After a Scientist Who Will Set an Example for Young People

Our faculty member Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı, who has become one of the most distinguished polymer scientists in the world with his scientific studies at ITU for 42 years, was commemorated by international scientific journals.

ITU Department of Chemistry faculty member Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı, who is considered an authority in the world in the area of chemistry and polymer science, unexpectedly bid farewell to us while he was working in his office on 30 January 2023, and his death caused great mourning and sadness in our university.

Herkese Bilim Teknoloji magazine commemorated Prof. Dr. Yağcı in its 358^th issue. Prof. Dr. Burak Erman, our professor’s close friend, wrote an article titled “On Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı – We lost the legendary professor of ITU untimely”.

The Germany-based academic journal European Coatings Journal focused on the scientific achievements and life of our professor with an essay titled “Istanbul Technical University mourns Prof. Yusuf Yağcı”

A star in the scientific community: Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı

In the article featured in Herkese Bilim Teknoloji, it was emphasized that Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı has achieved a  significant success since his earliest studies and that especially the work he published in 1978 led to the emergence of important technologies over the years.

In the article describing the contributions of Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı’s papers, which are noteworthy for their large citation numbers, to the development of three-dimensional printers, it was also stated that his work was the harbinger of new advancements in fields such as synthetic biology.

An important role model for young people

In the article describing, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı’s long-lasting accomplishment of raising and maintaning the success bar of our country and ITU over the years vis-à-vis universities representing the most advanced countries in science and technology, it was also stressed that he was an important role model for young people. Saying “The important thing is not a good start, but the difference between the beginning and the end!” Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı encouraged young people to take up science with these words: "If I can do it, you all can do it, of course if you do what is necessary."

In the article underlining that he had seen ITU as his home, it was pointed out that Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı had made collaboration, which is a universal principle of science, in a very appropriate and correctly way. Prof. Dr. Yağcı had fruitful collaborations with many scientists at national and international level.

“He was among the most notable professors of ITU”

European Coatings Journal, in its article, stated what a significant loss Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı was to ITU and the scientific world and mentioned his important works in fields such as chemistry and photopolymerization, the many awards he received, and the numerous papers and books he published.