"Habe nun, ach! Philosophie,
Mathematik und Physik,
Und leider auch Chemie
Durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemühn.
Da steh ich nun, ich armer Tor!
Und bin so klug als wie zuvor;
Heiße Magister, heiße Doktor gar
Und ziehe schon an die sechsten Jahr"
den Doktor (nicht Heinrich Faust)
Mathematik und Physik,
Und leider auch Chemie
Durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemühn.
Da steh ich nun, ich armer Tor!
Und bin so klug als wie zuvor;
Heiße Magister, heiße Doktor gar
Und ziehe schon an die sechsten Jahr"
den Doktor (nicht Heinrich Faust)
Hello! I am a physicist at Harvard University and King's College. My research focuses on the origins of life, a fascinating field that seeks to understand how life arose from non-living matter. I am a Kavli-Laukien fellow and a member of the Origins of Life Initiative at Harvard University, as well as a Junior Research Fellow at King's College, Cambridge
I received my undergraduate degree in Physics from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkiye. For my bachelor's thesis, I worked with Prof. Mehmet Özgür Oktel on dipolar quantum droplets and developed a finite temperature theory describing their beyond mean-field properties.
In 2018, I began my Ph.D. studies at Harvard University's Department of Physics, under the supervision of Prof. Markus Greiner. Initially, my research involved the building of an erbium quantum gas microscope. Within the Erbium Lab, I constructed an ultra-low noise optical lattice to explore the extended Hubbard physics of dipolar quantum gases, under a high-resolution objective. After receiving my Master of Arts degree in 2020, I switched my research interests towards the origins of life and joined Sasselov Group in 2021. There, I earned my PhD degree in 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Dimitar Sasselov. My PhD research on the origins of biological homochirality was awarded the Gertrude and Maurice Goldhaber Prize by the Harvard Physics department.
My research is centered on investigating the origins of biomolecular homochirality, as well as studying the effects of solar UV irradiation on prebiotic chemistry. In my homochirality research, I investigate the role of magnetic surfaces as chiral agents due to a phenomenon known as the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. In my recent work, by utilizing magnetic surfaces as templates for the asymmetric crystallization of an RNA precursor, I demonstrated a robust way of achieving homochirality in RNA under prebiotic conditions.
I received my undergraduate degree in Physics from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkiye. For my bachelor's thesis, I worked with Prof. Mehmet Özgür Oktel on dipolar quantum droplets and developed a finite temperature theory describing their beyond mean-field properties.
In 2018, I began my Ph.D. studies at Harvard University's Department of Physics, under the supervision of Prof. Markus Greiner. Initially, my research involved the building of an erbium quantum gas microscope. Within the Erbium Lab, I constructed an ultra-low noise optical lattice to explore the extended Hubbard physics of dipolar quantum gases, under a high-resolution objective. After receiving my Master of Arts degree in 2020, I switched my research interests towards the origins of life and joined Sasselov Group in 2021. There, I earned my PhD degree in 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Dimitar Sasselov. My PhD research on the origins of biological homochirality was awarded the Gertrude and Maurice Goldhaber Prize by the Harvard Physics department.
My research is centered on investigating the origins of biomolecular homochirality, as well as studying the effects of solar UV irradiation on prebiotic chemistry. In my homochirality research, I investigate the role of magnetic surfaces as chiral agents due to a phenomenon known as the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. In my recent work, by utilizing magnetic surfaces as templates for the asymmetric crystallization of an RNA precursor, I demonstrated a robust way of achieving homochirality in RNA under prebiotic conditions.
In addition to my research, I have a broad range of interests and passions. I simply enjoy learning and find great pleasure in exploring something new. I have a deep passion for languages and art, as well as classical music and poetry. As an avid reader, I collect books and read extensively on history, archaeology, philosophy, and religion. I also engage in physical activities such as running, skiing and martial arts. I am a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I train at Broadway Jiu-Jitsu in South Boston under Professor John Clarke. I also have a YouTube channel aimed at providing guidance to high-school and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds in their pursuit of scientific careers. My channel currently has over 75.000 subscribers and 2.5 million total views.
Education
2018-2024
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA, USA
Ph.D. in Physics, CGPA: 4.00
Thesis: A New Spin on the Origin of Biological Homochirality
Supervisor: Prof. Dimitar D. Sasselov
2014-2018
Bilkent University - Ankara, Turkiye
BSc. in Physics, CGPA: 3.99, valedictorian
Thesis: Numerical Solution of the non-Local Gross-Pitaevskii Equation
Supervisor: Prof. Mehmet Özgür Oktel
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA, USA
Ph.D. in Physics, CGPA: 4.00
Thesis: A New Spin on the Origin of Biological Homochirality
Supervisor: Prof. Dimitar D. Sasselov
2014-2018
Bilkent University - Ankara, Turkiye
BSc. in Physics, CGPA: 3.99, valedictorian
Thesis: Numerical Solution of the non-Local Gross-Pitaevskii Equation
Supervisor: Prof. Mehmet Özgür Oktel
