Turkish scientist becomes new head of physics department at Cambridge University

ISTANBUL

Renowned Turkish scientist Mete Atatüre has been appointed as the new head of the Cavendish Laboratory, the physics department at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

“I am incredibly honored to be trusted in this role and to follow in the footsteps of Andy Parker and everyone who made the Cavendish Laboratory what it is today - a great place of scientific discovery, driven by the urge to question and challenge,” Atatüre said commenting on his new role.

“The department is on a continuous journey. That is what excites me and my colleagues, and what attracts people to us: It’s the stimulation, the sense of possibility, the innovation, and I am proud to be taking an even more active part in this today,” he added.

The Cavendish Laboratory is also known as a pathway to the Nobel Prize in the field of physics.

In the research conducted at the Cavendish Laboratory, a total of 30 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to date. Most recently, in 2019, Didier Queloz from the Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory's Astrophysics Group was honored with a Nobel Prize.

Atatüre received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1996 from Bilkent University’s Physics Department in Türkiye. He joined the Quantum Imaging Laboratory at Boston University for his PhD. From 2002 to 2007, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Quantum Photonics Group at ETH Zurich. He joined the Cavendish Laboratory in June 2007 as a University Lecturer, becoming a Reader in 2011 before being promoted to a Professorship in 2015.