Biography

2020-current Full Professor at the Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Switzerland

2013-2020 Associate Professor (with tenure) at the Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Switzerland
 
 2013 Associate Professor (with tenure) at Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Boston University, USA
 
 2007-2013 Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Boston University, USA
 
 2007 Post-doctoral Fellow at Center for Engineering in Medicine of Harvard Medical School, USA
 
 2000-2007 PhD. in Applied Physics at Stanford University, USA
 
 1996-2000 B.S. in Physics at Bilkent University, Turkey 

Mission

The mission of our lab encompasses nanophotonics and its application in biology with an objective to introduce powerful biosensors and bioimaging systems that can impact numerous fields ranging from fundamental research in life science and point-of-care disease diagnostics to environmental and food monitoring and safety. 
 
 Nanophotonics, which excels at controlling light in sub-wavelength volumes and providing dramatically enhanced light-matter interaction is opening up unprecedented opportunities in many areas, including biosensing. To this end, our lab employs nanophotonics and emerging nanomaterials (i.e. plasmonics, dielectric metasurfaces, 2D materials) to address key challenges of current biosensors by introducing compact and intelligent devices that can enable label-free, ultra-sensitive, multiplexed, rapid and real-time measurements on biomolecules, pathogens and living systems. To make our biosensors practical, we integrate nanophotonics innovatively with microfluidic systems and employ biopatterning techniques, low-cost wafer-scale manufacturing methods, and smart data science tools.

Selected Awards and Honors

2020 Fellow of Optical Society of America

2020 European Physical Society Emmy Noether Distinction

2019 European Research Council Proof-of-Concept Grant Award

2016 European Research Council Consolidator Grant Award
 
2015 Finalist for Körber European Science Prize – among six finalist 
 
2012 Optical Society of America Adolph Lomb Medal - Highest honor of the OSA to scientists under age 40 
 
2011 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) - Highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in their early career 
 
2011 Popular Science Magazine Brilliant 10 Award
 
2011 IEEE Photonics Society Young Investigator Award
 
2010 U.S. Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award 
 
2010 U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award 
 
2010 Boston University College of Engineering Early Career Research Excellence Award
 
2009 Received certificate from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
 for her outstanding scientific contributions in biotechnology and education in Massachusetts
 
2008 Massachusetts Life Sciences Center New Investigator Award
 
2008 Boston University Dean’s Catalyst Award 
 
2007 Boston University Peter Paul Career Development Professorship
 
2005 IEEE Photonics Society Research Excellence Award 
 
2005-2007 Intel Graduate Student Fellowship Award
 
2005 IEEE Photonics Society Best Student Paper Award 
 
2004 Winner of Silicon Valley Innovator’s Challenge, Berkeley, CA
 
2000 Stanford University Graduate Student Fellowship in Applied Physics Department
 
1996-2000 Bilkent University Full Scholarship 
 
1996-2000 Undergraduate Fellowship from Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey

Selected Professional Activities

AWARDS COMMITEE
 2021 Swiss Micro and Nanotechnology Network PhD Thesis Award Committee
 2019 European Physics Society– Quantum Electronics and Optics Division (EPS-QEOD) Fresnel Prize Committee Member
 2019 Optical Society of America (OSA) Adolph Lomb Medal Committee Member
 2018 OSA Adolph Lomb Medal Committee Chair
 2017 OSA Adolph Lomb Medal Committee Member
 2017 EPS-QEOD Travel Grant Student Award Committee Member
 2015 EPS-QEOD Fresnel Prize Committee Member
 
BOARD MEMBER - JOURNAL & PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY
 2020-current Nano Letters, ACS, Advisory Board Member 
 2017-current Institute of Physics, Journal of Physics Photonics, Editorial Board Member
 2015-current European Physics Society– Quantum Electronics and Optics Division, Co-opted Board Member
 2013-current American Chemical Society, ACS Photonics, Advisory Board Member
 2013-2020 Applied Physics Letters, Advisory Board Member
 2012-current Advanced Optical Materials, Wiley. Editorial Board Member.
 
CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZER
 2019-2020 SPIE Photonics Europe 2020, Conference on “Biophotonics in Point-of-Care”
 2014-2015 CLEO Europe, Joint Symposium on “Photonic Lab-on-a-Chip Biosensors”
 2012-2014 OSA Optical Sensors, Symposium on “Plasmonic Sensors”
 
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
 2013- 2015 OSA CLEO Conference, Fundamental Science, “Nano-Optics and Plasmonics” Symposium
 2011-2012 IEEE Photonics Society Annual Conference, “Nanophotonics” Symposium
 
CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER
 2021-current MRS Spring Meeting, Symposium on Light-Matter Strong Coupling in the Infrared and THz
 2020-current ASCOS Summer School – Optical Biosensing for Life Science and Environmental Applications
 2020-current SPIE Photonics West Conference, Integrated Sensors for Biological and Neural Sensing Symposium
 2019-2020 SPIE Photonics Europe 2020, Metamaterials Conference
 2019-2020 MRS Fall Meeting, Nanophotonics Symposium on Hybrid Platforms, Materials & Functions
2018-current CLEO/Europe-EQEC Conference, Optical Sensing and Metrology Symposium
2018-2020 OSA Sensors Conference, Nanophotonic and Plasmonic Biosensors Symposium
2017-current SPIE Photonics West Conference, Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine Symposium
2017-current SPIE Photonics West Conference, Microfluidics, BioMEMS & Medical Microsystems Symposium 
2017-current International Conference on Enhanced Spectroscopies, Steering Committee 
2016-2018 Metamaterials Congress 
2015-2019 OSA CLEO Conference, Science & Innovations, Biophotonics and Optofluidics Photonics Symposium 
2013-current Europt(r)ode Conference, Permanent Steering Committee 
2013-2014 OSA Sensors Conference, Nanophotonic and Plasmonic Biosensors Symposium 
2010-2013 OSA CLEO Conference, Fundamental Science, Nano-Optics and Plasmonics Symposium
2012-2013 SPIE Optics and Photonics Conference Nanostructured Thin Films Symposium
2012-2013 SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing Conference, Photonic Microstructured Sensors Symposium
2010-2013 IEEE Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics Conference
2007-2010 IEEE Photonics Society Annual Conference, Nanophotonics Symposium 
2007-2010 IEEE Photonics Conference, Integrated Optics and Opto-Electronics Symposium
2008-2009 SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing Conference, Micro Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications Symposium

Selected Outreach Activities

2019-current Mentor for ETH-Domain “Fix the leaky pipeline” program 
 
 2019-current ETH/EPFL Women Professor Forum Executive Board Member 
 
 2018-current EPFL WISH-Women in Science and Humanities Foundation Bureau Member
 
 2017-current Faculty Advisor of EPFL Student Chapter in Photonics - OSA & SPIE
 
 2015 Swiss Biomedical Engineering Society Committee Member for Outreach 
 
 2010-2014 Liaison of IEEE Photonics Society for IEEE Women in Engineering Organization. 
 
 2008-2013 Boston University Upward Bound Math-Science Program. 
 
 2008-2013 Boston University Summer Challenge Program
 
 2009-2011 U.S. NSF Research Experience for Teachers Program: 
 
 2005-2006 President of OSA Stanford Student Chapter

Teaching Activity Summary

Bachelor Courses:
 EC481 Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials (Boston University, new course, 4ects, ~20 students)
 EK131 Photonics: Engineering Light (Boston University, 2 ects, ~30 students)
 EK100 Freshman Seminar (Boston University, 1 ect, ~10 student/faculty) 
 
 Master Courses:
 MICRO-561 Biomicroscopy I (EPFL, 3 ects, >100 students from life sciences, engineering and basic sciences)
 MICRO-562 Biomicroscopy II (EPFL, 4 ects, ~30 students)
 BIO-467 Scientific Literature Analysis in Bioengineering (EPFL, 5 ects, new course, ~20 students) 
 MICRO-423 Optical Laboratories (EPFL, 3 ects, contribute with a two-week module on plasmonics, ~20 students)
 
 Graduate Courses:
 EC560 Introduction to Photonics (Boston University, 4 ects, ~30 students)