Young Scientists Profile: Conversation with Ertugrul Cubukcu
1. Can you please talk about your background? (When did you come to the U.S and how)
I came to the US in 2003 as a graduate student after receiving MS and BS degrees in Physics from Bilkent University. I joined the research group of Federico Capasso at Harvard University for my graduate research. I received my PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard in 2008. After a brief period as a postdoctoral researcher in the mechanical engineering department at the University of California, Berkeley, I joined University of Pennsylvania in 2011 as an assistant professor of material science and engineering. Currently, at Penn I am leading a group of about 10 researchers consisting of graduate, undergraduate, and postdoctoral trainees. Broadly speaking, our research lies within the field of nanophotonics. More specifically, we are engineering nanostructures that have unique optical properties to achieve novel functionality in various different research directions extending from nanoscale photonic circuits to highly specific and sensitive optoelectronic biomolecular sensors.
2. You’ve always been on the top ranks of academic achievement. What was the driving force behind your success at such young ages?
I have always been very interested in science and engineering. I believe doing what you really like guarantees that you are always motivated for what you are doing.
3. What would you like to say to the Young Turkish Scientists?
Interesting things, and sometimes not so interesting things, in science always happen at a very slow pace. Patience and perseverance is the key to success in science. They always need to be enthusiastic about what they are doing while bearing in mind failing many times is just a natural part of the scientific process. Every time I fail, I learn something new and am one step closer to success. Scientific research is a long term endeavor and requires hard work.
4. What would you like to achieve in the near future?
In the near future, I would like to continue developing new nanophotonic devices that will be used for infrared imaging and sensing. I also hope to apply these technologies we are developing to medical problems.
5. Would you be able to summarize your research in one paragraph?
Our research lies at the interface of physics, material science, and engineering. We are making nanoscale versions of antennas for light. These are very similar to the antennas used in our mobile phones, but much smaller (one hundred times smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair) due to much smaller optical wavelengths. These optical antennas have unique properties which can be advantageous for many applications. For example, one emerging application is in thermal cancer treatment by using these gold antennas as nanoscale heat sources to selectively burn off cancerous cells. These antennas also work as label free optical nanosensors. Currently, there is significant interest in utilizing these nanosensors in disease diagnostics and drug discovery. We are also interested in optoelectronics applications of optical antennas. We are developing a new type of detector using these approaches, which can be potentially used in new generation night vision cameras for military and homeland security applications.