(2he) Faculty and Post-Doc Candidate: Dr. Yaprak Ozbakir

The recent revolution in the development of nanomaterials with exceptional chemical, physical and optical properties holds great promise for fabrication of robust chemical sensors at critical temporal and spatial scales. My doctoral and postdoctoral training in micro and nanoscale engineering provide me with a diverse and ideal toolset for designing novel sensor platforms. My research centers on the development of new applications of micro- and nanotechnology, and leveraging my expertise in materials, and nanostructures for fundamental advances in micro/nanosystems technology and sensing.

My doctoral research focused on development of a novel optofluidic microreactor with integrated optofluidic waveguides based on total internal reflection using nanoporous monolithic aerogels. I showed that the fully tunable three-dimensional aerogel skeleton, sometimes referred as solid-air, effectively guide the light and to immobilize photocatalyst nanoparticles. This resulted in controlled distribution of light through the reaction medium maintaining good interaction of light, fluid and the solid photocatalyst nanoparticles, and enabled for photocatalytic transformations of organic pollutants in waste water within the fabricated microchannels in these microreactors. My research results are already transforming the field of optofluidic microreactors and opening up new avenues for research to develop a wide variety of applications ranging from environmental restoration to chemical and biological sensing.

My research as a visiting scholar in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley with Prof. Roya Maboudian has leveraged my unique research background in materials, and nanostructures (e.g. aerogels, graphene oxide, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and metal oxides) to fabricate advanced chemical sensors for indoor air-quality monitoring. I developed a new strategy using atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts, which substantially decreases operating temperature, and enables for superior performance (two orders of magnitude higher) over their nanoparticle-based counterparts. In parallel, I have been involved in two NSF projects, in collaboration with Stanford University and Redwire Space, Inc, in which we assess the effect of microgravity on growth and properties of MOF crystals and graphene aerogels synthesized under microgravity conditions via experimentation on the International Space Station (ISS). Towards this goal, we established an ISS-compatible synthesis of graphene aerogels, designed and engineered an ISS-compatible experimental crystal growth setup.

My future independent research program will build upon my training in chemical engineering, and my extensive research experience in materials, nanostructures and self-assembly to develop advanced and multiplexed chemical sensors as the crucial components of virtually all energy generation, harvesting, and distribution systems, environmental monitoring, safety and security applications. My lab will develop rapid, scalable and reproducible manufacturing of advanced functional materials, demonstrate their application for robust gas sensing.

Teaching Interests

I am devoted to teaching and mentoring of students, and to providing equitable access to education and research for students from all backgrounds. I have been an assistant professor at Uskudar University in Istanbul, Turkey since 2019. I have taught fifteen diverse chemical engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate level as an assistant professor, and nine courses as a teaching assistant, and my teaching methods were highly appreciated by both the students and professors. As such, I am excited to teach both core and elective chemical engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and to support and expand academic curriculum. Additionally, I supervised three undergraduate students in their graduation thesis, who are now enrolled in PhD programs. During my research at UC Berkeley, I trained and have been mentoring five undergraduate students and a postdoctoral scholar in research. Given the broad proposed research areas of my lab and my abilities as a mentor and teacher, my lab will provide exciting multidisciplinary training opportunities for students, postdocs and trainees.