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Nihat Berker

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Ahmet Nihat Berker
Born (1949-09-20) September 20, 1949 (age 75)
NationalityTurkey Turkish
CitizenshipTurkey Turkey
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forRenormalization group, Critical phenomena, Phase Transitions
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsStatistical mechanics
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Technical University of Istanbul
Boğaziçi Üniversitesi
Koç University
Sabancı University

Ahmet Nihat Berker (born 20 September 1949 in Istanbul), is a Turkish theoretical physicist and emeritus professor of physics at MIT. He is the son of a notable scientist and engineer Ratip Berker, who was deceased on October 17, 1997. His wife, Bedia Erim Berker[1] is a professor of chemistry at Istanbul Technical University, and one of his sons, Selim Berker is a professor of epistemology in the department of philosophy at Harvard University.[2][3]

Academic life

After graduating from Robert College at first place in 1967, Nihat Berker received B.S. degrees in physics and chemistry from MIT in 1971. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1972 and 1977, respectively. He was an assistant professor during 1979-82, associate professor during 1982-88, and professor of theoretical physics during 1988-04 at MIT. From 1999 to 2004, he served as a professor and dean of the School of Sciences and Letters at The Istanbul Technical University. After losing the president (rector) elections in ITU,[4] he left the Technical University of Istanbul for a professor position at Koç University. He became emeritus professor of Physics at MIT in 2004. He was an adjunct professor of Boğaziçi Üniversitesi in Bebek-İstanbul between 1996 and 2004, as well. During 2005-2009, he served as a professor of physics at Koç University, Rumelifeneri, Sarıyer, Istanbul. Since 2009, he is the president of Sabancı University in Tuzla, Istanbul-Turkey.

Research areas

Nihat Berker is best known for his research in statistical mechanics, especially on phase transitions applying renormalization group theory, with applications to surface physics and materials with defects.

References

  1. ^ Bedia Erim Berker, Technical University of Istanbul,
  2. ^ Selim Berker, ethics and epistemology professor.
  3. ^ Selim Berker, Department of Philosophy, Harvard University.
  4. ^ "ITU elections".