Novel materials discovery
A new chemical-vapor-deposition modality — real-time optical CVD — enables us to discover novel quantum materials by watching crystals nucleate and grow as they form.
Bilkent UNAM · Middle East Technical
University
Experimental quantum matter, one atomic layer at a time.
We are an experimental solid-state physics research lab led by Dr. T. Serkan Kasırga, working to understand classical and quantum phenomena in low-dimensional — especially two-dimensional — and strongly correlated materials.
Hosted at
2014
Lab established at UNAM
13+
External grants & awards as PI
~€2M
Total research funding
50+
Alumni in academia & industry
Research themes
All research →
Four threads of inquiry, one shared toolkit.
Photoresponse of low-D materials
We use scanning photocurrent microscopy alongside substrate engineering and atomic-scale microscopy to dissect the mechanisms behind the photoresponse of semiconducting, metallic and topological-insulator low-dimensional materials.
Phase transitions in correlated materials
Classical and quantum phase transitions in low-dimensional materials offer a fundamental window into how phases emerge — and a route to prospective applications driven by that understanding.
Exciton physics in 2D heterostructures
We study exciton photo-physics in two-dimensional semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides, with a particular focus on how the substrate sculpts exciton dynamics and photoluminescence.
Outreach
Service to the community.
Beyond the lab, we build and maintain free public resources that help students, researchers, and the curious public engage with modern physics.
01
SciTalk Hub
A community platform that gathers science talks, lectures, and seminar recordings into one searchable place — built and curated by our group to make research more accessible.
scitalkhub.com →
02SCM Lab Visualizers
Interactive, browser-based visualizers for concepts in solid-state physics, condensed matter, and 2D materials — designed for teaching and intuition-building.
scitalkhub.com/Visualizers →
Principal Investigator
Dr. T. Serkan Kasırga
Associate Professor of Physics — jointly affiliated with Bilkent University’s National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) and the Middle East Technical University Department of Physics.
Dr. Kasırga earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and established the 2D & Strongly Correlated Materials Lab at UNAM in January 2014. The group has since been awarded over a dozen TÜBİTAK and bilateral research grants, and was named to the BAGEP young-investigator class in 2021. Dr. Kasırga also received the prestigious TÜBİTAK Incentive Award in 2025 and METU Parlar Foundation Incentive Award in 2026.
We are recruiting.
The lab currently has openings for 1 postdoctoral researcher, 2 graduate students, and motivated undergraduates interested in solid-state experiment.
- Affiliations
- Bilkent UNAM · METU Physics
- Field
- Experimental condensed-matter physics
- Established
- January 2014
- Location
- Çankaya, Ankara, Türkiye
Latest news
All news →
What’s happening in the lab.
10 Aug 2025
New TÜBİTAK 1001 project awarded.
The lab has been awarded a new TÜBİTAK 1001 grant to extend our work on ion-transport-driven phase transitions in 2D oxides and chalcogenides.
25 Jun 2025
New paper out on AFM-based thermal conductivity.
An extensive thermal conductivity measurement method based on atomic force microscopy — with Berke Köker — in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.
16 Apr 2025
Photoluminescence enhancement via metallic screening.
Shakir & co-workers report substantial PL enhancement in 2D semiconductors using a spacer-free metallic screening approach — published in npj 2D Materials and Applications.
28 Mar 2025
Sodium-intercalated MnO₂ — new ionic transport regime.
Parsi et al. report the synthesis of intrinsically sodium intercalated ultra-thin layered MnO₂ in Nanoscale.
Get in touch
Collaborate, visit, or join the lab.
Drop a line about prospective student or postdoc applications, collaborations on 2D materials and quantum transport, or visits to our facilities at UNAM and METU.
- UNAM, Bilkent
- Room 105 · Bilkent · Çankaya · Ankara 06800
- METU Physics
- Office 329 · Middle East Technical University · Çankaya · Ankara 06800
- Web
- @TSerkanKasirga · LinkedIn