Located on Istanbul Kültür University's Ataköy Campus, Spectroscopy@IKU is an internationally competitive research and education center specializing in molecular spectroscopy. The project has been developed under the WIDERA ERA CHAIRS call within the scope of the Horizon Europe Framework Program (HORIZON) to "Widen Participation and Strengthen the European Research Area." It aims to make significant scientific contributions in fields ranging from atmospheric and space chemistry to pharmaceuticals and material sciences.
Our center is home to Turkey's first Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy Facility and is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, including Raman imaging and XRD laboratories. Our research focuses on innovative scientific discoveries in critical areas such as precise molecular structure manipulation and characterization, with applications in environmental, atmospheric, space, and pharmaceutical industries.
The project is led by ERA Chair Coordinator and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Ildız, while the research team is directed by ERA Chairholder Prof. Dr. Rui Fausto, a globally recognized scientist in his field. In addition to our esteemed researchers currently in place, the team will be further strengthened with postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, and master’s students. This dynamic team of academics, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students aims to enhance scientific excellence through interdisciplinary collaborations.
Spectroscopy@IKU aspires to become a unique center of excellence, not only in Turkey but also in the surrounding region. The project seeks to attract national and international researchers, promoting "brain gain" and enhancing the quality of scientific research. The mission of Spectroscopy@IKU is not only to advance Istanbul Kültür University's scientific and educational capacity but also to strengthen Turkey's scientific infrastructure on an international scale. Through our scientific research and advanced technological infrastructure, our primary goal is to reinforce collaboration between academia and industry, providing sustainable contributions to society and the scientific community.
Our Mission
To conduct advanced scientific research in molecular spectroscopy, providing innovative solutions across diverse fields such as environmental, atmospheric, and space sciences, as well as material and pharmaceutical industries, and to address the needs of society.
Our Vision
To become one of the leading research centers in Turkey and neighboring regions, bringing together international scientists and fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange as a center of excellence.
1. The ERA-Chair Coordinator will be Prof. Gulce Ogruc Ildiz, Professor of Physics (Molecular Physics and Molecular Spectroscopy) and Vice-Rector of IKU for Science, Research and Development. She will coordinate the project and will be the formal representative of the ERA-Chair.Scientific and professional profile and career:
Bachelor’s degree from Istanbul Technical University (2001), Department of Business Administration master’s degree from Istanbul Kültür University (2003), Department of Nuclear Research master’s degree from Istanbul Technical University (2004), Department of Physics PhD graduate from Istanbul University (2008), Construction And Project Management PhD graduate from Istanbul Kültür University (2009), LMCB postdoctoral at Universidade de Coimbra (2012,2016-2017).
2. The Project Manager will be MBA Cuneyt Genc, currently Director of IKU Technology Transfer Office, bringing to the project a vast experience in this role. In charge of overseeing all across the-board issues related to management, the Project Manager will handle communication and interactions within the ERA-Chair and between the ERA-Chair and other entities. He will serve as connecting element between the ERA-Chair and IKU Administration, in particular IKU Financial Services, Human Resources Department, Communication Office, Publications and Documentation Services, Data Management Unit, Procurement, Technology Transfer Office, and Legal Office, which in each area will provide the ERA-Chair the required specialized support, following the best practices implemented at the University.
Scientific and professional profile and career:
Business Administration bachelor’s degree from Anadolu University (1999), Financial Economics PhD at Istanbul Commerce University (2020-2024), Graduate Asistant at Long Island University (2002-2004), Expert, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit Member at Istanbul Development Agency (2011-2019), Director of IKU TTO (2023-current).
3. Research Team Member Prof. Dr. Sevim Akyuz
Prof. Dr. Sevim Akyüz graduated from Ankara University, Department of Physics Engineering in 1967. She completed her Ph. D. in Physics at Hacettepe University. Her Ph. D. thesis is a spectroscopic investigation of some Hofmann-type clathrates and pyridine complexes in the IR region. Since 1987, she has been a professor in the Department of Physics at various universities. Since 2007, she has been working as a professor at Istanbul Kültür University. In addition, between 2017-2023, she served as the head of the Department of Physics at Istanbul Kültür University.
4. Research Team Member Prof. Dr. Nihal Sarier
Prof. Dr. Nihal Sarier graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Middle East Technical University in 1977. She completed her master's degree in Chemistry at Ege University and her doctorate in Physical Chemistry at Ege University. Since 2001, she has been working in the Department of Civil Engineering at Istanbul Kültür University. She served as vice dean between 2007-2012, head of department between 2017-2019, and vice-rector between 2016-2021. She has also served as a member of the university's board of directors since 2021.
5. Research Team Member Dr. Merve Durmus
In 2023, she completed her master's degree in Chemistry at Erciyes University. Between 2013 and 2017, she worked as a Quality Assurance and Laboratory Supervisor in various companies. Between 2018 and 2021, she worked as a Project Development Specialist at Cappadocia Technopark. Since June 2023, she has been working as a University-Industry Cooperation Specialist at IKU TTO.
6. Research Team Member Öğr. Gör. Gizem Yavuz Dogan
Lecturer. Asst. Gizem Yavuz graduated from Istanbul University, Department of Physics in 2013. She completed her master's degree from Istanbul University, Department of High Energy and Plasma Physics and her doctorate from the same university and the same department. The subject of her master's thesis is the calculation of the viscosity coefficients of quartz gluon plasma with non-zero baryon numbers. Since 2019, she has been working as a lecturer at Istanbul Kültür University, Department of Electricity and Energy.
Scientific and professional profile and career:
Rui Fausto has 40 years of university teaching experience and taught tens of thousands of students. He organized and lectured in many high-level courses in Portugal and abroad (e.g., Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Poland, Germany, India), and has been actively involved in the international training of young researchers, e.g., as Director of two NATO Advanced Study Institutes (1992, 1995), and as member of the Organizing Committees of Gordon Research Conferences (2007, 2009) and COST courses (2016), and also as lecturer at European Science Foundation summer schools (2002) and Indian GIAN initiative courses (2018, 2019). Rui Fausto, PhD in Chemistry (Molecular Structure; 1988), NATO Scholar at the National research Council of Canada (1989), Assistant Professor (1988), Associate Professor (1998) and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Coimbra (UC) since 2007. He is also the Director of the Coimbra Chemistry Centre (CQC), and member of the Directive Board of the Institute of Molecular Sciences (IMS). Principal Investigator (PI) of 30+ competitive R&D projects, including as PI of the UC or member of the Management Committee in 2 large European Union (EU) funded projects (ReMade 2022-…, MATIS 2020-23), 1 CYTED Iberoamerican Network (NovelProBio 2008-11), and 1 COST Action (MOLIM 2015-19), 13 major projects funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), 9 bilateral projects, 2 industry-oriented projects funded by the EU Regional Structural Funds (QREN) and UC, and 9 advanced computation projects. These projects secured several million Euros in funding. Rui Fausto has presented many invited lectures (>150) in congresses, and has been included in the Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% Scientists rank. Also, since the establishment of the Prize, he has been the scientist chosen by the Faculty for Sciences and Technology of the UC to receive the Prize Excellence in Research (2017-19, 2022; in 2020 and 2021 the prize was not awarded).
‘IKU-ERA-2024-001 Dissemination and Communication Administrative Officer at the Istanbul Kultur University, Istanbul, Türkiye – ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU Project’ Job Posting – Click here for details.
‘IKU-ERA-2024-002 Post-Doctoral Position for Laboratory Technician Position at the Istanbul Kultur University, Istanbul, Türkiye – ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU Project’ Job Posting – Click here for details.
‘IKU-ERA-2024-003 Post-Doctoral Position at the Istanbul Kultur University, Istanbul, Türkiye – ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU Project’ Job Posting – Click here for details.
| Project Manager | Cüneyt Genç |
| 0212) 498 40 63 | |
| c.genc@iku.edu.tr |
