Prof. Özlem Yeşiltaş graduated from the Physics Department of Gazi University with a B.Sc, and followed with an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in the same department. Considering that she is also a professor in the same department may look straightforward, but the reality is quite different. Even though she had expertise in mathematical physics in her graduate studies, she attended the European Fusion Development Agency (EFDA) Euratom Fusion Summer School in Culham, England, focused on fusion energy power plants. This was followed by a researcher position at the Türkiye Nuclear Energy Institute (TAEK, currently in TENMAK). Then, she attended the 7th Workshop on Quantum Physics with Non-Hermitian Operators (PHHQP VII), closer to her graduate studies, followed by a Post-Doctorate study at Concordia University related to another theoretical field, cosmic strings. A few years later, she was a visiting scientist at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Nuclear Research, ATOMKI, followed by Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor positions at Gazi University, her current affiliation. In short, she has been in various fields and has also participated in interdisciplinary and international teams. The interview focused on her career, important turning points, and what they contributed to her, as well as tips and recommendations on teaching, outreach, and having a healthy life-career balance.
In the first part of her career, she stated that she knew she was interested in an academic career from the beginning and followed the usual steps with undergraduate and graduate studies. At times, there were good and challenging parts, though persistence was the key to finishing her studies. She also noted the usually attested “obsessive” characteristic of the academicians, which, in fact, is a must-have for having the outputs in the minimum required quality. Of course, this quality also works well in other research-based roles and in other institutes; hence, she chose to work in TAEK while also pursuing the requirements for the Associate Professor position in Türkiye. This decision also originated from her characteristics of experimenting with something not tried before and expanding her vision rather than the convenient path. While doing both experimental and theoretical parts, this experience also made her decide more clearly that the academic environment is more suitable for her.
After this episode in her career, she managed to start working on quantum gravity topics, and with this, she has been working on three sub-fields under the mathematical physics field. These can be summarized as quantum gravity mathematical problems, non-Hermitian Quantum Mechanics, fermion dynamics, and how cosmic strings impact these fundamental particles, with and without gravitational fields, and lastly, integrable systems.
While conveying this expert field knowledge to other audiences and students, she stated that making analogies from real life is of utmost importance. One example is the estimated similarity of cosmic string topological defects after phase change in the universe to that of solid white cracks in typical ice cubes. Even if there is not any observed evidence for this, it is appropriate to convey the idea.
The ideas are, of course, in the mathematical physics domain and abstract, but they still do not prevent them from being useful in other fields after some methodological steps. One case is her published work on Black Scholes and the volatility-related utility of it in the finance domain. This equation is actually a classical differential equation, and the utility relation of this between quantum mechanics and finance is that it shows the time-dependent evolution of the system. She further elaborated on how her view of solving mathematical problems can be adapted into this option pricing and volatility dynamics, and that the interdisciplinary approach, rather than getting confined to a specific field, is better. Here is the link to the study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2023.128909
In the final question, she also states the importance of having hobbies to pursue an academic career. This is critical since focusing on similar problems or sometimes even a single problem for prolonged periods can weigh people down. In this case, she had been involved in a chorus that is successful enough to make international trips to different countries, as well as fitness, weight lifting, and kick-box sports. Specifically, she has been involved in sports and karate since her student days as a licensed member. Such activities provided her with the stability and determination to advance her career. It is also crucial that we should not be too sedentary and always have some movement, with communication between the brain, mind, and body.
As the concluding remarks, she stressed that the development of a country is closely related to the relationship of the public with science, arts, and sports. Even if we can’t produce, we should at least strive to consume them better. They should definitely be spread out to the general public more than they are now in Türkiye. Even starting with 3-year-olds and higher, fundamental science and analytical thinking should be introduced to the children with appropriate methods.
The interview can be watched here: https://youtu.be/asSKQYl36X8