A Turkish physicist has gone missing in the United States after reporting irregularities at Fermilab, America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory operated by the Department of Energy, Turkish media reported over the weekend.
Dr. Furkan Dölek, a specialist in dark matter and high-energy physics who previously worked at CERN and Virginia Tech, has not been heard from since last week, when he was reportedly detained near the Canadian border. His family in Adana, southern Turkey, said they have been unable to reach him for four days and fear for his safety.
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Dr. Furkan Dölek, the Turkish physicist who reported irregularities at Fermilab in Chicago, was captured and disappeared after sharing the information on social media. He has been missing for 4 days! @POTUS @VP @SecBlinken @StateDept @DeptofEnergy @FBI @UN… pic.twitter.com/r1LxGBKCBl— America party voters (@APvoters) August 31, 2025
Dölek completed his Ph.D. in Switzerland on a scholarship before joining Virginia Tech in 2023 and later working at both CERN and Fermilab. According to Türkiye Today, he raised alarms over safety violations and security gaps at the US facility, filing complaints with the Department of Energy. His relatives say he faced retaliation, including harassment, dismissal from his job and the cancellation of his visa.
The physicist had launched a solo march to Canada to draw attention to his case, documenting the journey on social media. His last public update, posted on LinkedIn four days ago, said he had reached Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory along the St. Lawrence River, after walking from Massena. “I’m exhausted, my legs are burning, and I’ve got blisters on my feet… but I’m grateful to have made it this far,” he wrote.
His family says his phone and computer were confiscated during his reported detention and that they sold their house in Adana to finance his legal battle in the US. They warn that under new refugee laws, he could face transfer to a detention facility in El Salvador.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Dölek claimed that “exploited researchers [were] forced to work under unsafe conditions,” while “the most vulnerable [were] left unprotected” and misconduct was covered up. He added that “fraud and retaliation” awaited anyone who dared to speak out. According to him, after reporting these issues through official whistleblower channels, he was met not with protection but with “false charges, dismissal and total institutional silence.”
Authorities in the US have not yet commented on his case, while his parents continue to appeal for urgent help in locating him.