Mehmet Naci İnci (1965, Malatya) is a physicist, academic, and rector of Boğaziçi University. After completing his undergraduate studies in Physics at the Atatürk Faculty of Education, Marmara University, he earned his PhD at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh on fiber optic sensors. Prof. Dr. İnci conducted postdoctoral research in advanced fiber optic telecommunication systems at Stanford University in California, United States, and later served as a researcher at the same institution.

Mehmet Naci İnci began his academic career at Boğaziçi University’s Department of Physics in 1994. Over various periods, he conducted scientific research or taught in photonics at Sabancı University, the University of Stuttgart, Heriot-Watt University, Gunma University, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His research has been published in prestigious international journals such as Applied Physics, Photonics and Nanostructures, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Optics Express, Optics & Lasers in Engineering, and Applied Optics. He has supervised eight PhD and approximately twenty master’s theses. Prof. Dr. İnci also holds international patents.

Mehmet Naci İnci was born in Malatya in 1965 and completed his primary education at Üsküdar Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Primary School. After completing his middle school education, he graduated in 1983 from Üsküdar High School, which was then known as Burhan Felek High School following a name change.

Prof. Dr. İnci graduated from the Department of Physics at the Atatürk Faculty of Education, Marmara University, in 1987. He then moved to Edinburgh to pursue his doctoral studies and received his PhD in Physics from Heriot-Watt University in 1993. His doctoral thesis focused on fiber optic sensors.

Mehmet Naci İnci’s research is significant not only academically but also for its practical applications. The fiber optic sensors he developed during his doctoral research were used to measure heat transfer characteristics essential for the development of jet aircraft engines.

Between 1993 and 1994, Prof. Dr. İnci worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, focusing on fiber optic communication systems. In 1994, he joined Boğaziçi University’s Department of Physics as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in solid state physics in 1996 and continued his teaching duties in the same department until 1999.

From 1999 to 2005, Prof. Dr. İnci served as a faculty member at Sabancı University, where he played an active role in establishing laboratories and developing curricula for the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. He led research initiatives aimed at strengthening industry-academia collaboration, resulting in international patents.

In 2005, Mehmet Naci İnci returned to Boğaziçi University’s Department of Physics as a full professor. From 2014 to 2020, he served as head of the Department of Physics. Prof. Dr. İnci actively contributed to the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs of the department, and today many of his former students hold positions as associate professors and professors both in Türkiye and abroad.

Mehmet Naci İnci is a member of the Board of Directors of Turkcell, a member of the Council of the Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology, and a member of the Board of Directors of TÜBİTAK. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Council of Higher Education (ÜAK) from 2022 to 2024.

Mehmet Naci İnci has held positions at the following institutions abroad:

• University of Stuttgart, 4th Physics Institute, Germany (2002)
• Gunma University, Department of Electronic Engineering, Japan (1998–1999)
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Optics (1998)
• Heriot-Watt University, Department of Physics, Edinburgh (1997)

^{Mehmet Naci İnci}

Mehmet Naci İnci’s primary research field is photonics, with scientific work concentrated on fiber optic sensing, optical metrology, and the development of thin optical films. His research focuses on designing novel and highly sensitive optical systems for physical, chemical, and biological measurements.

Among his contributions to optical sensing is early work on single-mode fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometers fabricated using titanium dioxide optical coatings, which has received high citation rates. His research also pioneered the use of multicore optical fibers in advanced measurements such as two-axis bending analysis and vibration amplitude characterization. In environmental sensing, his studies on fiber optic humidity detection using polyethylene glycol (PEG) coatings have made significant contributions to chemical and environmental sensing fields.

Prof. Dr. İnci has contributed to the field of optical metrology and 3D profilometry. Notably, he introduced three-dimensional optical profilometry methods using four-core optical fibers and developed advanced techniques such as frequency-modulated fringe projection using fiber optic Lloyd’s mirror setups, enabling micron-scale measurements. His work also extends to biophotonic applications, including interdisciplinary approaches such as scanning acoustic microscopy and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy for characterizing soft tissues like atherosclerotic plaques.

Prof. Dr. İnci’s work in materials science includes one of his most highly cited studies, which examined the thermal optical properties of TiO₂ films, providing critical baseline data for optical coatings and sensors. He has also investigated the physical properties of polymer-based materials, including the elastic behavior of solution-crosslinked poly(isobutylene) gels and stimuli-responsive PEG-based hydrogels.

Prof. Dr. İnci has conducted research focused on controlling light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale, demonstrating innovative approaches in nanophotonics and plasmonics. His work in this area can be summarized under three themes:

His research in plasmonics centers on enhanced spontaneous emission rates in low-Q hybrid photonic-plasmonic nanoresonators. This work is critical for designing ultra-compact, high-efficiency light-emitting devices and sensors by combining the strong light confinement properties of plasmonic structures with photonic elements. It demonstrates the ability to control the Purcell effect through nanoresonators.

Prof. Dr. İnci has also researched the development of fiber optic wedge-shaped microcavity random lasers. His findings have laid the groundwork for integrating the fundamental physics of random lasers with existing fiber optic technologies, enabling the development of compact light sources for integrated optical circuits and next-generation sensors.

Prof. Dr. İnci’s work in this area demonstrates that the spontaneous emission rate of dye molecules trapped within a single polyethylene glycol (PEG) nanofiber can be modulated by changes in humidity. It has been shown that the increase or suppression of emission rate, known as the Purcell factor, correlates with humidity-dependent fluctuation behavior. These findings reveal that environmental changes can modulate the Purcell factor, enabling the development of fiber-based humidity sensing mechanisms. This research represents the integration of Prof. Dr. İnci’s expertise with nanoscale sensor applications toward the development of functional optical devices.

Mehmet Naci İnci has served as Rector of Boğaziçi University since 15 July 2021.

During Prof. Dr. İnci’s tenure, Boğaziçi University has undergone significant structural transformations in academic and administrative domains. Some of these include:

• More than 130 new academics who earned their PhDs at leading global universities joined the university faculty between 2021 and 2025. Appointment and promotion criteria were revised and elevated during this period.
• The Anadolu Hisarı Campus was acquired by the university, and the Foreign Languages Preparatory Program of the School of Foreign Languages was relocated there.
• The BURC Student Center was established on the South Campus, designated for club activities and study spaces.
• In 2022, the Boğaziçi University Development Foundation (BUVAKIF) was established. Through this foundation, a 250-bed male dormitory and a mosque were opened. Construction of a 200-bed female dormitory began. Additionally, a new 700-bed dormitory was constructed and opened within the North Campus.
• During his three-year term as founding dean, the Faculty of Law was comprehensively and qualitatively restructured. The faculty admitted its first students in 2022 and will graduate its first cohort in 2026.
• The Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence was established in 2022; the Institute of Film and Media Studies opened in 2025.
• The Central Library was evacuated after being identified as seismically vulnerable. A new library project, consistent with traditional architectural aesthetics, has been planned.
• Before Prof. Dr. İnci assumed office, Boğaziçi University ranked in the 700s globally. By 2025, it rose to 371st in the QS World University Rankings, entering the top 25 percent.