Scientific Discoveries
Bilkent University Faculty of Science is home to nationally and internationally recognized scientists, including six Turkish Academy of Sciences members, seven Science Academy members, 10 TÜBİTAK Science Award Laureates, 21 TÜBİTAK Young Scientist Award recipients, 26 TÜBA-GEBİP Award & 15 Science Academy BAGEP Award holders, and eight Sedat Simavi Awardees. Their investigations range from photonics and plasmonics to laser-material interactions such as biomedical and neuroscience applications; from condensed matter physics to photovoltaics; from catalytic nanomaterials and photodynamic photosensitizers to medicinal chemistry; from human genetics and cancer biology to signal transduction, developmental & stem cell biology. This is complemented by fundamental studies in mathematics such as applied mathematics, algebraic geometry, mathematic physics, probability and group cohomology. While Bilkent is actively dedicated to educating the next generation of scientists, basic research has remained at the center of the Faculty of Science’s mission. These studies have resulted in several notable discoveries.
- 2022: Beating century-old theoretical optical resolution limit to analyze catalytic nanoparticles via vibrational spectroscopy with unprecedented resolution
- 2022: Discovered phonon cascades in doped colloidal quantum wells
- 2021: Invented deep-ultraviolet light-emitting chips with ultrahigh germicidal efficiency
- 2020: An answer to millenia old question: why wood does not get static electricity
- 2020: Discovered sub-single exciton optical gain threshold in colloidal semiconductor quantum wells with gradient alloy shelling
- 2020: Identified genetic predisposition to life threatening COVID-19
- 2020: Robot with origami leaves can follow the sun like a real plant – first autonomous soft robots
- 2019: A ‘light’ control: mitigating static electricity on surfaces remotely by shining light on them
- 2019: Obscure fundamental math identity unlocks breakthrough in 3D holography
- 2019: Unveiling unprecedented potential of semimetals in optics and optoelectronics
- 2018: Cancer cell death by the action of molecular automaton and the confinement of unintended damage by excessive singlet oxygen production
- 2018: Metamaterial based perfect absorbers offer endless possibilities for photonics applications at a wide range of the EM spectrum
- 2017: Discovered a causal link between circadian rhythm and human behavioral disorders
- 2017: Discovered copper doping of semiconductor nanoplatelets for high-performance solar concentration
- 2016: From science-fiction to reality: Scientists revolutionize laser-material cutting by “ablation cooling,” a concept that originated in a science fiction novel
- 2015: Discovered manganese doping of semiconductor nanoplatelets for imparting magnetic properties
- 2015: Invented all-colloidal frequency up-converted lasers
- 2009: Invented wireless RF implantable sensors of metamaterials
- 2008: Identified the genetic basis of quadrupedal locomotion in humans
- 2007: Demonstrated quality color conversion of semiconductor quantum dots
- 2006: A new era of nanotechnology: Plasmonics, where we combine the superior properties of nanoelectronics and nanophotonics
- 2003: Designed and fabricated a photonic crystal based superlens with a record subwavelength resolution
- 2003: First experimental demonstration of negative refraction using photonic crystals
- 1999: Linked DNA repair to familial hematological malignancies