Ayse Turak
She/Her
I am a lesbian and I am a materials engineer/engineering physicist.//
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics, at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Canada. My research focusses on growth of organic and hybrid organic-inorganic (perovskite) thin films and nanoparticles for microelectronics. My vision is to develop easy, versatile, and inexpensive methods of exploring and tuning interfaces, particularly in organic and hybrid solar cells, light emitting diodes and sensors. By making electronic products cheaper, more accessible, and more flexible, I hope that my research will have a huge impact on the way people use clean energy, access information and measure the world around them.
I’ve been a passionate advocate for queer engineers throughout my career. I came out in high school and have had the great fortune to have been out for my whole career. I was the only out engineering student in my entire faculty during my undergraduate, giving talks on queer issues to other engineers, and I had hoped by the time I was a professor, things would be different. Though things are a lot better, I am one of the few out engineering faculty members currently at Mac. There are great resources on campus for students, such as EngiQueers and the Pride Community Centre, but there are still many who feel closeted. I hope that by being a role model and an openly out scientist/engineer, I can help others feel that they can be themselves within our wonderful profession.