Short Biography-Feza Gürsey

"Professor Gürsey is among the most talented theoretical physicists of his generation. He is widely and warmly regarded as a physicist and as a colleague.” - Robert Oppenheimer

Short Biography-Feza Gürsey

Gürsey was born in Istanbul in 1921. He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1940, and from Istanbul University’s Physics Department in 1944. He received his PhD from the University of London in the field of applied mathematics in 1950. After becoming an associate professor at Istanbul University in 1953, he conducted research and lectured at Princeton and Columbia Universities between 1959 and 1961. In 1961, he became a professor in the Physics Department of Middle East Technical University. In 1963-64 as a Fulbright grantee, he conducted research in the field of corporate physics (general relativity and elementary particles) at Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study. He lectured at Yale University until he retired in 1991 and returned to Turkey. He was bestowed the title of Professor Emeritus at Boğaziçi University. He passed away in the United States in 1992.

Awards and Honors

1969- TÜBİTAK Science Award, 1977 - J.R. Oppenheimer Award with S. Glashow, A. Cressey Morrison Award in Natural Sciences with R. Griffiths, 1979 - Einstein Medal, 1981 - Guest Professorship and Collège de France Medal at Collège de France, Istanbul University Medal and Honorary Doctorate, 1984 - Title of "Commendatore" given by the Republic of Italy, 1986 - Guest Professorship at Academiadei Lincei (Rome), Wigner Medal of Group Theory and Fundamental Physics Society (Philadelphia), 1989 - Distinguished Scientist Award of Turkish-American Scientists and Engineers Association, METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education and Research Foundation Science, Service and Honor Award, 1990 - Galatasaray Education Foundation Medal