Burak Erman is a Professor in the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey, where he has been since 2002. His research interests are focused on rubber elasticity; polymer and protein physics and engineering, both experiment and theory, including computer simulations. In 1984, he founded and became Director of the Polymer Research Center at Bogazici University, before moving in 1988 to the Sabanci University in Istanbul where he founded the Chemistry and Materials Science Program. In 1991, he received both the Simavi Science Award and the TUBITAK Science Award. He is founder and member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences.