Asist. Prof. Dr. Onur BuyukcakirEducation
Professional Positions
Research Interest: Multifunctional Carbon Materials
Research Fellow (Jan. 2017 - Present)
Research Interest: Multifunctional Carbon Materials
Postdoctoral Research (Sept. 2013 - Jan. 2017)
About Onur : I was born in 1983 in Ankara, Turkey. I completed undergraduate studies at the Department of Chemistry of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2006, and subsequently obtained a M. Sc. degree in Chemistry at the METU, in 2008. While at METU, I conducted research with Professor Engin Umut Akkaya on the synthesis, characterization and applications of coordination polymers. In 2008, I started my Ph.D. studies in the Institute of Material Science and Nanotechnology (UNAM) at Bilkent University under the supervision of Professor Engin Umut Akkaya. During my Ph.D. studies, I worked in the area of supramolecular chemistry. My research mainly focused on the design and the synthesis of fluorescent chemosensors responsive to medically important ions and the applications of sensory probes in the development of molecular scale logic devices. I have also actively participated in many other research projects such as light harvesting systems, the development of photosensitizers for solar energy conversion systems (DSSCs).Between July 2011 and August 2012, I had the opportunity to join Professor J. Fraser Stoddart's research group as a visiting scholar and conducted part of my PhD studies at Northwestern University (Evanston, USA), thus allowing me to have research experience in a world-class research group. During this period, I have had an opportunity to extend my research experience into the domain of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) with the goal understanding the fundamental principles surrounding the behavior of these molecules, as well as their potential applications in materials science. I mainly focused on Cu(I)diimine complexes as an alternative to the ruthenium-based sensitizers for dye sensitized solar cells. In this project, I collaborated with Professor Jean-Pierre Sauvage (Louis Pasteur, France) and Professor Lin X. Chen (Argonne, USA). Then, I have joined Korea Advanced Science and Technology (KAIST - Daejeon, South Korea) as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2013, working with Professor Ali Coskun. I have developed new strategies for the synthesis of functional solid-state materials from molecular building blocks. In particular, I was interested in designing and synthesizing new porous organic materials for use in wide range of applications including gas storage, catalysis and sensing. Furthermore, I also worked on post-functionalization of graphene and investigating their impact on hydrogen storage and various catalytic processes. Between January 2017 and June 2019, I worked as a research fellow at Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials (CMCM) of IBS (Institute of Basic Science, Ulsan-South Korea) with Professor Rodney S. Ruoff. Then, I have worked as a tenure track research fellow until June 2020. Then, I have joined the Department of Chemistry at Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) in June, 2020 as an Assistant Professor.
