YCN Representative - Türkiye

Gamze Yüksel

YCN representative for Türkiye

Researcher with a background in chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science

gmzyuksell@gmail.com 

Dr. Gamze Yüksel is an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering and her M.Sc. in Advanced Technologies-Nanotechnology at Eskişehir Technical University (Türkiye). She received her B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and B.B.A. in Business Administration from Anadolu University (Türkiye).

During her academic career, Gamze developed expertise spanning polymer materials, nanostructured functional oxide ceramics, and flexible energy systems. Her B.Sc. research in Chemical Engineering focused on polymer membranes for methanol fuel cell applications, providing hands-on experience in polymer synthesis, solution processing, and thin-film fabrication. Her M.Sc. studies, conducted within a project supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), focused on flame-retardant and UV-resistant polypropylene composites for textile fiber applications. She designed and conducted systematic studies on halogen-free flame-retardant systems and performed extensive thermal and combustion characterization (TGA, DSC, LOI, UL-94, cone calorimetry, and MCC).

During her Ph.D., conducted within the TÜBİTAK-supported “Integrated, Scalable, Functional Nanostructures and Systems (NANOSİS)” platform, she focused on the synthesis and structural characterization of ZnO-based nanostructures for flexible and wearable energy-harvesting systems. Her work involved hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanowires and nanowalls on flexible substrates, optimization of synthesis parameters, and detailed structural and morphological characterization. She also designed and developed functional piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerator modules and demonstrated their integration into wearable textile-based energy-harvesting systems. Through these studies, she developed strong expertise in experimental design, structure-property relationships, and interdisciplinary materials research.

Alongside her research, teaching and mentoring have also been important components of her academic activities. As a graduate mentor, she supervised undergraduate and graduate students in nanoparticle synthesis, materials characterization, and laboratory practices. In addition, she served as an instructor at DENEYAP Technology Workshops, delivering lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions on nanotechnology, materials science, and energy technologies. These experiences strengthened her communication, organizational, and teamwork skills and further motivated her to actively contribute to teaching and student supervision alongside her research.

She is a member of the Turkish Ceramic Society, the European Ceramic Society (ECerS), and the American Ceramic Society (ACerS). She first became involved with the Young Ceramists Network (YCN) during the ECerS Summer School at INSA Lyon in 2023, where she observed how international collaboration and scientific networking support the development of early-career researchers. She is grateful to the JECS Trust for its support, which enabled her to attend summer schools and conferences since 2023.

As a YCN Representative, she aims to strengthen connections between young ceramists in Türkiye and the global ceramics community, while promoting international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and greater visibility of YCN at the national level.

LinkedIn

ResearchGate

Back to the YCN Representatives 2026-2027 main page