Bogac Tur

I am a mechanical engineer and voice scientist building soft-robotic models to reveal how the human voice works. I earned my PhD in 2025 with a dissertation on synthetic larynx design, multiphase flow, and acoustics. I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University Hospital Erlangen (Germany), between positions. My next step is to join Harvard Medical School (SimonyanLab) to pursue computational neuroscience with a focus on voice, aiming to connect neural control with phonation mechanics.

My research combines programmable, soft-robotic larynx models with high-speed imaging, airflow/pressure sensing, and closed-loop control. These in vitro platforms let me impose precise changes—stiffness asymmetry, tremor, paresis—then quantify their acoustic fingerprints. By linking kinematics, aerodynamics, and sound, I work toward biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of neurological disease (e.g., Parkinson’s). The same tools enable clinically relevant rehearsal and optimization: pre-/post-operative planning for voice care, tuning injection or implant parameters, and testing therapy strategies while safeguarding vocal health. To accelerate the field, I self-funded much of the foundational hardware (molds, materials, and synthetic muscles) so experiments could progress without delay.

I have authored 17 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented results at multiple international conferences. Across projects I emphasize rigor, transparency, and open science—sharing designs, code, and datasets so others can replicate and build upon this work. My long-term vision is to unite neurology and voice: to understand how the brain shapes phonation across health and disease, and to translate that understanding into objective diagnostics and personalized interventions. By integrating synthetic physiology with computation and clinical collaboration, I aim to make the voice a window into the nervous system—and a target for timely, effective care.

October 2025