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Turkish physicist Furkan Dolek, who reported safety violations at a central U.S. federal laboratory, has been missing for seven days after reportedly being detained by local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near the Canadian border, his family told Türkiye Today in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old scientist, who worked at the Department of Energy's Fermilab facility in Illinois through Virginia Tech University, allegedly faced retaliation after reporting radioactive exposure concerns and other safety issues at the world's second-largest particle accelerator.
Virginia Tech University Spokesperson Mark Owczarski confirmed to Türkiye Today that "Furkan Dolek was employed by Virginia Tech from March 10, 2023 to April 12, 2024 as a postdoctoral associate in the Physics Department in the College of Science. His work location was a federal lab in Illinois."
"Beyond that, I cannot comment further on any personnel matters or any matters since the end of his employment," the spokesperson also noted.
Dolek's sister, Esra Dolek Coskun, said the family last heard from him through a LinkedIn post six days before his disappearance, where he wrote about being exhausted during a protest march and having to abandon personal belongings, including one of his bags, to survive.
"Unfortunately, we haven't received any official confirmation or case number," Esra Dolek said regarding detention claims.
"Initially, we received a message from an activist and lawyer friend about his arrest. However, for days we couldn't get any information about where he was being held, under what conditions, or whether his life was in danger," she noted.
The family has contacted local U.S. police departments repeatedly without obtaining concrete information. Turkish consular officials in the United States told them Furkan is alive but they haven't been able to establish contact with him.
"Türkiye's valuable scientist, our brother Dr. Furkan Dolek—we are concerned about his health condition. We demand that all authorized institutions establish communication with him as soon as possible and provide a transparent explanation," Coskun stated.
According to information shared by the family of Furkan Dolek with Türkiye Today, Dolek reported workplace safety violations, including radioactive exposure of workers, through official channels at Fermilab. Despite federal whistleblower protection laws requiring anonymity and protection from retaliation, Dolek allegedly faced mobbing, was removed from his position, and had his J-1 research visa revoked.
The scientist's personal belongings, including his French residence permit, were reportedly confiscated at Fermilab. Unable to obtain proper exit documentation from Virginia Tech or responses from U.S. authorities about leaving the country, Dolek began a protest march toward Canada.
"Dr. Furkan Dolek had started a protest march toward the Canadian border. In both our conversations with him and his social media posts, he clearly stated that his route was toward the Mohawk region (Akwesasne)," his sister confirmed.
"We do not have any written documents or emails regarding visa cancellation and job removal. All official documents were with Furkan Dolek. However, during the march, he had to give up many personal belongings and documents to survive. It is said that his remaining belongings have been confiscated, so we cannot access these documents," Coskun stated.
According to the information provided by his sister, foreign-born scientists comprise 60% of scientific researchers in the United States, with approximately 58% of computer science and mathematics doctoral positions and 56% of engineering doctoral positions held by foreign nationals. Nearly half of postdoctoral positions are filled by foreign-born researchers, many on temporary visas like the J-1 or H-1B.
The Department of Energy's whistleblower program offers no monetary rewards for reporting safety violations, though protection from retaliation is supposedly guaranteed under federal law. Rewards are only available under the False Claims Act for cases involving fraud or misuse of public funds.
Dolek's last public communication came four days ago from Akwesasne on the St. Lawrence River, where he wrote on LinkedIn: "I'm exhausted, my legs are burning and my feet are blistered... But I'm grateful to have made it this far."
Dolek's academic credentials include 664 publications with 19,564 citations, according to the CERN, InspireHEP and Scopus databases. He ranks in the top 1% of researchers in his field globally and has worked with 481 datasets throughout his career.
The Adana-born scientist completed his master's degree at Cukurova University's Physics Department before being sent abroad on a Turkish Atomic Energy Authority scholarship. After completing his doctorate in Switzerland, he conducted significant research at CERN and Fermilab, two of the world's premier particle physics laboratories.
When lastly asked for a single-sentence appeal to the public, Coskun stated: “We are deeply concerned about the health of our brother, Dr. Furkan Dolek, a distinguished scientist nurtured by Türkiye. We call on all relevant authorities to establish contact with him immediately and provide a transparent statement.”
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