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 Technical University (Turkey), who completely shattered expectations, he brought motors in the class for live demos, he made exams fun with multi-step applied physics problems built around absurd and hilarious premises. He also had a great relationship with his group members and had interesting projects. I'd like to be that kind of faculty one day: engaging, inventive, and deeply connected to both research and people."

Begüm Kabagoz is a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT Kavli Institute, where she splits her time between detector commissioning and quantum noise research in LIGO, and the GRAVITES experiment: an ERC-funded project investigating the effect of gravitational potential on quantum light. Originally from Ankara, Turkey, she serves as the squeezer expert at the LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO). Outside of work, Begüm enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy, gaming, learning Norwegian, and exploring hydroponics. She and her spouse enjoy blending their hobbies with research, spending hours with their 3D printer, printing bone dragons and miniature versions of their scientific designs.

You can follow Begüm on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-begum-kabagoz/