Begüm Kabagöz
" I've always been interested in science, not sure when or how it started. I knew I was going to be scientist from a young age. I did my Ph.D. in ultrafast nonlinear fiber optics, and during an intense period of it, I started listening to astronomy podcasts to relax, which led to reading white papers about space related things, anywhere from shielding humans from energetic particles, to growing microgreens on lunar soil, to LIGO. I realized I could do this for a living and applied for the site postdoc position. After working at LLO for a year and a half, I have transitioned to a position where I spend half my time at the site. LLO is a special place for me, full of incredibly dedicated and inspiring people. Collaborative, hands-on work on the instrument made me realize how much I love this kind of work, so I’ve set my sights on astronomical instrumentation. I was inspired to pursue an academic career by a young professor in my undergraduate university Middle East Techn...
