TÜBA GEBİP Member Associate Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahmakıran Won Two Awards at Once
Associate Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahmakıran, a Teaching Staff Member of the Yüzüncü Yıl University Chemical Faculty and 2013 winner of the TÜBA-GEBİP (Young Scientist Outstanding Achievement Award), also won the Georg Forster Research Fellowship grant from the Alexander von Humboldt, one of Germany’s most elite research organizations, for the project he did in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna from the Berlin Humboldt University to prepare metal nano particles that can check distributions at an atomic level using the lamellar storage method and study catalytic performance. Within the scope of the grant, Associate Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahmakıran will conduct collaborative studies at the Berlin Humboldt University for a period of 24 months and the recommended budget for the whole project will be provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This grant was given by the same fund to a professor in the field of chemistry in Turkey for the first time.
Associate Prof. Dr. Zahmakıran, who spoke about the grant said “No one in Turkey has been able to achieve the Georg Forster Research Fellowship grant from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation before because it is a grant that is rewarded after a very meticulous elimination process. From what I found out on the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation website, only 2 out of 10 applications are accepted. Winning this grant is very important to me not just in terms of a personal achievement in my field but as an achievement for Turkey. This grant has provided financing for an important project and by virtue of this support I will be able to conduct collaborative research with expert scientists in the field of Molecular Layer Storage, a relatively new branch of science. Being able to continue productively by establishing an efficient research group at the Yüzüncü Yıl University Chemical Faculty, where I began working in 2012, and being able to crown the achievements of my group with such prestigious grants makes me proud and increases our motivation in our research”.
Associate Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahmakıran was also deemed deserving of the METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation Research Incentive Award for successful work in his field. Receiving his award at the ceremony which took place on December19 at the METU Conference Center, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zahmakıran expressed his thoughts as follows “This award, as in all awards that encourage research, is very motivating for my work. As a member of a university with more limited means compared to other universities in the west of Turkey after undergoing a serious earthquake in 2011, I am very proud to receive this award and wish to express what a motivating effect it has had on me and my group in terms of our work”.
The Georg Forster Research Grant is awarded to young researchers who have finished their doctorate in the past four years, who create a difference with the work they do and provide solutions for the problems of developing countries. This grant, which covers all scientific research fields, is given to a maximum of 10 people per year in developing countries.
The METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation Research Incentive Award is given to young scientists who contribute to the development of a science field with their work, help solve the problems of a country in this field and are not yet 40. This award can be given for a specific research study or to a research group to cover all of their research work.