Hatice Altug

Hatice Altug is a Full Professor at EPFL's Institute of Bioengineering within the School of Engineering, where she leads the Bionanophotonic Systems Laboratory. Her research integrates nanophotonics, plasmonics, and microfluidics to develop advanced biosensors for real-time molecular diagnostics. She holds dual roles in EPFL's doctoral programs and academic committees.

Education:

• PhD in Applied Physics, Stanford University (2000-2007)
• B.S. in Physics, Bilkent University (1996-2000)

Her research centers on creating label-free, high-sensitivity optical biosensors using nanophotonic technologies. Key innovations include dielectric metasurfaces for mid-infrared spectroscopy, AI-enhanced detection platforms, and portable nanoplasmonic imagers for point-of-care diagnostics. Her work bridges fundamental light-matter interactions with clinical applications like sepsis monitoring and cancer biomarker detection.

Her publications emphasize nanophotonic biosensor design, metasurface applications, and single-cell analysis. Recent trends show increased focus on AI integration, vibrational spectroscopy, and wafer-scale manufacturing for clinical translation.

Awards & Honors:

• Optical Society Fellow (2020)
• Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE, 2011)
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2016)
• IEEE Photonics Society Young Investigator Award (2011)

She mentors numerous PhD students and leads interdisciplinary teams developing optofluidic platforms. Her laboratory pioneers nanoplasmonic microarrays and collaborates globally on projects like neurodegenerative disease biomarker detection. She co-directs EPFL's doctoral program in photonics and champions women in STEM through executive roles in diversity initiatives.