Birth and Early Education

Mehmet Bahattin Baysal was born on 8 December 1922 in Kırşehir. He began his primary education in Posof and continued his studies in various cities of Eastern Anatolia. After his family settled in Buca, İzmir, he graduated from Buca Middle School in 1936 and İzmir High School in 1939.

Higher Education

Baysal completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Chemistry at Istanbul University Faculty of Science and graduated in 1945. He also graduated from Istanbul Higher Teachers School at the same time.

Beginning of Academic Career

In 1945 he began his service as an assistant at Ankara University Faculty of Science. Between 1946 and 1949 he completed his doctoral research in chemical kinetics under the supervision of Professor Dr. A. G. Parts at the Institute of Physical Chemistry. In 1952 he earned the title of associate professor in physical chemistry with a thesis on the kinetics of free radical polymerization at New York Polytechnic University. After completing his military service in 1954 he was appointed associate professor at Ankara University Faculty of Science.

Research Abroad

Between 1957 and 1959 he conducted research in atomic energy and polymer chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Brookhaven National Laboratory. In subsequent years he carried out research on the electrical properties of polymer materials at Dartmouth College in 1964–1965 and on copolymer and rubber synthesis at Princeton University in 1970–1971.

Work at Middle East Technical University

In 1960 he became professor of physical chemistry at Middle East Technical University (METU). In the same year he was appointed founding head of the METU Department of Chemistry and oversaw the admission of the department’s first students. He served as head of the Department of Chemistry from 1960 to 1964 and as dean of the Faculty of Science and Letters from 1966 to 1970. He also held the positions of rector’s advisor at METU and director of the Institute of Polymer Chemistry Research. In the 1970s under the umbrella of the Institute of Polymer Research he established multidisciplinary research initiatives in polymer science.

Work at Istanbul Technical University and Other Positions

Between 1979 and 1990 he served as head of the Department of Chemistry and dean of the Faculty of Science and Letters at Istanbul Technical University. He also held positions at Karadeniz Technical University for a period. He held various managerial and research roles at TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center PETKİM Petrochemical Inc. and the Prime Ministry Atomic Energy Commission.

Activities After Retirement

After retirement he continued his research activities at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Boğaziçi University Faculty of Engineering and at TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center.

Scientific Research

His research focused on reaction kinetics polymer chemistry and physical chemistry copolymer synthesis ion exchange and solid state chemistry. He authored 131 publications in journals indexed in the Science Citation Index which have received 1783 citations and his H-index is recorded as 21. He supervised 36 doctoral and 31 master’s theses.

Positions and Memberships

• In 1968 he received the TÜBİTAK Science Award.
• In 1995 he was elected a full member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).
• He represented TÜBİTAK at the European Science Foundation from 1980 to 1984.
• He served as editor of the Turkish Journal of Chemistry from 1992 to 2009.
• He was a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science and the Bulletin of the Chemist and Technologist of Macedonia.
• He chaired the Interuniversity Council Ethics Commission from 2001 to 2005.

Publications

Books:

• Polymer Chemistry (1981 1994)
• General Chemistry (1983)
• High Technology Materials and Engineering Plastics (1990)
• Sixty Years in Universities (2004)
• Universities Science and Science Policies in Turkey During the Republic Era (2009)

Translated Books:

• Experimental Physical Chemistry (1954)
• Colloid Chemistry (1956)
• Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (1959 with Professor Dr. Erdal İnönü)
• Erwin Schrödinger and the Quantum Revolution (2013)

Death

Professor Dr. Mehmet Bahattin Baysal died on 6 September 2017 at the age of 95. His funeral was held at Karacaahmet Şakirin Camii on 8 September 2017 after the funeral prayer and he was buried there.