Hatice Altuğ is a Turkish physicist and academic who works in the fields of nanophotonics and optical biosensors. Her research in physics focuses on studying light–matter interactions at the nanoscale and applying these interactions to technologies for detecting biological systems. She has continued her academic career at international research institutions and is particularly recognized for her work in developing biosensor technologies.

^{Hatice Altuğ in infancy (}Youtube⁾

Hatice Altuğ completed her undergraduate studies in 2000 at the Department of Physics at Bilkent University. She then moved to the United States to pursue her master’s and doctoral studies in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University. She received her PhD from Stanford University in 2007.

Following her doctoral studies, she continued her academic career at Boston University, where she served as a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2007 to 2013. In 2013, Altuğ moved to EPFL in Switzerland, where she continues her research as a professor and leads the BIOS laboratory.

^{Hatice Altuğ and her family (}Youtube⁾

Altuğ’s research primarily involves the application of nanophotonic techniques to biological sciences and medical diagnostics. Her main research areas include:

• Nanophotonic Biosensors: Development of label-free and highly sensitive sensors.
• Plasmonic Metasurfaces: Enhancement of molecular signals by trapping light in nanostructures.
• Infrared Spectroscopy: Use of advanced optical methods to examine the structure of proteins and biomolecules.
• Lab-on-a-Chip Systems: Design of portable and low-cost diagnostic devices.

These efforts aim to miniaturize optical devices used for early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer and in drug development processes.

^{Hatice Altuğ receiving the Optical Society of America (OSA) Adolph Lomb Medal (}Youtube⁾

Altuğ has received numerous international awards for her academic work. In 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by then U.S. President Barack Obama. In 2024, she received the Koç University Medal from Koç University in Türkiye. Other significant awards and grants she has received include:

• Support from the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant and Proof of Concept Grant.
• The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.
• Selection as one of the “Top 10 Brightest Scientists” by Popular Science magazine.
• The Optical Society of America (OSA) Adolph Lomb Medal.