Burak Gürel, a mathematics post-doctorate student at Bilkent University, has been awarded a research grant from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AVH) to go to the University of Paderbon in Germany. The foundation is one of the most important non-profit organizations that fund foreign scholars to carry out long-term research projects in Germany.
Burak Gürel, 27, first graduated from the Department of Mathematics at METU, and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematics at Bilkent University. He is currently doing research on integrable systems.
Prof. Hasan Erten, Dean of the Faculty of Science, points out that Burak Gürel is one of the youngest recipients of an AVH grant. Most awardees are in their thirties, since they are normally accepted after four to five years of post-doctorate study. Applicants over 40 are not accepted.
"In order to receive a research grant from AVH, you first need to find a researcher in Germany to work with. Your academic background, publications, and references are also important. Additionally, you need to specify the research to be performed in Germany in your application," Gürel says.
Dr. Gürel is planning to attend a German language course in Goettingen for four months, and then carry on his research with his post-doc grant for a year. Although he does not intend to stay abroad permanently, he does say that after finishing this project, he might apply for another grant elsewhere to further his research.
Seda Çöl (MBG/III)
