Dr. Burak Temelkuran

Biography

Burak Temelkuran returned to academia after a 15-year period in the medical industry, currently developing fiber technology discovered during his early career as a researcher. He became the sole product developer of a successful MIT spin-off company, OmniGuide Surgical Inc. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, he conducts research at the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery. His research focuses on the application of multi-material fibers in medicine, including functional fibers for endoluminal interventions, fiber robots, laser delivery mechanisms, and laser-tissue interactions for surgical lasers and their therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Burak has published over 50 papers and patents, including 8 recent patents at Imperial College London focusing on the applications of multimaterial fibers in medical devices aimed at commercialization. He received his MS (1996) and PhD (2000) degrees from the Department of Physics at Bilkent University, Turkey. As a postdoctoral researcher at MIT (2000-2002), he contributed to the discovery of 1D omnidirectional reflecting fiber, leading to foundational publications in prestigious journals like Nature and Science, pioneering the field of multi-material fibers. He has been actively involved in the technology transfer process from laboratory inventions to operating theatres, positively impacting over 400,000 laser surgeries to date, mostly helping cancer patients. Burak joined the Hamlyn Centre in 2016 and the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction in 2021, focusing on targeting unmet needs in medicine with expertise in multi-material fibers and 15 years of experience in bridging engineering and medical sciences.

Research Interests

Experience