Betul Akkopru-Akgun, Ph.D., is an assistant research professor at the Materials Research Institute at Penn State. She received her doctoral and master of science degrees in materials science and engineering at Penn State and a second master of science degree in metallurgical and materials engineering at the Middle East Technical University.
Akkopru-Akgun’s research focuses on developing physical models that reveal how defects, composition, interfaces, moisture, and strain collectively impact charge transport and the lifetime of ferroelectric films. Her work has significantly contributed to the development of ferroelectric film-based piezoMEMS with improved and stable piezoelectric responses over time. Notably, at least one major piezoMEMS foundry has already implemented her findings in commercial production, achieving a several-fold increase in the lifetime of their actuators. Additionally, many leading industry players in this field have leveraged her results to enhance the performance properties of their piezoMEMS devices. Her current research aims to design and fabricate advanced piezoelectric materials in thin-film, bulk ceramic, and single-crystal forms for enhanced dielectric, ferroelectric, mechanical, optical, and biological properties.
She has received the Robert E. Newnham Award for Research Excellence and the Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award. Akkopru-Akgun serves as a review editor on the editorial board of Piezoelectric Materials, a specialty section of Frontiers in Electronic Materials. Additionally, she serves as a voting member of the Ferroelectrics Standing Committee (FerroCom) and as the education and tutorial chair within the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society (IEEE-UFFC Society). She actively contributes to educational initiatives in ferroelectrics.