Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil
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| Nationality | Turkish |
| Education | University of Minnesota (Ph.D.) Texas Tech University (M. Sc.) Bilkent University (B. Sc.) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Arizona University of Chicago |
| Thesis | Testing supermassive black hole scaling relations using cosmological simulations and optical/near-IR imaging data (2018) |
| Doctoral advisor | Marc Seigar |
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil is a super smart scientist from Turkey. She studies space as an astrophysicist. She works at the University of Chicago and is supported by important groups like the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Dr. Mutlu-Pakdil made an amazing discovery. She found a super rare galaxy with two rings around it. This special galaxy is now often called "Burçin's Galaxy" after her! She has also been a TED Fellow, sharing her ideas with the world.
Learning About Space
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil grew up in Turkey. She always loved physics and looking at the night sky. She was the first person in her family to go to college.
She studied physics at Bilkent University in Turkey. Then, she moved to the United States. She earned her master's degree at Texas Tech University. Later, she got her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Minnesota. Her PhD research was about huge black holes and how galaxies form.
Discovering New Galaxies
In 2017, Dr. Mutlu-Pakdil started working at the University of Arizona. She worked at the Steward Observatory. There, she studied how space objects like dwarf galaxies and galactic rings are built. She also looked at giant black holes.
She used powerful telescopes in Chile and Hawaii for her research. While working on her PhD, she found something incredible. She discovered a galaxy named PGC 1000714. This galaxy is super rare because it has two rings and is shaped like an oval. People started calling it "Burçin's Galaxy." Her discovery was a big deal and was talked about a lot in the news!
Dr. Mutlu-Pakdil also works to inspire others. She helped make short science films for everyone to enjoy. In 2018, she became a TED Fellow. She gave a talk at a big TED event in Vancouver. She also works to encourage more Muslim women to join science.
In 2019, she became an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. This program helps show young people, especially girls, different science careers. In 2020, she became a TED Senior Fellow.
Today, Dr. Mutlu-Pakdil is still looking for unique things in the universe. She uses big telescopes on Earth and in space. She wants to find the smallest and dimmest galaxies. She also studies how dark matter helps these galaxies form.
Awards and Recognitions
Dr. Mutlu-Pakdil has received many awards for her amazing work:
- NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow
- KICP Fellow
- 2020 TED Senior Fellow
- 2019 AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador
- 2018 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World – for her leadership and achievements in academics
- 2018 TED Fellow
- 2017 Ten Outstanding Young Persons, Turkey – Scientific Leadership Award
- 2017 APS Woman Physicist of July
- 2017 Linda Larson Woman of the Year
