Celâl Şengör
Ali Mehmet Celâl Şengör (born March 24, 1955) is a Turkish geologist. He is currently at faculty at Istanbul Technical University, Department of Geological Engineering. He got his PhD at State University of New York at Albany in 1982. He is now a foreign associate of National Academy of Sciences. He also writes weekly popular science columns in Cumhuriyet. He is married with one child.
Lately he has become known with his anti-religious speeches. He is a controversial figure in the academic society of Turkey. His anti-religious comments contradict with his academic position where people expect to see a scientist rather than an atheist zealot. He strongly supports the headscarf ban in the Turkish universities, which also attract strong public opposition. The headscarf ban is a long debated issue in Turkey and for years, many female students had to drop out of the university education due to the ban.
He once publicly admitted that he would stand up in his room when he spoke to a military personnel on the phone , which is another eccentric character of his.
Since 2004, Professor Şengör is the (foreign) member of The American Philosophical Society.