In Memory of Ecevit Bilgili (1974–2024)

It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce the untimely passing of Prof. Dr. Ecevit Bilgili in Woodbridge, New Jersey, on 25 November 2024. From May 2024, Prof. Dr. Bilgili served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical and BioTech Industry (JPBI, ISSN: 2813-9380) [1] and was subsequently appointed Founding Editor-in-Chief in September of the same year.

Prof. Dr. Bilgili (Figure 1) had an established and highly valued relationship with MDPI, having served as an active Board Member for Pharmaceutics [2], which he joined in 2019, and Powders [3], which he joined in 2021. As the Founding Editor-in-Chief of JPBI, Prof. Dr. Bilgili was able to draw on a highly distinguished career; he first started this journey as a senior principal development engineer at Merck and Co., Inc., where he played a key role in the formulation and process development of the anti-diabetic medication, Janumet^®, before becoming a Professor, Master Teacher, and Associate Chair of the Chemical and Materials Engineering department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), USA.

In an interview published on 4 September 2024 [4] and in an Opening Editorial for this new journal [5], Professor Bilgili outlined his vision for JPBI: that it become “a leading platform in which scientists and engineers from academia, industry, regulatory, and other governmental agencies share and complement each other’s discoveries and advance science, engineering, and technology with the goal of enhancing patient well-being.” Through his leadership and outreach efforts, we assembled an Editorial Board with representative members from renowned universities, leading pharmaceutical companies, and two members from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA). The Inaugural Editorial Board Meeting was successfully held on 10 October 2024 [6].

Professor Bilgili’s holistic, integrative and compassionate approach to scientific research and communication inspired colleagues and students alike, and his premature passing has prompted many heartfelt tributes.

Beyond his professional achievements, he was a devoted father to his daughters and a loving husband. He cherished spending time outdoors with his family (Figure 2), whether playing basketball or swimming across the serene waters of Türkiye. He had a special love for romantic Turkish music and cats, often stopping to pet every cat he encountered. He also enjoyed sharing cat memes, which brought joy to those around him. He possessed profound and distinctive insights into the functioning of society and the world at large, complemented by a keen interest in philosophy. He inspired his eldest daughter’s love for the beauty of physics and mathematics; Melisa Bilgili is now pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in chemical engineering and a minor in applied mathematics at NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College. He encouraged his younger daughter to excel in school and actively supported her passion for basketball. Kayra Bilgili is currently a freshman at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and her favorite subject is mathematics.

He is survived by his wife Melike and his children, Melisa Ecem and Kayra Ece.

Figure 2. Prof. Dr. Ecevit Bilgili with his beloved family. Photo credit: Melisa Bilgili.

Figure 2. Prof. Dr. Ecevit Bilgili with his beloved family. Photo credit: Melisa Bilgili.

As fellow Editorial Board members and researchers, we mourn his passing and are committed to ensuring that his memory and example will live on in the pages of JPBI.

A selection of written messages from Editorial Board members:

-

“I have known him for years as a friend. He was a brilliant professor with a lot of good attributes that I have no words to describe.”

Dr. Shaukat Ali, Sr. Director, Ascendia Pharma, Inc., USA

-

“It is our duty as the Editorial Board to honor Ecevit’s vision and goals for this journal and do everything in our ability to fulfill the mission he clearly outlined in his last email to us.”

Dr. S. Rahima Benhabbour, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

-

“I did not know Ecevit outside of this recent JPBI venture that you (JPBI Editorial Office) and he brought us all together. But even in that short time, I could see that he was uniquely brilliant, both in the highly energized light he emitted so naturally, and in his vision for this new journal. It is our honor and duty, as part of this editorial board, to continue to see his vision through.”

Dr. Meredith R. Clark, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, USA

-

“Ecevit was a valued and kind colleague. His contributions to the field were immense, but beyond that, his consistency and dedication inspired us all. He will be greatly missed. ”

Prof. Dr. Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy, Georgetown University Medical Center, USA

-

“I want to express my sorrow for the loss of Prof. Bilgili, a distinguished scientist and a great person, and my condolences to his family. I was familiar with his scientific work, as he was one of the leading experts in the field of nanocrystal research. His memory will live on through his remarkable scientific achievements.”

Prof. Dr. Kyriakos Kachrimanis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

-

“I have known Ecevit for many years as I was his host to be hired at Merck, and his mentor in the early stages of his professional life. Dr. Pavol Rajniak and I encouraged him strongly to consider a career in academia. Please convey to his family my sincere condolences and that his broad engineering family will never forget his kind heart, compassionate and infective enthusiasm and love to advance science and engineering. May his memory be eternal.”

Dr. Stelios Tsinontides, Office Director of the Office of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Assessment in OPQ/CDER, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA

-

“I had privilege to get to know Dr. Ecevit Bilgili for many years via AIChE Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development and Manufacturing Forum (PD2M) and its precedents, AIChE Topical Conference on Comprehensive Quality by Design in Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacture and AIChE Pharmaceutical Engineering for the 21st Century (2007). I had opportunities to listen to his fascinating talks, read his insightful papers in the conjunction of pharmaceuticals and chemical engineering, and witness his remarkable leadership effect in ChE community. Ecevit was such a talented engineer, a passionate teacher, a highly accomplished scientist, an elegant leader in AIChE community and particle technology area, and a role model for many things he had devoted to. He had been diligently mentoring and helping so many students at NJIT during his super busy academic life, and had been always kindly making rooms for others, and had devoted his time and energy as the founding Editor-in-Chief to launch the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry (JPBI), etc. Ecevit will be solely missed. The legacy of Dr. Ecevit Bilgili will be alive forever.”

Dr. Huiquan Wu, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA