Gursel Abbas

I am an avid traveler who has visited 27 countries and 60 cities across three continents.

My formative years at Baku Turkish Diyanet Lyceum, one of Azerbaijan’s most prestigious high schools, ignited my passion for chemistry and set me on a path toward a career in science and engineering. That passion led me to Spain on a full scholarship to study chemical industry engineering. However, early in this journey, I encountered an unexpected and life-altering challenge: a severe accident left me with third-degree burns on 67% of my body, resulting in a 21-day coma, a four-and-a-half-month hospital stay, and 16 surgeries.

For many, such an experience might have been a reason to step away from a chosen field, especially when the accident was closely tied to it. For me, however, it strengthened my resolve. My love for chemical engineering remained unshaken. Rather than retreat, I chose to embrace my scars as a daily reminder of both the risks and the rewards of committed research. What nearly ended my life ultimately deepened my commitment to the very discipline that had brought me to that point, and it became the field in which I would strive to make a lasting impact.

After a year-long rehabilitation, I transferred to Hacettepe University in Turkey with a full tuition waiver to continue my education. During my first three semesters, my family supported me financially. Later, I shouldered my own responsibilities, working as a courier to finance my living expenses while participating in the Erasmus Program in Poland. From my sixth semester onward, I was fortunate to receive the Rafaelli Scholarship from Azerbaijani-American businessman Turyan Rafaelli, which covered my living expenses and international exam costs until graduation.

Throughout my undergraduate journey, I combined resilience with a commitment to academic excellence and international engagement. Some of my most meaningful accomplishments include:

• Head of the Hacettepe University Office for International Students
• Two-time winner of the Erasmus+ Study Mobility Full Scholarship Program in Poland (10 months total)
• Winner of the Erasmus+ Traineeship Mobility Full Scholarship Program in Poland (2 months)
• Authored two book chapters published with Elsevier
• Worked for nearly two years as an undergraduate research assistant, presenting four abstracts at international conferences in Wroclaw, Las Vegas, and Boston, supported by travel awards from the Ministry of Youth and Sports
• Represented Azerbaijan at the 2023 SDG Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City
• Founded a start-up in FinTech, combining technical problem-solving with entrepreneurial innovation

These experiences helped me develop not only as a student of chemical engineering but also as a leader, a global citizen, and a resilient individual who thrives under adversity.

Today, as a first-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I am building on this foundation. My goal is to continue pursuing excellence and innovation in chemical engineering through cutting-edge research, international collaboration, and solutions that advance sustainability while shaping a more resilient future.