Namık Kemal Pak

Namık Kemal Pak (194710 November 2015) was a Turkish academic who worked in nuclear science. He served as a professor at the Middle East Technical University (METU) and president of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) 1999 to 2003. He was also one of the first members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).

Early life and education Namık Kemal Pak was born in 1947 in Samsun, Turkey. He enrolled for his undergraduate program at Ankara University, graduating from the Physics Department in 1968. He continued his education and moved to the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained his PhD in physics in 1972. Career Following his doctoral studies, he engaged in various research roles at several institutions, including the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the University of California, San Diego, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. His research focused on nuclear physics.

In 1977, he became an associate professor at Hacettepe University and later obtained the title of full professor at Middle East Technical University (METU) in 1988.

Pak was actively engaged in scientific research and policy in Turkey. He served as the vice president of TÜBİTAK from 1990 to 1997, where he contributed to national research initiatives and fostering scientific collaboration. He served as the NATO Science Committee Representative for Turkey from 1988 to 1989 and later as the OECD Science and Technology Policy Committee Representative for Turkey from 1991 to 1997. He was also the Alternative Representative for Turkey on the NATO Science Committee from 1993 to 1997. and one of the five to receive an TÜBİTAK Science Award in 1989. He was a member of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and Academia Europaea.