at Umeå University.

Merve completed her PhD studies at Umeå University, and then received several postdoctoral grants from Swedish Research Council and NASA to study Mars (geo)chemistry in the SETI Institute and the NASA Astrobiology Institute.