Professor Bilge Yıldız is a scientist serving as the Breene M. Kerr (1951) Professor in the Departments of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research focuses on developing next-generation electrochemical devices for energy conversion and information processing.

Education and Career

Bilge Yıldız, born in the Söke district of İzmir to two mathematics teachers, first encountered science through experiments at İzmir Science High School. She completed her undergraduate studies in Nuclear Energy Engineering at Hacettepe University and went on to earn her master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear science and engineering at MIT.

Yıldız began her career as a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory in the United States and later served as a visiting professor at Imperial College London. She currently directs the Electrochemical Interfaces Laboratory at MIT.

Award Presentation to Professor Bilge Yıldız (Anadolu Agency)

Scientific Research and Contributions

Professor Yıldız’s research leads the design of new materials and interfaces for high-efficiency and long-lasting solid oxide fuel cells, electrolytic water splitting, brain-inspired information processing systems, and solid-state batteries. Her laboratory has contributed to the molecular-level understanding of oxygen reduction, water splitting, ion diffusion, and charge transfer in mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxides.

Her work aims to enhance global energy efficiency and provide science-based solutions to climate and energy crises by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. One of her key projects involves electrolysing carbon dioxide into valuable chemical products using solid oxide fuel cells. She has also contributed to a NASA project that enables oxygen production from carbon dioxide on Mars.

Image of Bilge Yıldız Receiving the Rahmi M. Koç Science Medal from Koç University (Anadolu Agency)

Awards and Academic Memberships

Bilge Yıldız has received numerous awards in science, including the LG Chem Global Innovation Challenge Award, the Ross Coffin Purdy Award for Best Paper in Ceramics from the American Ceramic Society, the Charles W. Tobias Early Career Award from The Electrochemical Society, and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

In 2022, she was awarded the Rahmi M. Koç Science Medal from Koç University for her groundbreaking contributions to the understanding and design of novel surface chemistry, efficient and durable electrochemical energy conversion materials, and energy-efficient ionic computing systems. This medal is conferred upon scientists under the age of 50 who have made exceptional contributions to universal knowledge.

She is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Physical Society. She has held leadership roles including deputy chair and chair of the International Society for Solid State Ionics and served on the administrative committee of the MIT Center for Future Energy Systems. Her research has been published in leading scientific journals including Science, Nature Communications, and Advanced Energy Materials. She also serves on the editorial boards of several academic publications.