AMOLF
Physics of functional complex matter

AMOLF initiates and conducts leading fundamental research on the physics of complex matter, in partnership with academia and industry.

Our research themes

Adding a scientific flavor to Zwarte Cross

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) appoints Albert Polman to the Board

February 27, 2026

What's happening Latest news

Adding a scientific flavor to Zwarte Cross

For the first time, AMOLF participated in the Netherlands' largest summer festival, Zwarte Cross. Together with volunteers from NWO, the AMOLF team introduced children to the fascinating world of molecules.…

Atom-thin materials: handle with care… and cling film

As materials become thinner – now reaching a thickness of single atoms – it has become ever more difficult to create large enough sheets of these materials and transfer them without cracking them into tiny flakes. Recent work by a broad Amsterdam-based team of scientists, published in the journal ACS Nano, presents a new technique that solves this problem – using an unexpected material that can be found in any home kitchen.

Two Veni grants awarded for projects on immune system activation and twisted perovskites

Two researchers have been awarded Veni grants from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for three-year postdoctoral research projects at AMOLF. Dr. Megan Farrell will conduct her project on how immune…

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

Hypersmart Matter

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers. Life at AMOLF 2020 Cost item (per person) Public user (€) Private user (€) Tariff per day 680 1,480 Tariff per hour 85 185

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

People and recognition

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers.

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

Hypersmart Matter

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers.

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

Hypersmart Matter

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers.

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

Hypersmart Matter

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers.

Mechanical-material-that-can-store-move-and-process-information

Hypersmart Matter

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could help inspire future computing technologies that use far less energy than conventional computers.

Testing dit is een paragraaf In addition to addressing research questions, the group develops new methods for fellow researchers. For example, they improved a method to encapsulate biological systems…

AMOLF researchers with granted NWO XS projects

Last week, three AMOLF researchers learned that their research projects had been awarded funding through the Open Competition Domain Science-XS call. They are Dr. Susanna Eli (Biophysics, Quant. Dev. Biology…

Sustainable Energy Materials research community meets at symposium

On June 19, physicists and chemists in the Netherlands came together to learn about recent discoveries on light for driving and monitoring chemical reactions. Light is a powerful and sustainable tool for steering…

ERC Proof of Concept to develop platform for computation using light

Professor Bruno Ehrler and Dr. Agustin Alvarez from the Hybrid Solar Cells group receive an ERC grant from the European Research Council. The researchers will develop a new hardware platform…

The arrow of time in light

Research in the Interacting Photons group shows that the rules governing how light evolves over time are different from what we might expect. This is not only surprising; its implications…

‘Autonomy’ takes center stage at symposium

On June 11, researchers gathered at the Autonomous Matter Symposium to discuss the concept of autonomy from different perspectives. Professor Jay Groves (UC Berkeley) argued that autonomy may not begin…

Former AMOLF group leader Wim de Jeu passed away

Sadly, on June 3rd, 2026, former AMOLF group leader Wim de Jeu passed away. He will be remembered by many current and former AMOLF colleagues. Wim…

Material that can both store and process information for low-energy computing

Researchers at AMOLF and the University of Konstanz have developed a mechanical material that can store, move, and process information within the same physical structure. The findings, published in Physical…

Researchers publish first global maps of the underground networks formed by mycorrhizal fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are soil fungi that form symbiotic relationships with the roots of land plants. Together, they create vast underground networks that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's…

Four PhD candidates close their AMOLF chapter

Left to right: Sjoerd van Dongen (cum laude), Paul Ducarme, Max Betjes (cum laude), and Mees Dieperink. Sjoerd van Dongen (cum laude) At AMOLF, Sjoerd worked…

Three grants, three paths toward impact

Wiebke Albrecht AMOLF group leader Wiebke Albrecht has been awarded an NWO XS grant for the project ‘Mapping nanoscale heat generation and dissipation around plasmonic nanoparticles.’ …

Solar panels on AMOLF building

AMOLF roof with solar panels – Credits: AMOLF AMOLF recently switched on its own solar panels on its roof. During a live interview at an internal…

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

Researchers publish first global maps of the underground networks formed by mycorrhizal fungi

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

Four PhD candidates close their AMOLF chapter

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Writing words into smart materials

Researchers at AMOLF, EPFL, and Leiden University have developed a new way to store information in mechanical metamaterials. These are artificial materials that have been engineered to exhibit unique properties.…

New publication showcases highlights from AMOLF in 2025

AMOLF has launched the first edition of Lab Stories, a new publication presenting a selection of scientific achievements and technical innovations from 2025. It offers a broad overview of the…

WomenNetPhysics symposium fosters inclusivity in the physics community

Participant WomenNetPhysics event On May 8, a group of 120 young researchers came to Amsterdam Science Park for the third edition of WomenNetPhysics (WNP), the largest…

AMOLF receives grant from Sustainable Science Fund

How can we make research at AMOLF more sustainable? One answer to this question is to reduce the amount of liquid nitrogen used for performing experiments. Recently, AMOLF was awarded…

Vibrant ExpeditieNext

Each spring, AMOLF participates in ‘ExpeditieNext’, the national science festival for kids. This year, AMOLF expanded its contribution by offering two activities: 'Make your own hologram' and the newly developed…

OrganoidNL 2026 brings together Dutch organoid research community

On April 17, around 250 researchers gathered at AMOLF in Amsterdam for the fourth edition of the annual OrganoidNL Symposium. Organoids, which are small, simplified models of organs grown from…

ZonMW grant for immune system research

Together with fellow researcher Ramon Arens (LUMC), Kristina Ganzinger (AMOLF/Oncode Institute) has received a ZonMw Open Competition grant amounting 800 k€ for research on the immune system. Kristina explains: “By…

NWO XS grant awarded to Wiebke Albrecht

AMOLF group leader Wiebke Albrecht has been awarded an NWO XS grant for the project “Mapping nanoscale heat generation and dissipation around plasmonic nanoparticles.” In this project, Wiebke will collaborate…

Full house for first Multistable Active Matter symposium

On April 16 and 17, AMOLF organized the first ‘Multistable Active Matter’ symposium. The initiative for this new symposium came from Martin van Hecke (Mechanical Metamaterials), with the aim of…

Princess of Orange visits AMOLF

On Thursday, 16 April, the Princess of Orange visited Amsterdam Science Park, including AMOLF. Princess Amalia, who has been studying at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), was in Amsterdam for…

Celebrating 10 years of directorship Huib Bakker

After serving as director of AMOLF for 10 years, Huib Bakker stepped down on December 31. Last week, AMOLF celebrated his directorship with a special symposium. Bruno Ehrler (current director…

AMOLF kicking off 2026 with six PhD defenses

Left to right: Kasper Spoelstra, Luca Gross, Jeroen de Boer, Nika van Nielen, Sergio Picella, Evelijn Akerboom. Kasper Spoelstra (cum laude) Title: Shedding light on dynamic…

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) appoints Albert Polman to the Board

lbert Polman, group leader at AMOLF The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has elected Albert Polman, group leader at AMOLF and professor at…

New focus on physical learning as Nachi Stern receives NWO grant

AMOLF group leader Nachi Stern has received an NWO ENW-M1 grant to support his research project on how physical systems can learn. His research could help develop new types of…

Scientists uncover the earliest steps of protein folding in human cells

Four research groups joined forces to reveal the very first moments of a protein’s life in human cells. They found that as soon as an amino acid chain exits from…

Soft robotics spreading its wings

A unique opportunity presented itself to researchers in AMOLF’s Soft Robotic Matter group. Two university engineering faculties and a research unit in South Africa asked them to organize a Soft…

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

Solar panels on AMOLF building

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) appoints Albert Polman to the Board

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

AMOLF Researchers Create Ultra-Thin Solar Catalyst

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

AMOLF Researchers Create Ultra-Thin Solar Catalyst

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

AMOLF Researchers Create Ultra-Thin Solar Catalyst

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

AMOLF Researchers Create Ultra-Thin Solar Catalyst

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Research groups

AMOLF Researchers Create Ultra-Thin Solar Catalyst

The catalyst, engineered at the nanoscale, enables highly selective photochemical reactions using only a fraction of the material normally required for such processes.

Vici grant for Ewold Verhagen

On February 26th, NWO announced that AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen receives a Vici grant to carry out the project Programmable nonlinear optomechanical metamaterials. The budget available for this research…

Microscopic metamaterials that can shrink and expand on their own

Physicists from AMOLF and Leiden University created the first micro-scale metamaterials that can take on specific shapes without external control. This breakthrough paves the way for smart, self-adapting materials. The…

What happens when you cut a beam?

When a slender object, like a card, column or beam, is compressed, it buckles and curves in one of two directions – as described by the scientist Leonhard Euler in…

Marie Curie Grant for understanding fungal decision making

In the last year, AMOLF postdoc Achille Joliot uncovered many fascinating details about mycorrhizal fungi. Now, he is able to take his research further as recipient of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie…

How disordered materials age and what we can learn from that

From the crinkle of a candy wrapper to the squish of a metal kitchen scrubber, disordered materials that lack a regular structure share a surprising secret. Despite their differences, they…

What is the exchange rate in plant–fungi nutrient trade?

Most plants on earth rely on symbiotic nutrient exchange with fungal partners to boost their growth, but what are the exact terms of this trade? AMOLF researchers, together with collaborators…

Oral presentation prize for Nienke Reitsma

Nienke Reitsma not only has great scientific ideas; she also presents them very well! At the Soft Robotics for Healthcare Network (SoRoH) conference, Nienke received the ‘Best Oral Presentation Prize’…

Bacterial ‘brains’ on the brink of order and disorder

The sensory proteins that control the motion of bacteria constantly fluctuate. AMOLF researchers, together with international collaborators from ETH Zurich and University of Utah, found out that these proteins can…

Proof of Concept grant for Wim Noorduin and Marc Serra Garcia

The European Research Council (ERC) announced that AMOLF group leaders Wim Noorduin and Marc Serra Garcia have received an ERC Proof of Concept grant. Together with collaborators they will enable…

A remarkable run of PhD ceremonies

Giel Keijsers Title: Strong light-matter interactions in coherently driven open-access optical cavities Date: November 4 Giel Keijsers after defending his thesis How can you influence the…

Faculty of Impact Award for AMOLF start-up

After filing for a patent together with colleagues, Agustin Alvarez (Hybrid Solar Cells) is ready for the next step. Recently, he received an NWO Faculty of Impact Award that helps…

New measurement technology to further sensing capabilities

The research teams of Femius Koenderink and Lyuba Amitonova (ARCNL) investigated new optical detection strategies to efficiently measure perturbations at the nanometer scale. For their experiments they used metasurfaces, which…

Immune cells regulate themselves through a newly discovered molecular interaction

Immune cells can regulate their own activity through a previously unknown molecular interaction on their surface, according to new research published in Science Signaling on December 9, 2025. Researchers from…

Rhythm contains important information for the cell

AMOLF researchers discovered a mysterious interplay of insulin signals in the worm C. elegans. The insulin-driven protein DAF-16 does not only move in and out of the cell nucleus in…

A solar cell that thinks: new device processes light similar to the human brain

Imagine a camera that cannot only see light but also understand what it sees without a computer, and even without being plugged in. AMOLF PhD student Jeroen de Boer from…

A smart new way to study mobile ions in perovskite solar cells

Researchers in the Hybrid Solar Cells group have developed a simple new method to study mobile ions in perovskite solar cells. These ions play a key role in the degradation…

A new view on state switching in materials

AMOLF researchers in the group of Martin van Hecke working on theoretical models for disordered materials, discovered how these systems can start switching between states in unexpected ways. The results…

Kevin Peters receives prestigious physics thesis prize

Kevin Peters is the winner of the Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa physics thesis prize 2025. He carried out his research in the group of Said Rodriguez at AMOLF and successfully defended his PhD…

Start of METAPIC project building metasurface pixels

Together with collaborators, AMOLF group leader Femius Koenderink has received funding for the METAPIC project from the Photon Delta call of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Research goal The researchers…

Sharp view of the smallest structures

NWO announced that twelve consortia can start research projects through the Perspectief program. A crucial factor in these projects is their societal and economic impact. One of the projects granted…

Sharp view of the smallest structures

NWO announced that twelve consortia can start research projects through the Perspectief program. A crucial factor in these projects is their societal and economic impact. One of these projects is…

Huib Bakker appointed as new member of the Domain Board Science of NWO

AMOLF-director Huib Bakker has been appointed as new member of the Domain Board Science of the Dutch Research Council. Huib Bakker at AMOLF Huib will start…

First ANION Symposium with strong community spirit and collaboration

Electrochemists working on nanoscale electrochemical interfaces came together in Amsterdam to share recent findings and explore new collaboration opportunities. The ANION Symposium was the first edition organized by the Advanced…

September and October doctorate celebrations

Katharina Till – Cotranslational Folding and Assembly at the Single-Molecule Level – September 18 Katharina Till after defending her thesis During her doctoral research in the Biophysics group of Sander…

Soft robots that remember

Alberto Comoretto and his colleagues in the Soft Robotic Matter group at AMOLF have created soft robots that can remember past events – without using computers or electronics. Instead, their…

AMOLF opens its doors to the public for Wetenschapsdag

'Sound waves turn into flames' demonstration. Credits photo: Henrik Wolf What a wonderful Wetenschapsdag we have had on October 4th! The visitors were enthusiastic and eager…

AMOLF-ARCNL PhD collaboration brings to light new nanostructure metrology technique

The joint PhD program between AMOLF and ARCNL continues to prove its strength in combining fundamental physics with industrial relevance. Falco Bijloo’s research, recently published in ACS Nano, showcases the…

New algorithm improves ability to track movements of cells in organs

Frustrated by the time cost of manually checking cell tracking data, AMOLF PhD student Max Betjes developed an algorithm to more efficient cell-tracking analysis. He validated this automated analysis on…

New breakthrough in measuring information flow

We are proud to share that AMOLF researchers have published a new paper in Physical Review Letters, entitled “Exact Computation of Transfer Entropy with Path Weight Sampling.” The study presents…

Water molecules under control: AMOLF researchers open new path to sustainable industrial chemistry

Researchers at AMOLF have demonstrated vibrational strong coupling in water layers only a few nanometers thick at metal surfaces. The study, published in Advanced Optical Materials and led by group…

Tiny thermometers: measuring heat flow dissipating via nanoparticles

How do materials behave when heated with light at the scale of billionths of a meter? Researchers at AMOLF and Kobe University have developed a method to watch this process…

Cathodoluminescence research advances measurements of light matter interactions

Researchers in the Photonic Materials group have published their latest findings using cathodoluminescence techniques to measure free electrons moving along a metal surface. The paper ‘Angle-resolved cathodoluminescence interferometry of plasmonic…

One rulebook to fold all proteins

Inside living cells, ribosomes produce roughly five hundred brand-new protein chains every second, and each one must fold into the right 3D shape – or risk disease. New research shows…

Bruno Ehrler benoemd tot directeur AMOLF

Het bestuur van NWO-I heeft prof. dr. Bruno Ehrler benoemd tot nieuwe directeur van AMOLF, het nationale instituut voor onderzoek naar functionele complexe materie. Per 1 januari 2026 volgt Ehrler…

Vibrant Metamaterials2025

The conference Metamaterials2025 brought together 400 researchers from around the world to share their results and vision. Metamaterials was held at Felix Meritis in Amsterdam from September 2 – 6.…

Intestinal surface cells pull rather than push

Cells on the inner surface of the intestine are replaced every few days. But, how does this work? It was always assumed that cells leave the intestinal surface because excess…

June and July doctorate celebrations

Fotios Avgidis – Criticality and Diversity in a Bacterial Sensory Network – June 6th Fotios Avgidis after defending his thesis Fotios Avgidis successfully defended his thesis…

Jeroen van Zon appointed professor at Leiden University

As of 1 September, Jeroen van Zon has been appointed professor at Leiden University. The title of his chair is Quantitative Developmental Biology. Jeroen will continue heading the research group…

Light controls sound in a nanoscale ‘quantum Hall’ metamaterial

AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen and his fellow researchers have taken a major step in creating new forms of materials that make sound waves behave in extraordinary ways. In their…

Future Optical Broadband Systems program funds research in optical sensing technologies

As co-applicant, AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen receives funding from the NWO program Future Optical Broadband Systems to break the existing technological and economic barriers in the application of optical…

Bruno Ehrler appointed new director of AMOLF

The Board of NWO-I has appointed Prof. Dr. Bruno Ehrler as the new director of AMOLF, the national institute for research on functional complex matter. Effective 1 January 2026, Ehrler…

Promising Hybrid Heart prototype

AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde and his collaborators working on the Holland Hybrid Heart project have developed a new concept for a total artificial heart with several significant advantages. This…

Off Road grant awarded to study how immune cells know when to stop

We’re excited to announce that Megan Farrell has been awarded the Off Road grant by ZonMW to carry out innovative immunology research in the lab of Kristina Ganzinger. Megan will…

ERC Proof of Concept grant to develop measuring technique for halide perovskites

The European Research Council (ERC) announced that AMOLF group leader Erik Garnett is one of the recipients of an ERC Proof of Concept grant. Erik and three other researchers at…

Breakthrough in heart technology: prototype of first soft robotic artificial heart

An international team of researchers with AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde, has taken the first steps towards developing a new type of artificial heart that combines soft robotics with advanced…

Former AMOLF director Frans Saris has passed away

On June 29th, former AMOLF director Frans Saris passed away. This sad news has touched many people, including AMOLF colleagues and alumni. Former AMOLF director Frans…

Said Rodriguez named Outstanding Referee by American Physical Society

On June 19, AMOLF director Huib Bakker congratulated group leader Said Rodriguez on his honorable and well-deserved recognition as an Outstanding Referee. The honor comes from the American Physical Society…

Spring brings many Doctorate Celebrations

Burak Demirbas – Stress-induced protein dynamics and growth arrest in C. elegans during development – May 16th Burak Demirbas with PhD committee and his family Burak…

AMOLF, CWI, and DIFFER launch HELIOS project with NWO-I funding

An AMOLF collaboration with CWI and DIFFER has received funding from NWO-I to launch a joint project: HELIOS: AI-guided materials discovery facility for solar energy materials. On Friday, May 23rd,…

Daan de Bos’s research at AMOLF awarded best physics bachelor thesis

We are very proud to share that Daan de Bos has been awarded the SPIN Bachelor Project Award, for his research on self-learning materials with supervisor Marc Serra Garcia at…

New properties discovered in promising optical materials

Halide perovskites are being studied throughout the world as promising materials for harvesting and controlling light, due to their unique optical and electrical properties. Now, for the first time, researchers…

Infomatter symposium: taking advantage of information in a system

On Thursday, May 22nd, AMOLF organized the Infomatter Symposium to discuss exciting developments in information processing — ranging from biochemical to mechanical and optical systems. What these systems share is…

NanoLab Operator Day brings together operators

On May 7th, AMOLF NanoLab hosted an Operator Day for fellow operators from the four NanoLabNL locations in the Netherlands. In the afternoon, groups from Groningen, Delft, Eindhoven, and Enschede…

Optimizing bit-by-bit operations for energy-efficient computing

How can we make computing more energy-efficient when nature itself introduces randomness at every step? At the intersection of physics and information science, researchers from AMOLF and Imperial College London…

NWO grant to make perovskites ‘sing’

AMOLF researcher Fanny Thorimbert has received an NWO grant in the Open Competition ENW-XS call. Together with other researchers in the Nanoscale Solar Cell group — including Sarah Gillespie and…

This soft robot “thinks” with its legs

A research team from AMOLF created a soft robot that walks, hops, and swims — all without a brain, electronics, or AI. Just soft tubes, air, and some clever physics.…

Research shows physical networks become what they learn

In an article published in Physical Review Letters on April 11th, theoretical physicist Menachem Stern describes his latest findings on physical learning. This is a new research field that connects…

AMOLF researcher Corentin Bisot wins Van Leeuwenhoek Award

Corentin Bisot on AMOLF Postdoc Corentin Bisot (Physics of Behavior) has won the Van Leeuwenhoek Award, an initiative of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Microbiologie (KNVM).…

A new mechanism for concentrating light on a chip

Concentrating light in a volume as small as the wavelength itself is a challenge that is crucial for numerous applications. Researchers from AMOLF, TU Delft, and Cornell University in the…

Soft materials that compute: can mechanics support AI?

A team of researchers at AMOLF has unveiled a remarkable discovery in physical computing: a soft, flexible material that can compute – not by electronics, but through its very shape…

OrganoidNL Symposium 2025: Exploring the future of organoid research

On April 11, 2025, AMOLF hosted the third edition of the OrganoidNL Symposium, bringing together researchers from across the Netherlands and abroad to discuss the latest developments in organoid biology.…

Solving crimes with glowing evidence: a brand-new method to detect gunshot residue at the crime scene

Crime scene investigation may soon become significantly more accurate and efficient thanks to a new method for detecting gunshot residues. Researchers from the groups of Wim Noorduin (AMOLF/University of Amsterdam)…

These structures shrink when pulled

Discovery unlocks new exotic properties for soft robotics, smart devices, and more. When you pull something—like a rubber band—you expect it to get longer. But what if it did the…

Max Kerr Winter receives Ammodo Fellowship for fungi research project

Max Kerr Winter On April 3rd, the Ammodo foundation announced that AMOLF/VU researcher Max Kerr Winter is one of the five recipients of the Ammodo Fellowship.…

Bruno Ehrler Receives 2025 Energy Lectureship Award at ACS Spring Conference in San Diego

We’re very proud to share that AMOLF Group Leader Bruno Ehrler received the 2025 Energy Lectureship Award at the ACS Spring 2025 conference in San Diego! This prize was awarded…

AMOLF PhD student Tom Aarts: Faces of Science representative

Today, the KNAW presented the new Faces of Science, and AMOLF researcher Tom Aarts (Physics of Cellular Interactions) is one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR69Xif1NC8 Tom is happy with this opportunity to…

Said Rodriguez new Professor of Emergence and information in light

We are honored to announce that AMOLF group leader Said Rodriguez has been appointed Professor of ‘Emergence and information in light’ as of 1 April 2025. His Chair by special…

Postdoc Fanny Thorimbert wins prize for PhD thesis

AMOLF postdoc Fanny Thorimbert (Nanoscale Solar Cells) received the prize for best PhD thesis from the French C'Nano, which is a national competency cluster in Nanoscience that is part of…

Moving massive amounts of CO2 underground: research shows how plant-fungal networks drive nutrient flows that support ecosystems

Plant-fungal network research on front page of Nature magazine on March 6th 2025. The cover shows a microscopy image of a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a…

Three months – Three PhD celebrations

In the past three months, three AMOLF PhD students successfully defended their thesis at a Dutch university. Their names are Christiaan van Campenhout, Susan Rigter and Balázs Antalicz. Christiaan van…

Live experiment on WNL op Zondag TV program by Wim Noorduin

Yesterday, Wim Noorduin demonstrated the lead detection test developed by him and his research team on the Dutch-language TV program WNL op Zondag. NWO president Marcel Levi, a regular guest…

Universal warning signal for optical damage onset

Universal and easy-to-measure warning signals for catastrophic damage occur in the metals used to transport data in computer chips. That is what ARCNL PhD student Ester Abram discovered and described…

New process creates ordered semiconductor material at room temperature

Scientists of the University of Twente, research institute AMOLF and the University of Oxford have developed a way to create highly ordered semiconductor material at room temperature. This research, which…

Climate envoy visits AMOLF to learn how fungal networks contribute to CO2 drawdown and storage underground

On January 8th, a delegation led by the Netherlands’ Climate Envoy, Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, visited the AMOLF lab of Tom Shimizu. Researchers in Tom’s group are developing new…

EQUSPACE consortium receives European funding for developing silicon quantum technologies

The EQUSPACE consortium has been awarded 3.2 million euros from the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Pathfinder Open funding program to pioneer quantum technologies in silicon. The group of Ewold Verhagen…

Bas Overvelde shows soft robots on TV program ‘Het Klokhuis’

On January 2, group leader Bas Overvelde appeared on the TV program Het Klokhuis. In the program, which is aimed at children, Bas explained what soft robots are and what…

Celebrating 75 Years of AMOLF: reflections from our Director and Institute Manager

With the year ending, AMOLF reflects on a festive year in which it celebrated its 75th anniversary. AMOLF director Huib Bakker and institute manager Paula van Tijn share their memories…

NWO ENW-XL grant awarded to consortium studying how embryos tell time

A research consortium led by AMOLF group leader Jeroen van Zon has been awarded an NWO ENW-XL grant to combine efforts and elevate curiosity-driven research to the next level. A…

AMOLF and Delft University of Technology join forces to develop revolutionary microscopy technology

A joint research project between AMOLF, Delft University of Technology, Delmic and Technolution has received funding from the National Growth Fund program ‘NXTGEN Hightech.’ This project, which aims to push…

Bas Overvelde in radio broadcast on: how soft robots can save lives

What do a ketchup bottle and balloons have to do with robots? That was the opening question of an NPO Radio 1 broadcast in which Bas Overvelde, leader of AMOLF's…

Computers that work like our brain: Menachem Stern takes on the challenge

Group leader Menachem Stern Menachem Stern started at AMOLF as a group leader on August 1st. His research group, Learning Machines, focuses on topics such as…

AMOLF group leader Wim Noorduin wins prestigious NWO Stairway to Impact Award

Wim Noorduin Wim Noorduin (AMOLF group leader / UvA professor) has been awarded the prestigious NWO Stairway to Impact Award for his success in translating fundamental…

AMOLF opens upgraded NanoLab and says farewell to Hans Zeijlemaker

On November 21, researchers, staff, and guests gathered at AMOLF to celebrate two significant milestones: the opening of the newly upgraded NanoLab cleanroom and the farewell of a beloved colleague,…

AMOLF celebrates 75 years of magical times with network members

On November 12, AMOLF celebrated its 75th anniversary with its network partners at the iconic Felix Meritis in Amsterdam. The celebration drew together a diverse crowd of research collaborators, industry…

Wim Noorduin about taking to market his research invention

On Monday 4 November, AMOLF researcher Wim Noorduin participated in the NWO debate "Science Works! The future of research and innovation in the Netherlands" in Nieuwspoort, The Hague. At this…

AMOLF team breaks the symmetry in a metallic grating

Scientists at AMOLF and the University of Madrid have observed and described unique and spontaneous symmetry breaking in a metallic grating. By covering the grating with oil, they created a…

Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) launch celebrated on 11 October

AMOLF acquired a unique instrument: a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). With this microscope researchers can now watch materials at the atomic scale and see what is happening over time and…

Alberto Comoretto finding answers at MIT

People typically think of robots as hard, metallic objects, but soft robots are on the rise offering many advantages, such as their ability to adapt to the human body and…

Scientists discover how cells envelop bacteria

The protein GBP1 is a vital component of our body’s natural defence against pathogens. This substance fights against bacteria and parasites by enveloping them in a protein coat, but how…

Read the 75 years AMOLF magazine special online!

This edition of AMOLF NEWS is a special publication marking AMOLF’s 75th anniversary. It is a one-time issue. Read the magazine to learn more about 75 years of magical times…

Remodeling of NanoLab

Credits: Ivar Pel Currently, NanoLabNL at AMOLF is being remodeled to further strengthen the facility. Because of the construction work NanoLabNL at AMOLF is closed. The…

SEP Committee report

Every six years the NWO institutes are evaluated by an external international committee according to the so-called Strategy Evaluation Protocol (SEP). In December 2023, an international committee chaired by Professor…

Creating life from lifeless biomolecules with AI and lab evolution

“What is life? How does a living cell emerge from lifeless molecules?” wondered a multidisciplinary team of Dutch scientists. To answer these questions the research team, with three AMOLF research…

Computing with rubber

Without electronics carrying out computational tasks our daily lives would look very different. Devices such as elevators, vending machines, turnstiles, washing machines and even traffic lights use a simple form…

AMOLF researcher Marc Serra Garcia gets NWO Grant for his study on Nano-Computers and Energy Efficiency

Credits: Ivar Pel AMOLF group leader Marc Serra Garcia has been awarded a grant of 370.000 euro from NWO (Dutch Research Council) in the Open Competition…

OrganoidNL 2024: Latest advances in organoid research

Participants OrganoidNL symposium. Photo: AMOLF On April 12th, the second edition of the OrganoidNL Conference was held at AMOLF. This one-day event united over 160 researchers…

Light stands still in a deformed crystal

AMOLF researchers, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology, succeeded to bring light waves to a halt by deforming the two-dimensional photonic crystal that contains them. The researchers showed that…

Gravitation proposal ANION honored

The consortium Advanced Nano electrochemistry Institute Of the Netherlands (ANION) receives a Graviation subsidy of 23,6 million euro for research on the fundamental properties of electro chemical processes. The consortium…

New topological metamaterial amplifies sound waves exponentially

Artist impression of the bosonic Kitaev chain: multiple mechanical string resonators are linked to form a chain using light. Mechanical vibrations (sound waves) are transported and…

Light prefers the extremes

From monitoring pregnancies to distance detection in cars, light sensors are a workhorse of modern technology. But do we really understand the data they give us? In a surprising find,…

AMOLF welcomes new group leader Menachem Stern

On August 1st Menachem (Nachi) Stern will start as tenure track group leader at AMOLF. He will lead the Learning Machines group, which will be shared between the autonomous matter…

Sound-powered sensors stand to save millions of batteries

Researchers from AMOLF and ETH Zurich have developed a sensor that utilizes energy from sound waves to control electronic devices. This could one day save millions of batteries. Sensors that…

Soft robot fingers carefully squeeze without sensors

With a brief squeeze, you know whether an avocado, peach or tomato is ripe. This is what a soft robot hand also does, for example, during automated harvesting. However, up…

Soft robots that learn to follow the light

Soft robot that has learned to follow light Soft robots made of simple, identical building blocks can learn to move toward a light source without a…

Jesse Slim wins the Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa thesis award 2023

The winner of the Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa physics thesis prize 2023 is Jesse Slim. He carried out his PhD research in the group of Ewold Verhagen (AMOLF) and defended his thesis cum…

How bacteria cope with randomness

Bacterial behavior is profoundly influenced by continuous random perturbances in their regulatory pathways. Researchers from institute AMOLF and Utrecht University found a new way by which bacteria cope with these…

LMPV wins Team Science Award

LMPV group leaders with from left to right: Bruno Ehrler, Albert Polman, Esther Alarcon Llado, Erik Garnett, Wiebke Albrecht. Photo by Liesbeth Dingemans The team of…

A lead test based on solar cell technology

AMOLF researchers have used the special properties of perovskite semiconductors to develop a simple spray test to demonstrate the presence of lead. Perovskite is a material suitable for use in…

Kristina Ganzinger connected to Oncode Institute as Junior Investigator

AMOLF group leader Kristina Ganzinger has been selected by the Oncode Institute to join as Junior Investigator. The institute selected 10 junior investigators out of 72 applicants. The researchers were…

Ewold Verhagen elected as Optica Fellow

Photo: Ivar Pel Optica (formerly OSA) has elected AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen as Fellow. Optica elected Verhagen for “outstanding contributions to nanophotonics and optomechanics, and…

Albert Polman appointed as Fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE)

Photo: Jan Willem Steenmeijer After being officially launched on May 22, the Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE) today announced that AMOLF group leader Albert Polman has…

Hot crystals through laser light

Timelapse images and SEM image of the nucleation and growth of a single CaCO3 crystal using NIR laser light, the red dashed circle indicates the focal…

Algorithm now available to exactly compute information rate

The AMOLF researchers developed a new numerical technique that enables the exact computation of the information transmission rate for any stochastic system. The technique works by…

Bacteria opt for the best price-to-quality ratio to predict the future

Predicting the future can be a matter of life or death. Just think, every time you cross the street, you predict whether this is possible without being run over. Experiments…

Efficiency of silicon-based multijunction solar cells breaks 36% barrier

A team of researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISE, Freiburg) and AMOLF (Amsterdam) have fabricated a multijunction solar cell with an efficiency of 36.1%, the highest…

Corrugated plastic unveils a new design principle for programmable materials

Corrugated plastic turns out to be exemplary of a new class of ‘multistable’ metamaterials that can reversibly change shape. This insight can lead to new applications, from robots to medical…

Studying individual molecules to understand how a cell’s inner life makes cells function

To understand the fundamental processes of life we need to understand the language that cells use to communicate with each other and to orchestrate their joint behavior. This is important…

How do stem cells choose their identity?

AMOLF researchers discovered that stem cells first specialize into a functional cell and then move to the proper location – rather than the other way around. Researchers at AMOLF and…

Esther Alarcón Lladó appointed professor at the University of Amsterdam

Dr. Esther Alarcón Lladó has been appointed professor by special appointment in Nano-electrochemistry and Renewable Energy Materials at the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The chair…

A low-tech way to create high-tech materials

AMOLF researcher Christiaan Van Campenhout has found a new, simple method to create a material with a regular pattern of crystalline bands. The pattern formed by the crystals is not…

Rubicon for Andrea Cordaro

Former AMOLF Phd student Andrea Cordaro receives an NWO Rubicon grant to start his research project ‘Mathematics at the speed of light’ at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of…

Julia van der Burgt wins Young Speakers Contest

Source: NNV Former AMOLF PhD student Julia van der Burgt has won the Young Speakers Contest organized by the Netherlands’ Physical Society (NNV). The contest was…

Engineering dual carriageways for signals

Routing signals and isolating them against noise and back-reflections are essential in many practical situations in classical communication as well as in quantum processing. In a theory-experimental collaboration, a team…

Research on Soft Robotic Heart receives NWA funding

Bas Overvelde with soft robot in the lab The consortium Holland Hybrid Heart (HHH), which includes Soft Robotic Matter group leader Bas Overvelde (AMOLF and TU/e),…

From fundamental solar cell research to production of solar panels: SolarNL project receives 412 million to realize its plans in the Netherlands

The Dutch government invests 312 million euro, plus a loan of 100 million euro, in a national program for large-scale production of solar cells and solar panels in the Netherlands.…

How to make a block of rubber count to ten

A block of rubber that counts to ten and even remembers in which sequence it was compressed. Physicists Martin van Hecke and Lennard Kwakernaak (Leiden and AMOLF Amsterdam) share a…

PhD Defense Hongyu Sun

On June 22nd PhD student Hongy Sun successfully defended his thesis ‘Novel routes and insights into halide perovskite solar cells’. Sun carried out his doctoral research at AMOLF under supervision…

PhD defense Mareike Berger

Photo: Wessel Zwart PhD student Mareike Berger successfully defended her thesis ‘Controlling DNA replication initiation: from living to synthetic cells’ at the Vrije Universiteit on May…

SHINE consortium receives NWO funding to combine the best of two worlds

A consortium consisting of AMOLF and other academic partners in the Netherlands receives funding from the NWO Research Infrastructure (RI) call for the project ‘Shining light on atomic-scale processes’ (SHINE).…

OTP project Femius Koenderink receives funding

AMOLF group leader and UvA professor Femius Koenderink has received funding from the NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences for the OTP project entitled ‘Integrated nanophotonic and extreme-ultraviolet access to…

OrganoidNL 2023: A successful showcase of organoid research in the Netherlands

On March 31st, 2023, the first OrganoidNL Symposium was organized at the AMOLF institute in Amsterdam. This one-day event brought together researchers from across the Netherlands with an interest in…

AMOLF wins NNV Diversity Award 2022

At the annual NWO Physics conference in Veldhoven, AMOLF has been awarded with the NNV Diversity Award. The NNV Diversity prize is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical…

With honor PhD defense Jesse Slim

Left: Jesse Slim / Right: Ewold Verhagen (promotor) PhD student Jesse Slim received the qualification with honor (cum laude) for his PhD defense at Eindhoven University…

SolarNL: major consortium proposes large scale production of solar panels in the Netherlands

SolarNL is a national research, innovation and industrial investment program to bring back and stimulate photovoltaics manufacturing to the Netherlands/Europe. It has been submitted as a proposal for the National…

PhD student Fotios Avgidis wins award

Fotios Avgidis (middle) with the award At the BLAST XVII conference 2023, AMOLF PhD student Fotios Avgidis has won the Howard C. Berg award for outstanding…

ERC Consolidator grant for Ewold Verhagen

Ewold Verhagen in the Photonic Forces lab AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen (Photonic Forces group) received an ERC Consolidator grant from the European Research Council (ERC).…

Mathematics at the speed of light

A tailored silicon nanopattern coupled to a semitransparent gold mirror can solve a complex mathematic equation with light. Image credit: Ella Maru studio. Researchers at AMOLF,…

Kristina Ganzinger member of De Jonge Akademie

Credits: Lukas Helmbrecht The KNAW has selected ten new members for ‘De Jonge Akademie’, one of which is AMOLF group leader Kristina Ganzinger (Physics of Cellular…

Daughter cells in the intestine do what their mother tells them

AMOLF researchers have discovered what prevents cells in the intestine from dividing rampantly. One hypothesis was that this happens because, on average, for each cell that divides, another cell stops…

Bas Overvelde wins KNAW Early Career Award

Photo by Lukas Helmbrecht AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde (Soft Robotic Matter) has won the KNAW Early Career Award. With the award, the KNAW acknowledges young…

New model for reproduction of E. coli bacteria

With a new model, AMOLF researchers reveal how single celled organisms like bacteria coordinate growth, cell division and DNA replication. Bacteria reproduce via growth and cell division. During each cycle…

Floppy or not: artificial intelligence predicts properties of complex metamaterials

Given a 3D piece of origami, can you flatten it without damaging it? Just by looking at the design, the answer is hard to predict, because each and every fold…

Extreme-ultraviolet light manipulation to unleash unprecedented capabilities

Sylvianne Roscam Abbing, photo by Ivar Pel Short-wavelength light sources beyond the color that the human eye can perceive have tremendous application potential, but controlling them…

ERC Synergy Grant for AMOLF-Heidelberg-ETH team

Sander Tans, photo by Mark Knight A prestigious ERC Synergy Grant worth 9.4 million euros has been awarded to the research groups of Sander Tans (AMOLF),…

Erik Garnett wins KNCV Gold Medal

Credits:FotoGillissen At the annual Dutch chemistry conference Chains, the KNCV announced that AMOLF group leader Erik Garnett (Nanoscale Solar Cells) is the recipient of the KNCV…

Regular patterns – like those found in nature – now also produced in the lab

AMOLF researchers have found a new method for producing layered materials. Inspired by nature, they developed a physical-chemical process that yields highly regular microstructures. They describe this in a paper…

Optimization of human small intestinal organoids

Collaborating scientists have improved human small intestinal organoids – miniature versions of the small intestine. This will help them to better study the functioning of the small intestine. The scientists…

Cells: strong at the right place and time

Researchers from TU Delft and AMOLF discovered how certain molecular bonds make living cells both flexible, in order to move, as well as strong, in order to withstand forces. Paradoxically,…

Responsive soft robots inspired by sputtering ketchup bottle

A smartly designed pressure valve allows soft robots to respond to their environment without the need for computer control, reveal AMOLF researchers in their article in the journal Matter. That…

Getting more information by measuring faster and averaging less

A nonlinear optical sensor outperforms the best possible linear sensor. The figure shows an optical cavity, formed by two mirrors (blue & green multilayers) facing each…

Discovery of new mechanisms to control the flow of sound

Using a network of vibrating nano-strings controlled with light, researchers from AMOLF have made sound waves move in a specific irreversible direction and attenuated or amplified the waves in a…

Open Technology Programme (OTP) funding

Crystal structure of the perovskite material. Source: AMOLF In the Open Technology Programme (OTP) call for proposals of NWO, Bruno Ehrler and Erik Garnett have received…

Light-Catalyst Interactions to Sense and Steer Chemical Reactions

Credit: Thomas Hartman (Weckhuysen group at Utrecht University) AMOLF and Utrecht University have been awarded a 1.9 million euro research project by the Dutch Research Council…

First study of CRISPR-Cas defense in individual cells shows remarkable variability

Specialists in single cell dynamics of research institute AMOLF together with CRISPR-Cas researchers of TU Delft were able to measure for the first time how quickly a single cell can…

NWO funding for perovskite solar foil consortium

Photo: TNO Research The Light Management in New Photovoltaic Materials (LMPV) Center at AMOLF starts a new solar consortium on perovskite solar foils by roll-to-roll manufacturing,…

Record efficiencies in thin film photovoltaic cells

Silicon solar cells have proven to be the champion photovoltaic technology, as they use earth abundant raw materials (i.e. Si) and perform with high efficiency. However, they are based on…

ERC Consolidator grant for Erik Garnett

Photo by Dirk Gillissen AMOLF group leader Erik Garnett (Nanoscale Solar Cells) has received an ERC Consolidator grant amounting 3.0 million euros from the European Research…

ERC Consolidator grant for Wim Noorduin

Photo by Lukas Helmbrecht AMOLF group leader Wim Noorduin (Self-Organizing Matter) has received an ERC Consolidator grant amounting 2.4 million euros from the European Research Council…

ERC Consolidator grants for Wim Noorduin and Erik Garnett

AMOLF group leaders Erik Garnett (Nanoscale Solar Cells) and Wim Noorduin (Self-Organizing Matter) have received an ERC Consolidator grant from the European Research Council (ERC). They have been granted respectively…

Cell unstuck: how a glue-like protein can make our cells move

An essential aspect of the cells in our body is their ability to move, to repair certain tissues or chase intruders, for example: but how do they do it? Scientists…

A magic top hat for protein folding

Following a single protein inside the cavity of a GroEL chaperone for the first time, researchers at AMOLF led by professor Sander Tans discovered how protein folding can be accelerated.…

Signal discovered that connects cell size with cell growth

The mechanisms connecting growth with cell size have been mysterious – up till now: in a recent publication in Current Biology, researchers from AMOLF and TU Delft have uncovered that…

Soft Robots at Teknowlogy 2022

The Soft Robotic Matter research group led by Bas Overvelde will be present at Teknowlogy 2022: the Dutch festival where technology, science, innovation and valorization meet. At the event, visitors…

A Better Understanding of Symmetry Breaking

In an international collaboration, AMOLF researchers have theoretically described and experimentally observed spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in two laser-driven coupled optical cavities. SSB is a universal phenomenon that occurs in…

New puppeteering: streamlined control of material deformation

In a new publication in Nature Communications, a team of physicists from Amsterdam, Leiden and Georgia (USA) show how to ‘puppeteer’ lab-designed metamaterials. By only touching these materials from the…

Nieuw marionettenspel: het gestroomlijnd sturen van materiaalvervorming

In een nieuwe publicatie in Nature Communications laat een team van natuurkundigen uit Amsterdam, Leiden en Georgia (VS) zien hoe in het laboratorium ontworpen metamaterialen als marionetten kunnen worden aangestuurd.…

ERC Starting Grant for Marc Serra-Garcia

Illustration: Henk-Jan Boluijt AMOLF tenure-track group leader Marc Serra-Garcia (Hypersmart Matter) has received a Starting Grant of 1.68 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC).…

C. elegans does not accidentally switch off its ability to detect salt

AMOLF researchers, collaborating with researchers from the Erasmus MC, have discovered a genetic mechanism that ensures that a nerve cell retains its identity once it has differentiated. This concerns a…

C. elegans schakelt zijn neus voor zout niet per ongeluk uit

AMOLF-onderzoekers ontdekten in samenwerking met onderzoekers van het Erasmus MC een genetisch mechanisme dat ervoor zorgt dat een eenmaal gedifferentieerde zenuwcel zijn identiteit behoudt. Het gaat om een neuron dat…

Crystals beneath a sunbed

Light-controlled spontaneous growth of nanostructures PhD student Marloes Bistervels from the Self-Organizing Matter research group at AMOLF has managed to use light to very precisely control the formation of nanocomposites…

Kristallen onder de zonnebank

Licht stuurt de spontane groei van nanostructuren Promovendus Marloes Bistervels van de AMOLF onderzoeksgroep Self-Organizing Matter, is het gelukt om de vorming van nanocomposieten in de vorm van koralen of…

A computer made of rubber

A piece of corrugated rubber can function as a simple computer, displaying memory and dis-playing the ability to count to two. Physicists from Leiden University and AMOLF published about the…

Computer van ribbelrubber kan tellen

Een stukje geribbeld rubber functioneert als een eenvoudige computer, met geheugen en het vermogen om tot twee te tellen. Natuurkundige onderzoekers van Universiteit Leiden en van onderzoeksinstituut AMOLF publiceren erover…

Molecular device turns infrared into visible light

A gold nanoparticle in a groove focuses infrared radiation into a nanometer-thick gap, where vibrating molecules convert it to visible light. Illustration by Nicolas Antille Researchers…

Minerva Prize 2021 goes to Wiebke Albrecht and Natalia Chepiga

Photo: Ivar Pel Today, the NNV and the Dutch Physics Council (DPC) announced that AMOLF tenure track group leader Wiebke Albrecht is one of the two…

Minervaprijs 2021 gaat naar Wiebke Albrecht en Natalia Chepiga

Foto: Ivar Pel Vandaag maken de NNV en de Dutch Physics Council (DPC) bekend dat AMOLF tenure track groepsleider Wiebke Albrecht een van de twee winnaars…

Femius Koenderink elected 2022 Optica Fellow

The Optica (formerly OSA) Board of Directors has elected Femius Koenderink to the 2022 Fellows Class. He is one of the 106 members to be honored this year. Koenderink was…

Anne Meeussen wins the Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa thesis prize 2021

Today, the Dutch Physics Council announces that former PhD student Anne Meeussen (Mechanical Metamaterials group at AMOLF and Leiden University) wins the Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa thesis prize 2021. Meeussen defended her thesis…

Martin van Hecke elected APS fellow

Metamaterials researcher Martin van Hecke has been elected American Physical Society (APS) fellow, an honour exclusive to only half a percent of the society's members. The Soft Matter Division of…

Tuning chemical reactions with light

AMOLF researchers unravel how nano-antennas enhance chemical reactions The chemical industry consumes a lot of energy, not only to initiate reactions but also to separate products from by-products. In a…

Chemische reacties fine-tunen met licht

AMOLF onderzoekers ontrafelen hoe nano-antennes chemische reacties versterken De chemische industrie gebruikt veel energie, niet alleen om reacties op gang te brengen, maar ook voor het scheiden van producten en…

Interview: ‘de kunst van zelforganisatie’

Credits: Ivar Pel Bij zijn aanstelling op AMOLF omschreef groepsleider Wim Noorduin zijn groeiende kristalstructuren als ‘een microlandschap om in te verdwalen’. Maar Noorduin wilde niet…

Geboeid door de morfologie van een enkel nanodeeltje

Credit: Ivar Pel Sinds 1 mei is Wiebke Albrecht aan boord bij AMOLF, als groepsleider van de nieuwe groep Hybrid Nanosystems. Met haar groep gaat Albrecht…

Vidi grant for Kristina Ganzinger

AMOLF group leader Kristina Ganzinger (Physics of Cellular Interactions) is one of the 78 researchers who received a NWO Vidi grant that is worth 800.000 euros. This grant allows Ganzinger…

A new spin on making minimal cells

The ability of a cell to separate its own matter from its surroundings is a basic requirement for life. A team of researchers at AMOLF and Delft University of Technology…

Two NWO Rubicon grants for AMOLF researchers

Former PhD students Anne Meeussen (Mechanical Metamaterials group) and Mario Avellaneda Sarrio (Biophysics group) are amongst the 31 researchers who have recently received a Rubicon grant from NWO. The Rubicon…

AMOLF and Fraunhofer ISE start cooperation on metamaterials

Metamaterials and optimized photon management enable multi-junction solar cells to achieve highest efficiencies AMOLF and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have started a strategic…

AMOLF scientists unravel noise-assisted signal amplification in systems with memory

Two mirrors with a drop of oil in between form a non-linear optical cavity, in which stochastic resonance was observed. By modulating the position on one…

AMOLF-wetenschappers laten zien hoe signaalversterking door ruis werkt in systemen met geheugen

Twee spiegels met een druppel olie ertussen vormen een non-lineaire optische trilholte waarin stochastische resonantie optreedt. Door de positie van één van de spiegels te variëren,…

AMOLF-wetenschappers laten zien hoe signaalversterking door ruis werkt in systemen met geheugen

Twee spiegels met een druppel olie ertussen vormen een non-lineaire optische trilholte waarin stochastische resonantie optreedt. Door de positie van één van de spiegels te variëren,…

Marc Serra starts Hyper Smart Matter group

On October 1st Marc Serra will start as tenure track group leader at AMOLF. His Hyper Smart Matter group will be embedded in the Designer Matter research theme at AMOLF.…

Self-learning robots go full steam ahead

Researchers from AMOLF’s Soft Robotic Matter group have shown that a group of small autonomous, self-learning robots can adapt easily to changing circumstances. They connected these simple robots in a…

The properties of your microscope do matter

Tunable cavity with a CsPbBr3 crystal inside. The excitation light is coupled into the cavity through a microscope objective with numerical aperture NAe and light is…

Zelflerende robotjes lopen als een trein

Een collectief van autonome, zelflerende robotjes schikt zich bijzonder makkelijk naar veranderende omstandigheden. Dat laten onderzoekers van AMOLF's Soft Robotic Matter groep zien. Ze bouwden een treintje van simpele robotjes…

Perovskites under pressure: hot electrons cool faster

Artist impression of ‘hot electrons’ becoming faster under pressure. Hot electrons under pressure get rid of their excess energy faster. Credits: thisillustrations.com In solar cells, about…

Perovskiet onder druk: ‘hete’ elektronen koelen sneller af

Artist impression van ‘hete elektronen’ die onder druk sneller worden. Onder druk raken de hete elektronen hun energie sneller kwijt. Credit: thisillustrations.com In zonnecellen gaat ongeveer…

Martin van Hecke receives ERC Advanced Grant

Source: AMOLF/Leiden University Martin van Hecke (Mechanical Metamaterials group at AMOLF and Leiden University) receives a 2.5 million euro ERC Advanced Grant for research into information…

Albert Polman receives ERC Advanced Research Grant

AMOLF program leader Albert Polman receives an Advanced Research Grant of 2.5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). He will use the ERC Advanced Grant to develop a…

Painting with semiconductors

Perovskite portret of Marie Skłodowska-Curie AMOLF researchers Lukas Helmbrecht and Wim Noorduin have developed a reactive ink that can be painted on an equally reactive canvas.…

Schilderen met halfgeleiders

Perovskiet portret van Marie Skłodowska-Curie AMOLF-onderzoekers Lukas Helmbrecht en Wim Noorduin ontwikkelden een reactieve inkt om op een eveneens reactief canvas een patroon te schilderen. De…

The optimal design of cellular sensing systems

Image of a measurement of the sensing system of the bacterium E. coli. The colors show the activity of two proteins that are involved in the…

Mystery of amorphous perovskite solved

AMOLF researchers Erik Garnett, Susan Rigter, and colleagues are the first to have irrefutably demonstrated that amorphous perovskite exists. The material can significantly increase the efficiency of solar cells produced…

Het mysterie van amorf perovskiet opgelost

AMOLF-onderzoekers Erik Garnett, Susan Rigter en collega's zijn de eersten die onomstotelijk aantonen dat amorf perovskiet bestaat. Het materiaal kan zonnecellen van perovskiet veel efficiënter maken. Het onderzoek verschijnt op…

AMOLF welcomes Wiebke Albrecht

On May 1st, Wiebke Albrecht will start at AMOLF as tenure track group leader. Her research group Hybrid Nanosystems will be embedded in the Designer Matter research theme at AMOLF.…

Quantifying topological protection of light on a chip

Experimental visualization of light propagation in a topological photonic crystal. The top shows a two-dimensional map of the light field flowing unhindered around four corners. It…

Huib Bakker re-installed

foto: L. Helmbrecht AMOLF director Huib Bakker has been re-installed by the NWO-I Foundation Board for a period of five years. With Huib Bakker continuing as…

Herbenoeming Huib Bakker

foto: L. Helmbrecht AMOLF-directeur Huib Bakker is door het Stichtingsbestuur van NWO-I herbenoemd in zijn functie voor een periode van vijf jaar. De herbenoeming betekent dat…

Wim Noorduin benoemd tot bijzonder hoogleraar aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam

Fotograaf: Lukas Helmbrecht AMOLF-groepsleider Wim Noorduin is benoemd tot bijzonder hoogleraar Self-Organizing Matter aan de Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica van de Universiteit van Amsterdam…

Wim Noorduin appointed professor by special appointment at the University of Amsterdam

Photo by: Lukas Helmbrecht Wim Noorduin has been appointed professor by special appointment of Self-Organizing Matter at the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam…

European grant for electron microscopy techniques

Illustration by Tremani The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme has awarded a FET Proactive grant to a consortium of 8 European institutions to…

Transforming Self-Assembled Architectures into Functional Materials

Imagine if a material would arrange itself into a shape suited for its application. It may result in a catalyst that maximizes its own surface area for improved efficiency or…

MRS Fall Meeting prizes for Susan Rigter

At the 2020 Virtual MRS Fall Meeting, PhD student Susan Rigter has won two awards with her poster Amorphous Halide Perovskite Thin Films. First, the Materials Research Society announced that…

Bliksemsnel risicobeheer in celpopulaties

Net zoals investeerders op de beurs, bereiden celpopulaties zich voor op veranderingen in hun omgeving door risico’s te spreiden. Hiervoor hebben ze de beschikking over een reeks receptoren op het…

Dynamic risk management in cell populations

Much like investors on the stock market, cell populations prepare for changes in the environment by spreading the risk. The tool box they use contains a repertoire of sensory receptors…

Bas Overvelde appointed in Eindhoven

Photo by Lukas Helmbrecht Bas Overvelde (Soft Robotic Matter) has been appointed as part-time associate professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). While his group and…

Bruno Ehrler appointed professor at University of Groningen

Photo by Lukas Helmbrecht Group leader Bruno Ehrler has been named professor by special appointment for New Hybrid Material Systems for Solar-cell Applications at the University…

Kristina Ganzinger awarded by KHMW

Photo: Hilde de Wolf On September 11th, group leader Kristina Ganzinger has been awarded this year’s Pieter Langerhuizen Lambertuszoon Fonds of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der…

ERC Starting Grant for Bruno Ehrler and Bas Overvelde

AMOLF group leaders Bruno Ehrler and Bas Overvelde have both received a Starting Grant of 1.5 million Euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The ERC uses this grant to…

Exponential scaling of frictional forces in cells

AMOLF researchers present a theory that describes the friction between biological filaments that are crosslinked by proteins. Surprisingly, their theory predicts that the friction force scales highly non-linearly with the…

Christian Dieleman vertelt over quantum dots op BNR radio

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) foto van daadwerkelijke quantum dots (650.000x vergroot). BNR radio interview met Christian Dieleman (Hybrid Solar Cells) over quantum dots. Luister naar het…

Solar cell material performs better under pressure

A novel and highly promising material for solar cells, halide perovskites, is more stable and consequently more efficient if just one ion is substituted. Researchers from AMOLF revealed in an…

Perovskiet presteert beter onder druk

Perovskiet, een veelbelovend materiaal voor zonnecellen, kun je veel stabieler en daarmee efficiënter maken door slechts één ion te vervangen. Onderzoekers van AMOLF lieten op onverwachte wijze zien hoe dat…

Cum laude for Federica Burla

On Friday, June 19th Federica Burla defended her PhD thesis Tailoring Extracellular Matrix Mechanics online at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Burla obtained the cum laude degree for her doctorate research.…

Evolutionaire conflicten voorspeld

Evolutie lijkt een onvoorspelbaar proces. Maar het voorspellen van de grenzen van evolutie blijkt wel mogelijk. Dit tonen onderzoekers van AMOLF en het Franse ESPCI aan door middel van hun…

Evolutionary conflicts predicted

Evolution seems to be an unpredictable process. However, predicting the constraints of evolution is possible. Researchers from AMOLF and the French ESPCI have demonstrated this using their mathematical method, followed…

Cum Laude for Federica Burla

Olive oil sheds new light on universality in phase transitions

A simple drop of olive oil in a system of photons bouncing between two mirrors, has revealed universal aspects of phase transitions in physics. Researchers at AMOLF used an oil-filled…

Rubicon grant for Hugo Doeleman

Former PhD student Hugo Doeleman has received a Rubicon grant from NWO to carry out his research proposal at ETH Zurich. At AMOLF Doeleman was a group member of the…

Bela Mulder appointed at Utrecht University

As of 1 January, Bela Mulder (Theory of Biomolecular Matter) has been appointed Professor by Special Appointment in Theoretical Biophysics at Utrecht University. With this appointment,the Faculty of Science aims…

De kracht van collageen

Collageen is de lijm die ons lichaam bij elkaar houdt. Het zit in onze huid, botten, spieren, kraakbeen, gewrichtsbanden, haren, nagels – kortom, in bijna elk weefsel in ons lichaam.…

The strength of collagen

Collagen is the glue that holds our bodies together. It can be found in our skin, bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, hair, nails – in short, in almost every tissue in…

ERC Advanced Grant for Pieter Rein ten Wolde

Today the European Research Council (ERC) announced that 185 scientists receive an Advanced Grant of 2.5 million euros. One of them is AMOLF group leader Pieter Rein ten Wolde. He…

Topology protects light propagation in photonic crystal

Researchers of AMOLF and TU Delft have seen light propagate in a special material without it suffering from reflections. The material, a photonic crystal, consists of two parts that each…

Licht gaat ongehinderd de hoek om: topologie beschermt lichtgeleiding in fotonisch kristal

Elektronenmicroscopie-afbeelding van topologische fotonische kristallen in een geperforeerde plak silicium. Boven en onder zijn de kristalstructuren net verschillend; langs het grensvlak van de twee (stippellijn) kan…

Organoïde project gehonoreerd in NWO Open Competitie ENW – Groot

Het project ‘Organoids in time’ is een van de twintig nieuwe consortia die van start kan gaan dankzij financiering van NWO: de Open Competitie ENW – Groot. De financiering bedraagt…

Organoid project granted in NWO Open Competition Domain Science

The project ‘Organoids in time’ is one out of twenty new consortia that can start thanks to NWO funding: the Open Competition Domain Science. The grant consists of a total…

Het evolutionaire nut van mobiliteit

Onderzoekers van AMOLF en Harvard University (USA) hebben een nieuw mechanisme ontdekt dat een verklaring biedt voor de coëxistentie van soorten. In Nature beschrijven ze vandaag hoe de competitie tussen…

Researchers discover new mechanism for the coexistence of species

Researchers from AMOLF and Harvard University (USA) show how the ability of organisms to move around plays a role in stabilizing ecosystems. In their paper published 19 February 2020 in…

Noise in a sensor? No problem!

Using noise to enhance optical sensing In conventional sensing methods, noise is always a problem, especially in systems that are meant to detect changes in their environment that are hardly…

Ruis op het signaal? Geen probleem!

Betere optische detectie door ruis op het signaal te omarmen Elke meting heeft last van ruis. Dat geldt zeker voor sensoren die veranderingen in de omgeving moeten waarnemen die nauwelijks…

Trillingen op een chip voelen magnetisch veld

Licht verbindt snaren van nanogitaar AMOLF-onderzoekers zijn erin geslaagd om het gedrag van mechanische trillingen op een chip te laten lijken op elektrische stroom in een magnetisch veld. Dankzij hun…

Vibrations on a chip feel a magnetic field

Using light to couple the strings of a nanoscopic guitar AMOLF physicists have made mechanical vibrations on a chip behave as if they were electrical currents flowing in a magnetic…

Molecular machine tears toxic protein clumps apart

How do cells disentangle proteins that are clumped together? Researchers from AMOLF in Amsterdam and Heidelberg University now show that the molecular chaperone ClpB can forcibly pull on exposed loops…

Moleculaire machine trekt toxische eiwitaggregaten uit elkaar

Hoe halen cellen aan elkaar geklonterde eiwitten uit elkaar? Onderzoekers van AMOLF en de universiteit van Heidelberg laten zien dat de moleculaire chaperonne ClpB aan enkele eiwitketens trekt, en deze…

The peculiar effect of a small error

Metamaterials have properties that depend on their shape and architecture. Researchers at AMOLF, Leiden University and Tel Aviv University have found a new way of designing these metamaterials and their…

Het bijzondere effect van een foutje

Metamaterialen hebben eigenschappen die afhankelijk zijn van hun vorm en architectuur. Onderzoekers van AMOLF, Universiteit Leiden en de Universiteit van Tel Aviv vonden een nieuwe manier om deze metamaterialen en…

Hybrid Heart shortlisted for £30 million research grant

On 21 January 2020, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) announced that Hybrid Heart project with AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde is one of four finalists out of 75 initial submissions…

Martin van Hecke wint Physicaprijs 2020

De Physicaprijs 2020 is toegekend aan groepsleider Martin van Hecke (Mechanical Metamaterials groep). Van Hecke ontvangt de prijs vanwege zijn verdiensten op meerdere vlakken: de excellentie en originaliteit van zijn…

Smart simulations chart the behavior of surprising structures

AMOLF researchers are studying three-dimensional prismatic structures that can assume different shapes, with the aim of producing metamaterials that have multiple properties. Researchers have found a new way to simulate…

Slimme rekenmethode verkent het gedrag van verrassende bouwwerken

Onderzoekers van AMOLF bestuderen driedimensionale structuren die verschillende vormen kunnen aannemen, met het doel om metamaterialen te maken die meerdere eigenschappen hebben. De onderzoekers hebben een nieuwe manier bedacht om…

Afstudeerprijs voor Susan Rigter

links: Arjan van den Hoogen, Director R&D Research Excellence Tata Steel / rechts: Susan Rigter. Fotograaf: Hilde de Wolf Susan Rigter heeft de Tata Steel Afstudeerprijs…

Mathematics at the speed of light

AMOLF researchers and their collaborators from the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC/CUNY) in New York have created a nanostructured surface capable of performing on-the-fly mathematical operations on an input image.…

Said Rodriguez wins Early Career Award

Today the Royal Academy announced that AMOLF group leader Said Rodriguez is one of the winners of the Early Career Award. With this new prize the Academy wishes to reward…

Federica Burla wint Minerva-Prijs natuurkunde

De NWO-prijs voor de beste wetenschappelijke publicatie van een vrouwelijke natuurkundige gaat naar AMOLF-onderzoeker Federica Burla. De jury was onder de indruk van haar publicatie in Nature Physics over biomechanica.…

Hugo Doeleman wint NWO Natuurkunde Proefschrift Prijs 2019

Vandaag werd bekend gemaakt dat AMOLF/UvA promovendus Hugo Doeleman de NWO Natuurkunde Proefschrift Prijs 2019 heeft gewonnen. Doeleman promoveerde op 18 januari cum laude aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam met…

Alphabet of 140 puzzle-pieces programs origami

How can a single origami crease pattern be folded into two precisely defined target shapes? Researchers at AMOLF and Leiden University have created an ‘alphabet’ of 140 origami ‘puzzle-pieces’ that…

Alfabet van 140 puzzelstukjes programmeert origami

Hoe breng je de vouwen op een vel papier zó aan dat het op twee, precies voorgeprogrammeerde manieren gevouwen kan worden? Onderzoekers uit Leiden en Amsterdam laten zien hoe dat…

Met microscoop schrijven op de nanoschaal

Onderzoekers van de 3D-Photovoltaics-groep van AMOLF is het gelukt om op nanoschaal elektrochemisch te printen met behulp van een atoomkrachtmicroscoop. Met deze techniek kunnen structuren voor een nieuwe generatie zonnecellen…

Microscope prints patterns at the nanoscale

Researchers from AMOLF's 3D-Photovoltaics group have successfully used an atomic force microscope to electrochemically print at the nanoscale. This technique can print structures for a new generation of solar cells…

AMOLF 70th year anniversary

Working on the magnet, Hoogte Kadijk September 1949 This year September 15th is a special day for AMOLF. On this day exactly 70 years ago the…

Snapshots freezing a nanoswing : Accurate position measurement overcomes thermal fluctuations

Physicists at AMOLF have managed to cool a swinging nanosized string to near-zero temperature without using external refrigeration. In their experiment, the cooling is an intrinsic result of the ‘snapshot’…

ERC Starting Grant for Said Rodriguez

AMOLF group leader Said Rodriguez (Interacting Photons) has received a Starting Grant of 1.5 million Euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The project is entitled “Strongly CORrelated Polaritons In…

Veni grants for Eline Hutter and Sven Askes

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) awarded Veni grants to AMOLF postdocs Eline Hutter (Hybrid Solar Cells group) and Sven Askes (Nanoscale Solar Cells group). Semiconductor of the future Eline Hutter…

Phys.org: Engineers design nanostructured diamond metalens for compact quantum technologies

The practical challenge of collecting information from a single atom deep inside a crystal is a daunting one, however. Penn Engineers addressed this problem in a recent study in which…

Less can be more: semiconductor nanowires for flexible photovoltaics

Capturing and manipulating light at nanoscale is a key factor to build high efficiency solar cells. Researchers in the 3D Photovoltaics group have recently presented a promising new design. Their…

How an old method helps to understand new solar cells

Crystal structure of the halide perovskite material. The prototype perovskite consists of the organic cation methylammonium (moving blue), surrounded by an inorganic framework of lead (black)…

Internationale beurs voor onderzoek naar symbiotische netwerken

AMOLF-groepsleider Tom Shimizu (Systems Biology) heeft samen met collega-onderzoekers uit Nederland, de Verenigde Staten en Japan een beurs van 1,2 M€ ontvangen van het Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). Naast…

International award for research on symbiotic networks

AMOLF group leader Tom Shimizu (Systems Biology) and colleagues from the Netherlands, USA and Japan have received a 1.2 million dollar research grant from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).…

Gijsje Koenderink nu te horen op NPO Radio 1, binnenkort in poptempel Paradiso

Kunnen kunstmatige cellen inzicht geven in het materiaal van levende cellen? Focus NPO Radio 1 Dinsdag 9 april, 02:00 uur De Nieuwe Natuur – Paradisolezing door Prof. dr. Gijsje Koenderink…

Under our skin: how hyaluronan regulates the stiffness of tissue

Our skin can switch from being soft to stiff if necessary. Other tissues, such as muscle tissue and cartilage, can likewise change their stiffness in a way that is tailored…

Onderhuids: hoe hyaluronzuur de stijfheid van weefsels reguleert

Onze huid is meestal zacht, maar kan als het nodig is ook stijf zijn. Ook andere weefsels, zoals spierweefsel en kraakbeen kunnen hun stijfheid veranderen op een manier die past…

Vici-beurs voor Gijsje Koenderink

AMOLF-groepsleider Gijsje Koenderink ontvangt van NWO een Vici-beurs van 1,5 miljoen euro voor haar onderzoek naar de wijze waarop levende cellen omgaan met mechanische stress. Vici is een van de…

Vici-grant for Gijsje Koenderink

AMOLF group leader Gijsje Koenderink receives an NWO Vici grant of 1,5 million euros for her research on how cytoskeletal teamwork makes cells strong. Vici is one of the largest…

AMOLF pleased and proud about results portfolio evaluation

AMOLF is very pleased about the conclusions of the committee that evaluated all NWO and KNAW institutes in the past months on their national role and added value to the…

AMOLF zeer verheugd over oordeel portfolio-evaluatie commissie

AMOLF is zeer verheugd over de conclusies van de commissie die de afgelopen maanden alle NWO- en KNAW-instituten heeft geëvalueerd op hun nationale rol en meerwaarde voor het Nederlandse kennislandschap.…

Caffeine makes water fall asleep

Illustration: Caffeine makes a water molecule (H2O) fall asleep. Credits: I. Cerjak (AMOLF) Contrary to the well-known stimulating effect on humans, caffeine slows down the movement…

Watermoleculen vallen in slaap door cafeïne

Illustratie: watermoleculen (H2O) worden slaperig door cafeïne. Credits: I. Cerjak (AMOLF) In tegenstelling tot het bekende oppeppende effect op mensen, vertraagt cafeïne de beweging van watermoleculen.…

Cum Laude for Hugo Doeleman

On January 18th Hugo Doeleman defended his PhD thesis ‘Hybrid resonators for light trapping and emission control’ at the University of Amsterdam. Doeleman obtained the Cum Laude degree for his…

Directivity to improve optical devices

A team of researchers from AMOLF, Western University (Canada), and the University of Texas (USA) recently demonstrated the use of algorithmic design to create a new type of nanophotonic structure.…

Light multiplication for stable improvement of solar cells

By converting one high-energy light particle into two low energy particles, singlet fission makes high energy photons available for solar cells Now that solar cells based on silicon technology have…

Licht splitsen voor stabiele verbetering van zonnecellen

Door een lichtdeeltje met hoge energie te splitsen in twee deeltjes met lagere energie, maakt singlet-splijting hoog-energetische fotonen beschikbaar voor zonnecellen. Aangezien zonnecellen gebaseerd op silicium hun rendementslimiet bijna hebben…

Self-folding metamaterial

The more complex the object, the harder it is to fold up. Space satellites often need many small motors to fold up an instrument, and people have difficulty simply folding…

Metamateriaal vouwt zichzelf op

Hoe complexer het voorwerp, des te ingewikkelder het is om op te vouwen. Een ruimtevaartuig heeft al snel vele motortjes nodig om een instrument-arm in elkaar te vouwen en mensen…

Scientists shed new light on fundamental hundred-year-old question

Scientists of Wageningen University & Research and AMOLF have found an answer to a fundamental question botanists have been asking for over a century: how do plant cells know in…

Onderzoekers werpen nieuw licht op honderd jaar oude fundamentele vraag

Onderzoekers van Wageningen University & Research en AMOLF hebben een antwoord gevonden op een meer dan honderd jaar oude fundamentele vraag: hoe weten plantencellen in welke richting ze moeten delen?…

WISE fellow Kristina Ganzinger starts new research group at AMOLF

On September 1st, Kristina Ganzinger will start as tenure track group leader. Ganzinger comes to AMOLF with a WISE fellowship, which is part of an NWO program for excellent female…

Nanoscale solar cells benefit from transistor technique

An international team of scientists has investigated a new type of charge carrier-selective contact for nanowire solar cells based on the surface-gate effect. Those contacts make use of an effect…

Noise in the biorhythm: biological clocks respond differently to light fluctuations

Anybody who has experienced jet lag knows the power of the biological clock. Almost all organisms, from humans to the smallest of bacteria, have a built-in system that tells them…

Ruis in het bioritme: biologische klokken reageren verschillend op lichtfluctuaties

Wie ooit een jetlag heeft gehad, kent de kracht van de biologische klok. Alle organismen, van mensen tot de kleinste bacteriën, hebben een ingebouwd systeem dat ze vertelt of het…

2018 Pierre-Gilles de Gennes prize for Gijsje Koenderink

Gijsje Koenderink (group leader of the Biological Soft Matter group and head of the Living Matter department) has won the 2018 Pierre-Gilles de Gennes prize. The prize has been established…

AMOLF, Thermo Fisher and Delmic present ultrafast SEM cathodoluminescence microscopes

Academic-industry collaboration leads to product on the market in two years A team of AMOLF, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Delmic has constructed two new microscopes that can take optical images…

WIN Rising Star Award for Bruno Ehrler

Bruno Ehrler (group leader Hybrid Solar Cells) has won the WIN Rising Star Award of the year 2018. The prize is a new initiative from the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology…

From sea urchin skeleton to semiconductor

Researchers at AMOLF have found a way of making calcium carbonate structures, such as a sea urchin skeleton, suitable for use in electronics. They do this by modifying the composition…

Van zee-egel tot halfgeleider

Onderzoekers van AMOLF hebben een manier gevonden om structuren van kalk, zoals een zee-egelskelet, geschikt te maken voor gebruik in elektronica. Daarvoor passen ze de samenstelling aan zodat het materiaal…

Physicists catch light in the eye of the storm

Stillness rules the eye of a hurricane; without a hurricane no eye, and without an eye no hurricane. In a similar manner, physicists of research institute AMOLF, the University of…

Amsterdamse natuurkundigen vangen licht in het oog van de storm

In het midden van een orkaan is het rustig; zonder orkaan geen oog, zonder oog geen orkaan. Maar niet alleen orkanen hebben een oog blijkt nu. Natuurkundigen van onderzoeksinstituut AMOLF…

NWO Vidi grant awarded to Wim Noorduin

AMOLF group leader Wim Noorduin is one of the 86 researchers who received a NWO Vidi grant that is worth 800.000 euros. This grant allows Noorduin to further expand his…

NWO-Vidi subsidie voor Wim Noorduin

AMOLF-groepsleider Wim Noorduin is een van de 86 onderzoekers die een Vidi-financiering van NWO van 800.000 euro ontvangen. Met deze Vidi-financiering kan Noorduin zijn onderzoek naar veelzijdige kristalgroei voor functionele…

Femius Koenderink wins 2018 ACS Photonics Young Investigator Award Lectureship

Femius Koenderink (head of the AMOLF Center for Nanophotonics) is the winner of the 2018 ACS Photonics Young Investigator Award Lectureship. This lectureship honors the contributions to the photonics research…

A Microscopic Roundabout for Light

AMOLF develops a magnet-free optical circulator Circulators are important components in communication technology. Their unique way of routing light usually requires centimeter-sized magnets, which are difficult to miniaturize for use…

Een microscopisch kleine rotonde voor licht

AMOLF ontwikkelt een optische circulator zonder magneten Circulatoren zijn belangrijke componenten in communicatietechnologie. De unieke manier waarop ze lichtsignalen rondleiden wordt doorgaans mogelijk gemaakt door magneten. Dit principe is echter…

Bas Overvelde candidate for ‘Wetenschapstalent’

For the fourth time, New Scientist is looking for scientific talent in the Netherlands and Belgium. The contest is created to put young scientific talent and their work centre stage.…

Evolutie is als het weer: kansrijke mutaties zijn te voorspellen

Omdat evolutie drijft op toeval, lijkt het voorspellen ervan onmogelijk. Toch is het biofysici van AMOLF en het ESPCI in Parijs gelukt om met een model voorspellingen te doen over…

New method predicts evolution

As evolution is driven by chance, predicting it seems impossible. Nevertheless, scientists from AMOLF in Amsterdam and the ESPCI in Paris have succeeded in making predictions about the evolution of…

Edge of Chaos – an interactive kinetic installation

Between order and chaos, a mathematical space originally studied to understand the behaviour of avalanches and crystallisation of liquids, scientists are uncovering the rules for the existence of life itself.…

SEP committee refers to ‘the magic of AMOLF’

Every six years the NWO institutes are evaluated by a panel of independent experts according to the so-called Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP). An international committee chaired by Søren Keiding (Aarhus…

SEP-commissie spreekt over ‘the magic of AMOLF’

Iedere zes jaar worden de NWO-instituten beoordeeld door een panel van onafhankelijke experts, volgens het zogeheten Standard Evalution Protocol (SEP). Een internationale commissie o.l.v. Søren Keiding (Aarhus University, Denemarken) kwam…

Stressed-out bacteria do measure up : As they grow, E. coli cells constantly mark sites where they can divide once the period of stress is over

When E. coli bacteria are physically distressed, they switch to stress mode and postpone cell division. But they still keep on growing, thus forming long filaments. AMOLF researchers discovered that…

Gestreste bacterie neemt zichzelf de maat : Groeiende E. coli markeert voortdurend waar-ie kan delen als de stress voorbij is

Als E. coli bacteriën zich onprettig voelen, gaan ze in stress-mode en stellen ze de celdeling uit. In de tussentijd groeien ze door tot lange slierten. AMOLF-onderzoekers ontdekten dat de…

Researchers combine spintronics and nanophotonics in 2D material

Spintronics in materials of just a few atoms thick is an emerging field in which the ‘spin’ of electrons is used to process data, rather than the charge. Unfortunately, the…

Three AMOLF projects in NWO program Materials for Sustainability

AMOLF participates in three new research projects that will start with funding through NWO’s program Materials for Sustainability (Mat4Sus). To enable a smooth transition from fossil fuels to a more…

Rubicon award for Sander Mann

Former AMOLF PhD student Sander Mann has received an NWO Rubicon award to do research at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center in New York. Mann obtained the cum laude…

Perspective by Femius Koenderink most read in ACS Photonics in 2017

On January 2nd, ACS Photonics announced on Twitter that “Single-photon nanoantennas” is their most read publication in 2017. AMOLF group leader Femius Koenderink is the author of this review article.…

Erik Garnett appointed professor of Nanoscale Photovoltaics at the UvA

Erik Garnett has been named professor by special appointment of Nanoscale Photovoltaics at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Science. The chair was established on behalf of the Foundation…

Kristina Ganzinger appointed at AMOLF as WISE tenure track group leader

NWO has awarded three talented female scientists a WISE grant. Dr Kristina Ganzinger has received an appointment at the Netherlands Institute for the Physics of Functional Complex Matter AMOLF, Dr…

Personality and mood swings in bacteria

Bacteria can control where they go using a signaling network of protein molecules. Scientists at AMOLF have developed a microscopy method that allows them to see how individual bacteria use…

Bacteriën vertonen stemmingen en persoonlijkheid

Bacteriën gebruiken een signaalnetwerk van eiwitmoleculen om te bepalen waar ze naar toe willen. Wetenschappers van AMOLF hebben een microscopiemethode ontwikkeld waarmee ze kunnen zien hoe individuele bacteriën dit netwerk…

Ice skating on water, even when it is really cold

The outermost layer of ice behaves like liquid water, even at a temperature of –30°C. Physicists at AMOLF have irrefutably demonstrated this using a modern surface-sensitive measuring technique. At lower…

Schaatsen doe je op water, zelfs als het heel koud is

De buitenste laag van ijs gedraagt zich als vloeibaar water, zelfs bij een temperatuur van dertig graden onder nul. Dat hebben natuurkundigen van AMOLF onomstotelijk laten zien met een moderne…

Nature Energy highlights three terminal configuration publication

On November 9th the journal Nature Energy highlighted a Nano Letters publication of the Nanoscale Solar Cells group in which they present a new type of tandem solar cell: the…

Overvelde connects Science & Art

On October 25th at the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam, AMOLF scientific group leader Bas Overvelde received a grant to build an interactive art installation. It is one of three original…

Overvelde verbindt wetenschap en kunst

Op 25 oktober ontving AMOLF-groepsleider Bas Overvelde op het Cinekid festival in Amsterdam een subsidie voor het maken van een interactieve kunstinstallatie. Het werk en twee andere inzendingen kunnen worden…

A stronger twist to cytotoxic amyloid fibrils

Structural analysis explains differences in amyloid fibril structure relevant to Parkinson's disease Researchers from Amsterdam and Enschede have for the first time performed a structural comparison of two types of…

Dick Stufkens Prize 2017 awarded to Sven Askes

The Dick Stufkens Prize 2017 for the best PhD thesis of the Holland Research School of Molecular Chemistry (HRSMC) is awarded to AMOLF postdoc Sven Askes. In his thesis 'Upconverting…

Only when it is exceptionally ice cold

It is at a temperature of −70 °C that water molecules at the surface of ice make the most bonds with each other. AMOLF researchers, together with an international team…

Alleen als het ijs- en ijskoud is

Watermoleculen aan het oppervlak van ijs maken de meeste onderlinge verbindingen bij een temperatuur van zeventig graden onder nul. Dat schrijven AMOLF-onderzoekers samen met internationale collega’s op 28 september in…

‘Bigger is different’ – the unusual physics of mechanical metamaterials exposed

Mechanical metamaterials, which exhibit unusual properties such as shape morphing and programmability, have been found to display further surprising features. When the materials are a step in size larger, new…

‘Groter is anders’ – zicht op de bijzondere fysica van mechanische metamaterialen

Mechanische metamaterialen blijken nog meer verrassingen in petto te hebben bovenop hun ongebruikelijke eigenschappen zoals vormtransformatie en programmeerbaarheid. Als de materialen een slag groter zijn, gelden er nieuwe spelregels. Dit…

Who doesn’t want to wear a soft robotic jacket?!

AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde has been awarded funding through the programme ‘Creatieve industrie – Kennis Innovatie Mapping’ (KIEM) from NWO Humanities. The funding will go to "Project Cairo: an…

ERC Starting Grant for Ewold Verhagen

AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen (Photonic Forces) has received a Starting Grant of 1.5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The ERC uses the Starting Grants to support…

Newest solar cells underperform in cloudy countries

To determine how efficient new solar cells convert sunlight into electricity, small sample cells are tested under ideal conditions. However, the reported efficiency is not very representative of the actual…

Nieuw type zonnecellen maakt beloftes nog niet waar in bewolkt Nederland

Nieuwe types zonnecellen worden doorgaans getest onder ideale weersomstandigheden. Maar zulke testresultaten zijn niet representatief voor de daadwerkelijke opbrengst van zonnecellen op de Nederlandse daken, die zijn blootgesteld aan wolken…

Nanoparticles give solar panels a green color

Green silicon solar minimodule (0,7 x 0,7 cm2) Researchers from AMOLF, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) have…

Nanodeeltjes kleuren zonnepanelen groen

Groene silicium mini zonnemodule (0,7 x 0,7 cm2) Onderzoekers van AMOLF, de Universiteit van Amsterdam en het Energieonderzoekcentrum Nederland (ECN) hebben een technologie ontwikkeld waarmee een zonnepaneel van…

Said Rodriguez starts new group on Interacting Photons

As of November 1st, Said Rodriguez will be appointed as AMOLF tenure track group leader. Rodriguez will start a new group on Interacting Photons in the Nanophotonics research theme. In…

Veni grants for Bas Overvelde and Cristina Martinez Torres

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded Veni grants to AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde (Soft Robotic Matter) and postdoc Cristina Martinez Torres (Biological Soft Matter). [caption id="" align="alignleft"…

The reason why small balls on a hot plate bounce and scream

Water droplets float in a hot pan because of the so-called Leidenfrost effect. Now physicists from AMOLF and Leiden University have discovered a variation: the Elastic Leidenfrost effect. It explains…

Waarom balletjes op een hete plaat piepen en springen

Waterdruppels zweven in een hete pan vanwege het zogenoemde Leidenfrost-effect. Nu hebben natuurkundigen van AMOLF en Universiteit Leiden een variatie ontdekt: het Elastische Leidenfrost-effect. Het verklaart waarom zogeheten hydrogel balletjes…

Vogel spirals for lighting

Periodic arrays of plasmonic nanoantennas can enhance the directionality of light emission of nearby ﬂuorophores. Unfortunately, their narrow spectral bandwidth and the anisotropy of their optical resonances limit the use…

Ewold Verhagen appointed professor at Eindhoven University of Technology

Left: Ewold Verhagen, right: Gerrit Kroesen, Dean Department of Applied Physics On July 1st, Ewold Verhagen was appointed professor of Nano-optomechanics at Eindhoven University of Technology…

Nanoscale motion sends light into overdrive

Researchers demonstrate record strong conversion of motion into light AMOLF researchers have developed nanoscale strings whose motion can be converted to light signals with unprecedented strength. This could allow for…

Trillende nanosnaren laten licht oversturen

Onderzoekers laten ongekend sterke interactie tussen beweging en licht zien AMOLF-onderzoekers ontwikkelden nanosnaren waarvan de beweging ongekend krachtig kan worden omgezet in lichtsignalen. Dit biedt mogelijkheden voor extreem nauwkeurige sensoren…

Cheap, efficient and stable photoelectrode could improve water splitting with solar energy

Water splitting with solar energy could provide an efficient route for large scale renewable energy conversion and storage. Scientists from TU Delft and AMOLF have now engineered a very efficient…

Goedkope, efficiënte en stabiele foto-elektrode voor mogelijk betere waterontleding met zonne-energie

Waterontleding met zonne-energie biedt mogelijkheden voor een efficiënte grootschalige conversie en opslag van hernieuwbare energie. Wetenschappers van de TU Delft en AMOLF hebben een heel efficiënte en stabiele foto-elektrode geconstrueerd,…

Molecular ‘samurai sword’ controls plant growth

While the green nature that surrounds us flourishes, researchers from AMOLF and Wageningen University & Research reveal the secrets of a special protein that conducts this plant growth. Using a…

Moleculair ‘samoeraizwaard’ controleert plantengroei

Terwijl de groene natuur om ons heen een groeispurt inzet onthullen onderzoekers van AMOLF en Wageningen University & Research de geheimen van een bijzonder eiwit dat deze groei in goede…

NWO Vidi grant awarded to Bruno Ehrler

AMOLF group leader Bruno Ehrler has been awarded with an NWO Vidi grant. The grant enables Ehrler to study a promising new material for solar cells. NWO has awarded a…

NWO Vidi-beurs voor Bruno Ehrler

AMOLF-groepsleider Bruno Ehrler heeft een NWO Vidi-beurs ontvangen. De beurs stelt Ehrler in staat onderzoek te doen naar een veelbelovend nieuw materiaal voor zonnecellen. NWO heeft aan 89 ervaren onderzoekers…

Water is surprisingly ordered at the nanoscale

Researchers from AMOLF and Swiss EPFL have shown that the surface of minuscule water drops surrounded by a hydrophobic substance such as oil is surprisingly ordered. At room temperature, the…

Druppeltjes nanowater veel sterker geordend dan verwacht

Het oppervlak van piepkleine waterdruppels, omgeven door een hydrofobe stof zoals olie, is veel sterker geordend dan verwacht. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek van AMOLF in samenwerking met de Ecole…

A crucial step towards better performing solar cells

Solar cells need monocrystalline materials to work optimally. But the traditional way to build monocrystalline materials is highly time consuming. AMOLF physicists in the Nanoscale Solar Cells group have found…

Nederlandse onderzoekers gaan samen bouwen aan kunstmatige cel

Artist’s impression (Graham Johnson) van een synthetische cel, waarin de drie basisprocessen worden weergegeven die plaatsvinden in een levende cel: opname van celbrandstof (groen), DNA-verwerking (oranje/rood),…

Dutch researchers join forces to build synthetic cell

Artist’s impression (Graham Johnson) of a synthetic cell, representing the three basic processes taking place in a living cell: cell fuelling (green), DNA processing (orange/red), and…

Test eigen groepsnieuws

Test eigen groepsnieuws 21-04-2017

Shining Light on Nature’s Raincoat

The skin of a fungus consists of protein molecules called hydrophobins that together form a protective film. These hydrophobin films show an exceptionally large elasticity and are highly water-repellent, thus…

Computational power of cells

How can molecular systems or cells be used to perform complex computational tasks? And what is the lowest amount of energy needed to execute such operations? Group leader Pieter Rein…

Computerkracht van cellen

Hoe kun je moleculaire systemen of cellen gebruiken om complexe parallelle berekeningen uit te voeren? En hoe energie-efficiënt kunnen zulke berekeningen maximaal zijn? Groepsleider Pieter Rein ten Wolde van AMOLF…

Perspective in ACS Photonics on Single Photon Nano-antennas

The Perspective paper “single photon nano-antennas” in ACS Photonics reviews the use of plasmon antennas for single-photon applications. The idea to use plasmon antennas for single-photon sources was first conceived…

Versatile crystal growth for functional materials

AMOLF researcher Wim Noorduin and fellow scientists Nadir Kaplan, Joanna Aizenberg and L. Mahadevan of Harvard University have developed a model that can be used to accurately describe and predict…

Veelzijdige kristalgroei voor functionele materialen

AMOLF-onderzoeker Wim Noorduin en zijn collega Nadir Kaplan van Harvard University (VS) ontwikkelden een model waarmee de vorming van een heel scala aan fraaie driedimensionale kristalstructuren nauwkeurig te beschrijven en…

Adolescent worm provides insights into cell development : Canalisation of developing cells unravelled for the first time

How embryos develop into complex, adult organisms is still a mystery, but researchers at AMOLF have managed to clarify a small part of it. While studying the nematode C. elegans,…

Puberende worm geeft inzicht in celontwikkeling: Kanalisatie van cellen in ontwikkeling voor het eerst in kaart gebracht

Hoe embryo's zich ontwikkelen tot complexe, volwassen organismen is een raadsel waar AMOLF-onderzoekers nu een klein stukje van hebben opgehelderd. In de rondworm C. elegans ontdekten zij hoe een groepje…

Konrad Meister selected for 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Konrad Meister AMOLF Postdoc Konrad Meister has been selected for the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting that will be held from 25 until 30 June, 2017.…

IOP-NJP outstanding Referee

IOP, the publisher of New Journal of Physics decided to confer an Outstanding Referee Award for 2016 on Femius Koenderink. Many thanks to IOP for recognising their Referees, and for…

Science class in Ermelo

On february 15th, my colleague Bruno Ehrler and I explained the physics, technology and economoy of solar power, LED lights and optical communications to an audience of 45 primary school…

Formation of amyloid fibrils highly susceptible to salt concentration

New findings can help explain contradictory research findings regarding Parkinson's and other diseases. By combining two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, Amsterdam researchers have established that the spatial structure…

One-way traffic for motion in new material

Scientists have developed a material that breaks one of the fundamental principles governing many physical systems. Ordinary materials transmit external forces equally, no matter where the pressure comes from. The…

Eenrichtingsweg voor beweging in nieuw materiaal

Onderzoekers hebben een materiaal ontwikkeld dat ingaat tegen een van de basisprincipes van de natuurkunde. Reguliere materialen die ingedrukt worden, verspreiden de druk gelijkmatig, ongeacht waar die vandaan komt. Het…

Folding reconfigurable materials : Toolkit to design metamaterials with programmable shape and function

During his PhD research at Harvard University, AMOLF group leader Bas Overvelde developed a smart method for designing and investigating new metamaterials. For such materials the microstructure determines the function,…

Vouwen met vervormbaar materiaal : Toolkit voor metamaterialen met programmeerbare vorm en functie

AMOLF-groepsleider Bas Overvelde ontwikkelde tijdens zijn promotieonderzoek aan Harvard University een slimme methode voor het ontwerpen en onderzoeken van nieuwe metamaterialen. Bij zulke materialen is het niet de moleculaire samenstelling,…

Cum laude defense Carien Groot

On January 13th Carien Groot successfully defended her PhD thesis Dynamics of water interacting with biomolecules at the University of Amsterdam. She obtained the cum laude degree for her doctorate…

Solar cell wonder material surprises researchers : Unexpected experimental results lead to a better understanding of promising perovskite

Physicists at AMOLF have unraveled the mysterious working mechanism of a promising new class of materials for solar cells. Their pressure experiments with perovskite semiconductors had very counter-intuitive results, which…

Wondermateriaal voor zonnecellen verrast onderzoekers : Onverwachte experimentele resultaten leiden tot beter begrip van het veelbelovende materiaal perovskiet

Natuurkundigen van AMOLF hebben het mysterieuze werkingsmechanisme opgehelderd van een veelbelovend nieuw materiaal voor zonnecellen. Experimenten waarin ze druk uitoefenden op perovskiet halfgeleiders leidden tot tegen-intuïtieve resultaten die ze niet…

FOM transforms into NWO

‘FOM Institute AMOLF’ becomes ‘AMOLF’ After a long preparation period FOM will discontinue on January 1st, 2017. The present FOM organization will form a new organization together with other parts…

New imaging techniques

Researchers in the Nanoscale Solar Cells group at AMOLF have recently published two papers, one in Nature Communications and one in Nanoscale, demonstrating new imaging techniques for investigating the nanoscale…

Nieuwe microscopietechnieken

Onderzoekers in de Nanoscale Solar Cells groep van groepsleider Erik Garnett publiceerden recentelijk onderzoeken in de tijdschriften Nature Communications en Nanoscale. In beide publicaties demonstreren ze nieuwe microscopietechnieken voor het…

Cum laude defense Sander Mann

On December 6th Sander Mann successfully defended his PhD thesis Quantifying limits and losses in nanoscale photovoltaics at the University of Amsterdam. He obtained the cum laude degree for his…

AMOLF researchers make one-way street for light

Researchers at FOM institute AMOLF and the University of Texas at Austin have created a compact one-way street for light. That is remarkable because light waves can generally move in…

AMOLF-onderzoekers maken eenrichtingsweg voor licht

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF en de University of Texas in Austin maakten een compacte eenrichtingsweg voor licht. Dat is opmerkelijk want lichtgolven kunnen eigenlijk altijd zowel heen als terug bewegen…

Strange behaviour of biomaterials under stress now better understood

If you twist a piano or guitar string, it will become longer. Most materials behave in this way. Apply a torsion, and they will tend to elongate. Some special materials…

Vreemd gedrag van biomaterialen onder spanning beter begrepen

Als je aan de uiteinden van een piano- of gitaarsnaar draait, wordt de snaar langer. De meeste materialen gedragen zich op deze manier. Oefen een torsiekracht uit, en ze hebben…

Boundless Minds: Annemarie Berkhout

AMOLF is at the Amsterdam Science Park, an inspiring hub with the University of Amsterdam exact sciences, the Amsterdam University College, NWO research institutes like AMOLF, Nikhef, and CWI, and…

Albert Polman has been awarded the EPS QEOD Prize for Research into the Science of Light

AMOLF group leader Albert Polman has been elected as the winner of the 2017 Research into the Science of Light Prize of the Quantum Electronics and Optics Division (QEOD) of…

EPS QEOD Research into the Science of Light Prize voor Albert Polman

De Quantum Electronics and Optics Division (QEOD) van de European Physical Society (EPS) heeft de Research into the Science of Light 2017 toegekend aan AMOLF groepsleider Albert Polman. Hij ontvangt…

Albert Polman elected as OSA Fellow

The Optical Society (OSA) has elected AMOLF group leader Albert Polman as Fellow of the OSA. The OSA elected Polman for “novel fundamental insights in the behavior of light at…

Universal clamping protein stabilizes folded proteins

New insight into how the chaperone protein Hsp70 works On October 26th Nature will publish a study that overturns the decades-old textbook model of action for a protein that is…

Universeel klemeiwit stabiliseert andere eiwitten

Nieuw inzicht in werkingsmechanisme chaperonne-eiwit Hsp70 Op 26 oktober publiceert Nature een onderzoek dat een decennia oud model voor de werking van een cruciaal eiwit omverwerpt. Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF…

Hybrid structures on the cover of ACS Photonics

Optical cavities or metallic antennas are frequently used to enhance interactions between light and a single quantum emitter. We argue that hybrid systems combining an antenna and a cavity can…

Tension instability flattens thick block

This summer Bas Overvelde started as tenure track group leader at AMOLF. During the first few months in Amsterdam he finished a project with former Harvard colleagues, which they published…

How do hydrophobins work at the water surface?

Hydrophobins are a group of highly surface-active proteins that are produced by fungi. They are known for their unique functions related to interfaces. Hydrophobins largely reduce the surface tension of…

Understanding nanoscale solar cells

A team of researchers from the AMOLF-group Nanoscale Solar Cells and Eindhoven University of Technology have developed both a theory and an experimental method that provide the first detailed demonstration…

Nanozonnecellen begrijpen

Onderzoekers uit de Nanoscale Solar Cells groep ontwikkelden samen met de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven een theorie plus experimentele methode waarmee zij voor het eerst in detail laten zien hoe een…

Nanotechnology can improve solar cell efficiencies via directional emission

Researchers from the Nanoscale Solar Cells group at AMOLF together with collaborators from the University of Texas, Austin, and Columbia University, New York, found that nanostructures can enable efficiencies above…

Premiere: watch the development of a larva into an adult worm live

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF have developed a microscopy technique for the live tracking of development in the individual cells of a growing, eating and moving organism, the nematode worm…

Première: volg live de ontwikkeling van larve tot volwassen worm

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF ontwikkelden een microscopietechniek waarmee ze voor het eerst live de ontwikkeling van de cellen van de worm C. elegans kunnen volgen, dus in een groeiend, etend…

The importance of being a vector: a story of darkness in light waves

Darkness can be found in light. This typically happens at an optical vortex: a point in which the amplitude of light is zero and where it twists like a corkscrew.…

De rol van vectoren: een verhaal over duisternis in lichtgolven

In licht is vaak ook duisternis aanwezig. Zoals bij een optische vortex, een punt waar de amplitude van het licht nul is en waar het omheen draait als een kurkentrekker.…

Building with flexible blocks

On an apparently normal cube a pattern of hollows and bulges appears when the cube is compressed. Physicists from FOM Institute AMOLF and Leiden University together with colleagues from Tel…

Bouwen met flexibele blokjes

Op een ogenschijnlijk gewone kubus verschijnt onder druk een patroon van hollingen en bollingen. Natuurkundigen van FOM-instituut AMOLF en de Universiteit Leiden hebben samen met collega's van de Universiteit van…

Veni grants for Scott Waitukaitus & Andrew Musser

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded Veni grants to the AMOLF researchers Scott Waitukaitus and Andrew Musser. In total 158 researchers received a Veni grant with a maximum…

Rubiconbeurs voor Jorik van de Groep

Photo: Mark Knight Jorik van de Groep, oud-promovendus in de Photonic Materials groep van Albert Polman, heeft een NWO Rubiconbeurs ontvangen. Hij kan daarmee de komende…

Virus particles in a doughnut-shaped chamber form fixed patterns

Large biomolecules in a small space spontaneously form symmetrical patterns. Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF discovered this together with colleagues from Oxford and Jülich when they confined rod-shaped virus particles…

Virusdeeltjes in een donut volgen vast patroon

Grote biomoleculen in een kleine ruimte vormen spontaan symmetrische patronen. Dit ontdekten onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF samen met collega's uit Oxford en Jülich toen zij staafvormige virusdeeltjes opsloten in ronde…

AMOLF opens new ultrafast cathodoluminescence microscope

During a festive celebration on June 22, AMOLF has officially opened a new cathodoluminescence microscope in Albert Polman’s group that enables ultrafast optical measurements with a spatial resolution of 10…

Demonstration of a flat lens for ultraviolet light

AMOLF researchers have created a new optical lens that is flat, rather than curved like a traditional glass lens. The lens operates by the mechanism of negative refraction, that was…

Platte lens voor ultraviolet licht

Onderzoekers van AMOLF hebben een nieuw type optische lens gemaakt die niet gebogen is zoals een traditionele glazen lens, maar plat. De lens werkt volgens het principe van negatieve lichtbreking,…

Proteins absorb water before unfolding

Proteins perform specific biological functions for which they strongly depend on their three-dimensional structure that results from the folding of the polypeptide chain. The mechanisms by which proteins fold and…

Stan Gielen new chair NWO with effect from January 2017

Professor C.C.A.M. (Stan) Gielen will become chair of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) with effect from 1 January 2017. NWO is currently undergoing major changes. The governance and…

PRL – Drexhage’s experiment with a Chinese gong

Drexhage’s seminal observation that spontaneous emission rates of fluorophores vary with distance from a mirror uncovered the fundamental notion that a source’s environment determines radiative linewidths and shifts, a cornerstone…

Paula van Tijn nieuwe instituutsmanager van AMOLF

Op donderdag 12 mei maakte directeur Huib Bakker bekend dat Paula van Tijn op 13 juni start als nieuwe instituutsmanager van AMOLF. Van Tijn gaat leiding geven aan de supportafdelingen…

Marileen Dogterom gekozen tot KNAW-lid

Op 18 mei maakte de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) bekend zestien nieuwe leden te hebben gekozen. Voormalig AMOLF-groepsleider en afdelingshoofd Marileen Dogterom is een van deze nieuwe leden.…

Vidi grants for Erik Garnett and Yves Rezus

AMOLF group leaders Erik Garnett and Yves Rezus have received an NWO Vidi grant. NWO has awarded 87 experienced researchers a Vidi grant worth 800,000 euros. The grant enables them…

Vidi-subsidies voor Erik Garnett en Yves Rezus

AMOLF-groepsleiders Erik Garnett en Yves Rezus ontvangen elk een NWO Vidi-financiering van 800.000 euro. De Vidi-beurzen worden jaarlijks door NWO toegekend aan ervaren onderzoekers die na hun promotie al een…

AMOLF group leaders publish review article in Science on challenges in photovoltaic energy conversion

Analyzing 16 record-efficiency solar cell materials, the paper presents opportunities to improve photovoltaic efficiency using nanoscale light management and to enhance carrier collection with innovative materials science and engineering strategies.…

Solar cell material can recycle light to boost efficiency

Perovskite materials can recycle light particles – a finding which could lead to a new generation of affordable, high-performance solar cells. Together with researchers from the United Kingdom AMOLF group…

No clear winner when it comes to antifreeze protein efficiency

Ever since biologist Arthur DeVries discovered antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fish in the 1960’s, researchers have tried to unravel the mystery behind these remarkable proteins. Thanks to the proteins in…

Bas Overvelde starts new group on Soft Robotic Matter

As of May 1st, Bas Overvelde will be appointed as AMOLF group leader. Overvelde is the third group leader hired in the Designer Matter initiative, a recently started line of…

How do collagen networks protect biological tissues from damage?

The Biological Soft Matter group of Gijsje Koenderink published a paper in Nature Physics in which they report a new model that explains the remarkable mechanical strength of collagen matrices.…

ERC Advanced Research Grants for Huib Bakker and Albert Polman

AMOLF director Huib Bakker and program leader Albert Polman both received an Advanced Research Grant of 2.5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The European Research Council uses…

De biologische klok in delende cellen: een robuust ontwerp

Onderzoekers van het FOM-instituut AMOLF en de Universiteit van Michigan hebben ontdekt hoe de biologische klok van een organisme stabiel kan blijven tikken ondanks dat de cellen van dat organisme…

The biological clock in dividing cells: a robust design

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF and the University of Michigan have discovered how the biological clock of an organism remains stable, even when the cells of that organism grow and…

Esther Alarcon versterkt zonne-energieonderzoek

Esther Alarcon is op 1 februari gestart als tenure-track groepsleider in de FOM-AMOLF focusgroep Light Management in New Photovoltaic Materials (LMPV). Alarcon was als postdoc verbonden aan EPFL in Lausanne.…

Tenure track group leader Esther Alarcon reinforces photovoltaics research

As of Februari 1st, Esther Alarcon starts as a tenure track group leader in the FOM focus group Light Management in New Photovoltaic Materials (LMPV). Alarcon is the third group…

Huib Bakker appointed as new director of FOM Institute AMOLF

Huib Bakker has been appointed as director of FOM Institute AMOLF starting on February 1st, 2016. He succeeds AMOLF director Vinod Subramaniam, who became Rector of VU University on September…

Kobus Kuipers goes to TU Delft

Professor Kobus Kuipers will leave AMOLF to become head of the Quantum Nanoscience department at the TU Delft. He will move to Delft in the summer of 2016. Kuipers began…

Cum Laude for Jorik van de Groep

On December 15th Jorik van de Groep defended his PhD thesis Resonant Nanophotonic Structures for Photovoltaics at the University of Amsterdam. Van de Groep obtained the Cum Laude degree for…

AMOLF-onderzoekers maken transparante geleiders door stempelen en groeien

Onderzoekers van het FOM-instituut AMOLF hebben een nieuwe techniek ontdekt voor het maken van transparante geleiders in elektronische apparaten, zoals zonnecellen en smartphones. De methode is een combinatie van een…

AMOLF researchers make transparent conductors by means of stamping and growing

Researchers at AMOLF have discovered a new technique for making transparent conductors used in electronics such as solar cells and smartphones. The technique is a combination of a stamping mechanism…

Nanoparticles unexpectedly make light move faster

Researchers at the FOM Institute AMOLF have observed a surprising effect during experiments in which light is ‘trapped' in a cavity. They established that the presence of nanoparticles close to the…

Royal Decoration for Wim Sinke

AMOLF’s visiting scientist Wim Sinke was awarded a royal decoration last Friday, November 13 at the symposium Our solar energy future that was organized at the occasion of Sinke’s 60th…

Change accelerates stalled evolution

Researchers of FOM Institute AMOLF and Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique in Grenoble (France) have shown that the evolution of bacteria can be accelerated when their environment fluctuates in time. The research…

Verandering versnelt vastgelopen evolutie

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF en Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique in Grenoble (Frankrijk) hebben ontdekt dat de evolutie van een bacterie versnelt als de leefomgeving veranderlijk is. Het onderzoek geeft een…

Nanodeeltjes laten licht onverwachts sneller bewegen

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF hebben een verrassend effect waargenomen tijdens experimenten waarbij ronddraaiend licht zit 'opgesloten' in een holte. Ze stelden vast dat de aanwezigheid van nanodeeltjes vlakbij de holte,…

New 3D tracking technique “for the masses” reveals individuality of bacterial behavior

Microscopy techniques used to study the movement of swimming microbes are limited to two dimensions (2D) or require sophisticated devices. In a paper to be published online on 2 November,…

Pieter Rein ten Wolde elected as APS Fellow

The American Physical Society (APS) has elected AMOLF group leader Pieter Rein ten Wolde as APS Fellow. Election to APS Fellowship is limited to no more than half of one…

Zwemmende bacteriën zijn nu in 3D te volgen

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF hebben een nieuwe methode ontwikkeld waarmee ze de snelle bewegingen van bacteriën in drie dimensies zeer efficiënt kunnen volgen. Dit is hen gelukt met een standaard…

FOM Physics Thesis Award 2015 goes to Said Rodriguez

The FOM Physics Thesis Award 2015 goes to AMOLF alumnus Said Rodriguez for his thesis Coupling light and matter in metallic nanoparticle arrays. Rodriguez received the prize in January 2016…

Observation of quantum molecular motions at work in next-generation solar cells

Researchers from AMOLF, Cambridge, Lund and Kiel have revealed that molecular vibrations drive the process known as singlet fission. Singlet fission potentially allows to double the charge carrier generation in…

Electron beam controls artificial optical molecule at the nanoscale

Metallic nanoparticles have the ability to confine light to volumes much smaller than the wavelength. If such particles are arranged in a special configuration they can show interesting optical phenomena,…

Tom Shimizu appointed professor at VU University Amsterdam

As of September 1st, 2015 AMOLF group leader Tom Shimizu has been appointed professor of ‘Experimental Physics of Behavior’ at the VU University Amsterdam. Shimizu’s research focuses on the physical…

Triple PV highlights: three articles on light management in thin-film solar cells

Within a relatively short time span three leading scientific journals published papers on solar cell research carried out at AMOLF in the Light Management in New Photovoltaic Materials (LMPV) research…

Niklas Ottosson starts new research group “EUV Photoemission”

As of August 1, Niklas Ottosson has been appointed as tenure track group leader at ARCNL and AMOLF. The start of the EUV Photoemission group marks the start of a…

Good vibrations boost plastic electronics

Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF in collaboration with scientists from Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), Georgia Institute of Technology (US), KAUST (Saudi Arabia) and University of Heidelberg (Germany) have demonstrated…

Wim Noorduin starts new research group on Self-Organizing Matter

As of August 1st, Wim Noorduin has been appointed as AMOLF group leader. Noorduin is the second group leader hired in the Designer Matter group, a recently started line of…

Metamaterial undermines 250-year-old construction principles

Researchers from the Mechanical Metamaterials group have demonstrated how a rubber beam subjected to less pressure bends faster.This behaviour defies our expectations and appears to undermine the centuries-old bending laws.…

Veni grant for Corentin Coulais

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded a Veni grant to Corentin Coulais for his proposal on Aperiodic Mechanical Metamaterials. Coulais is postdoc in the group Mechanical Metamaterials. In…

Huib Bakker interim director of AMOLF

Huib Bakker has been appointed as interim director of AMOLF as of September 1st 2015. Bakker knows AMOLF well; he carried out his doctorate research at AMOLF and since 2003…

Designer Matter Workshop

From June 22nd until June 24th the new research field of Designer Matter organized a workshop at AMOLF bringing together exciting work in the physics, engineering and design communities. The…

SOLARDAM – Amsterdam solar energy initiative started

The solar energy research network SOLARDAM has received its first research grant.The 1 M€ grant from the Amsterdam Academic Alliance (AAA) enables collaborative research between AMOLF, UvA, VU, and ECN…

The molecular radio: tuning in to the signal of molecules

Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF have developed an ultrasensitive technique to study the rapid motions of molecules in materials that are just a few molecules thick. The new technique allows…

De moleculaire radio: afstemmen op het signaal van moleculen

Onderzoekers van het FOM-instituut AMOLF hebben een ultragevoelige techniek ontwikkeld waarmee ze de razendsnelle bewegingen van moleculen kunnen bestuderen in materialen die slechts een paar moleculen dik zijn. Nu het…

Nanoparticle coating eliminates reflection from glass

Reflection of light off glass surfaces is a problem occurring in everyday life, and hinders the performance of solar panels, smart phone and tablet displays. Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF…

FOM, NWO-ALW and Unilever jointly investigate the physical behaviour of everyday products

On the 1st of June, the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), NWO Earth and Life Sciences (ALW) and Unilever will start a strategic joint research programme into understanding…

FOM, NWO-ALW en Unilever onderzoeken samen het fysische gedrag van alledaagse producten

De Stichting FOM, NWO Aard- en Levenswetenschappen (ALW) en Unilever starten per 1 juni een gezamenlijk onderzoeksprogramma dat inzicht zal geven in hybride zachte materialen. De drie partijen zijn de…

Huib Bakker elected as KNAW member

AMOLF group leader Huib Bakker has been elected as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Today, the Academy announced the election of 16 new…

A biological escape room: AMOLF researchers finally get an outside glimpse of protein aggregates that cause diabetes

Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF have, for the first time ever, managed to make an image of the exterior structure of a protein aggregate that causes diseases like Alzheimer and…

AMOLF-onderzoekers publiceren hoogtepunten van nanofotonica in Science

Het onderzoeksgebied nanofotonica, de wetenschap en de toepassing van licht op de nanoschaal, is in de afgelopen jaren snel gegroeid. AMOLF-onderzoekers behoren tot de pioniers van dit vakgebied. In een…

Highlights of nanophotonics published in Science

The research field of nanophotonics, the science and application of light at the nanoscale, has seen a rapid growth in the last years, with AMOLF researchers among the pioneers. In…

Vortices in hall of mirrors show spinning light the way out

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF have used the classical toolbox of physics to make predictions about the quantum world. Using a classical experiment, they showed how the direction in which…

Visiting professor Andrea Alù wins Alan T. Waterman Award

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Andrea Alù as the recipient of this year's Alan T. Waterman Award. Professor Alù (University of Texas in Austin) is currently KNAW…

Afbeeldingen maken op de nanoschaal

Onderzoekers van FOM-instituut AMOLF en Stanford University hebben een nieuwe methode ontwikkeld om driedimensionale afbeeldingen te maken van ultrakleine objecten. Ze combineerden daarvoor twee bestaande technieken: kathodoluminescentie en tomografie. Deze…

Nanoscale optical tomography using electrons

A team of researchers from AMOLF and Stanford University has developed a novel way to make three-dimensional optical images of nanoscale objects. They irradiate the object with a 30 keV…

Solar cell researchers combine the best of two worlds with mineral based nanowires

For the first time a team of researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF have synthesized a mineral (AgFeS2) to create semiconducting nanowires. This earth-abundant semiconductor has a direct band gap of…

Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship for antifreeze protein research

AMOLF postdoc Konrad Meister from the research group of Huib Bakker was honoured with a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship amounting 165 k€ for his proposal Hydration Dynamics of Antifreeze Proteins.…

AMOLF researchers observe monster waves of light

Scientists from FOM institute AMOLF have observed monster waves of light. Monster waves are waves that seem to emerge out of nowhere and then rapidly disappear again. The researchers have shown…

AMOLF-onderzoekers zien monstergolven van licht

Wetenschappers van het FOM-instituut AMOLF hebben monstergolven van licht waargenomen. Monstergolven zijn golven die schijnbaar uit het niets opkomen en daarna snel weer verdwijnen. De onderzoekers laten zien dat ze…

Vici grant for Femius Koenderink

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Vici grant to AMOLF group leader Femius Koenderink. A total of 216 researchers submitted a pre-prososal. Out of 132 elaborated…

SOLARDAM – Amsterdam solar energy initiative started

The solar energy research network SOLARDAM has received its first research grant. The 1 M€ grant from the Amsterdam Academic Alliance (AAA) enables collaborative research between AMOLF, UvA, VU, and ECN…

Katja Taute wins award for outstanding talk

AMOLF postdoc Katja Taute (Systems Biology and Biophysics research groups) has won the award for outstanding postdoctoral talk at the BLAST XIII conference (13th International Conference on Bacterial Locomotion and…

Hugo Doeleman launched in Faces of Science

Last year Hugo Doeleman started at AMOLF as PhD student in the research group Resonant Nanophotonics. This week he wrote his first blog, “Keuzes maken de man”, on the Faces…

Time, energy and storage capacity determine the measurement accuracy of the ‘cell computer’

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF have discovered what determines the accuracy with which cells can measure chemical concentrations. They described the results of their research in two publications: on 24…

Physical origins of randomness in a primitive brain

Group leader Tom Shimizu was awarded a so called ‘Vrije FOM Programma’ on The signal is the noise: seeking physical origins of fluctuation in organism-scale behaviour. Variability in the behavior…

Bruno Ehrler starts new research group on Hybrid Solar Cells

As of November 1st, Bruno Ehrler has been appointed as AMOLF group leader. Ehrler is the second group leader hired in the FOM Focus group “Light Management in New Photovoltaic…

New mechanism to convert light into electricity: the ‘plasmo-electric effect’

Researchers of the FOM Institute AMOLF and the California Institute of Technology have discovered a new method to generate electrical potentials using light. Using precisely sculpted metal nanocircuits they found…

Core-shell nanowire antennas boost absorption for solar cells

Researchers at the FOM Institute AMOLF have taken the first steps towards making a high performance solar cell by coating metal nanowire electrodes with an ultrathin shell of the absorbing…

Researchers discover that hairpins can make a polymer spaghetti fluid

Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF and the German Forschungzentrum Jülich have discovered why polymers in a solution become fluid if the solution is stirred. They discovered that the polymer structure…

Kobus Kuipers appointed professor at Utrecht University

AMOLF group leader Kobus Kuipers has been appointed professor Nanophotonics at the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science in the department of Physics and Astronomy of the Utrecht University. Kuipers will…

Cell factory runs with fits and starts

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF have discovered that metabolism, the process that converts molecules in a cell, proceeds irregularly. As metabolism is the motor that drives all biological activity in…

Martin van Hecke starts new research group on ‘Mechanical Metamaterials’

As of September 1, Martin van Hecke starts a new research group on Mechanical Metamaterials. These forms of matter derive their transnatural functionalities from their structure rather than composition —…

Observing the misfolding of a single protein

Researchers from FOM institute AMOLF have directly observed the misfolding of a protein chain. Protein chains are thought to fold into the wrong structure sometimes, and thus cause neurodegenerative diseases.…

Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics to Atwater and Polman

This year’s Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics will be awarded to AMOLF group leader Prof. Albert Polman and his colleague Prof. Harry A. Atwater from Caltech Pasadena, USA, for…

Infrared-activated fuel cells

Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF have discovered that infrared light strongly stimulates the transport of protons (H+ ions) in hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative, clean source of…

Gijsje Koenderink head of Systems Biophysics department

On July 1,2014, Gijsje Koenderink has been appointed head of the AMOLF Systems Biophysics Department. Koenderink succeeds Marileen Dogterom, who moved to the TU Delft in January. Bela Mulder was…

AMOLF to pursue Designer Matter

Arrival of Martin van Hecke initiates a new line of research. FOM Institute AMOLF is launching a new line of research in designer matter, aimed at the design of new…

2 Vidi grants for AMOLF groupleaders

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded 2 Vidi grants to AMOLF group leaders Ewold Verhagen and Jeroen van Zon. In total, 540 researchers submitted an application and…

MRS 2014 Innovation in Materials Characterization Award for Albert Polman

AMOLF group leader Albert Polman receives the 2014 Innovation in Materials Characterization Award of the Materials Research Society (MRS) “for the development, application and commercialization of Angle-Resolved Cathodoluminescence Imaging Spectroscopy…

Building the ring to divide them all: septin proteins bundle actin filaments into a ring

Researchers of the FOM Institute AMOLF and of Marseille and Paris have demonstrated that cells require a protein called septin to build a ring of actin filaments. This ring of…

Single gold nanoparticle acts as a lighthouse

Researchers at FOM Institute AMOLF have discovered a novel method to create directional beams of light on the nanoscale based on a simple single-element nanoantenna design. The insights from this…

Single gold nanoparticle acts as a lighthouse

Researchers at FOM Institute AMOLF have discovered a novel method to create directional beams of light on the nanoscale based on a simple single-element nanoantenna design. The insights from this…

Physica prize 2014 for Albert Polman

AMOLF group leader Albert Polman has been honored with the prestigious Physica prize of the Netherlands Physical Society (NNV). The NNV grants the prize to Albert Polman for his outstanding…

ERC Starting Grant for AMOLF group leader Jeroen van Zon

AMOLF group leader Jeroen van Zon has received a prestigious ERC Starting Grant. Jeroen van Zon will use his grant to start a research program on the role of stochastic…

Award for bio-art proposal together with AMOLF

On December 6, 2012, one of the three Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Awards (DA4GA) was granted to a bio-art proposal, Living Mirror, that will be carried out in collaboration…

How does a bacterium pack a 1.5 millimeters long circular chromosome into a cylindrical container of just 2 micrometers long and 1 micrometer wide?

This is a question that has occupied microbiologists for decades, but like many questions surrounding chromosomes it is difficult to tackle experimentally because of the small size of the bacterium…

A microtubule-based molecular switch determines the orientation of cell divison in plant stem cells

In order to create an organ like the plant root from a single niche of pluripotent cells, plants must control the orientation of the division plane. If all divisions were transverse…

Jeroen van Zon starts new research group on ‘Quantitative Developmental Biology’

As of March 1st, Jeroen van Zon has been appointed group leader within the Systems Biophysics department at AMOLF. His ‘Quantitative Developmental Biology’ research group will use a quantitative, physics-inspired approach…

Mission

“We initiate and perform leading fundamental research on the physics of functional complex matter, in partnership with academia and industry.”

Man met lichte baard en kort lichtbruin haar draagt lichte blouse voor houten achtergrond

Bruno Ehrler

Director of AMOLF

Core topics

Our research themes

AMOLF’s research program comprises three interdisciplinary themes. Together they drive discoveries of new insights, new functional materials, and solutions to societal challenges.

Autonomous Matter

Built-in autonomy

Autonomous Matter

Focuses on understanding how matter can perform complex functions independently. By uncovering the fundamental principles of autonomy, we aim to design materials that self-organize, respond to their environment, and operate without centralized control.

Information in Matter

The physics of data

Information in Matter

How physical systems gather, process, and use information. By uncovering these fundamental principles, we explore how light, mechanics, and molecules can carry and process information, opening the way to new technologies such as smart and adaptive materials.

Sustainable Energy Materials

Powering the Future

Sustainable Energy Materials

Explores how manipulating light, electrons, and ions in space and time can lead to new ways to convert energy. This fundamental understanding can enable higher efficiency, better stability, and new functionality in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and sustainable chemistry.

Whats’ next

Upcoming events

Join AMOLF’s conferences, symposia and other events where researchers share latest developments in science and research.

Persoon met blauwe handschoenen houdt een flexibel transparant object met zwarte en gele structuur vast in laboratorium.

AMOLF Colloquium: Light–Matter Interactions in Quantum Systems Complete

In short In this colloquium, Prof. Maya Kline will discuss the fundamental mechanisms that govern light–matter interactions in quantum systems, and how these interactions can be harnessed for next-generation quantum…

18 September, 2026

AMOLF Lecture Hall, Amsterdam Science Park

Persoon met blauwe handschoenen houdt een flexibel transparant object met zwarte en gele structuur vast in laboratorium.

AMOLF Colloquium: Light–Matter Interactions in Quantum Systems Complete 1

In short In this colloquium, Prof. Kline will discuss the fundamental mechanisms that govern light–matter interactions in quantum systems, and how these interactions can be harnessed for next-generation quantum technologies.…

18 September, 2026

AMOLF Lecture Hall, Amsterdam Science Park

Persoon met blauwe handschoenen houdt een flexibel transparant object met zwarte en gele structuur vast in laboratorium.

OrganoidNL Symposium 2026

In short In this colloquium, Prof. Maya Kline will discuss the fundamental mechanisms that govern light–matter interactions in quantum systems, and how these interactions can be harnessed for next-generation quantum…

18 September, 2026

AMOLF Lecture Hall, Amsterdam Science Park

Who we are

Advancing science and talent

“Researchers and technical staff work hand in hand to develop the custom equipment and infrastructure that drive our science”

Paula van Tijn

Paula van Tijn

Institute Manager

Go to the repository

Laboratoriumopstelling met blauwe laserstraal en optische componenten zoals lenzen en spiegels

Discover our research groups

Een groep van negen mensen in werkkleding staat in een goed verlichte werkplaats met machines en gereedschap.

Years of science and innovation

Highlights from 2025

Vrouw in witte labjas zit aan microscoop en onderzoekt monster in een laboratorium met labmaterialen

Hand met paarse wegwerphandschoen houdt petri-schotel met roze vloeistof vast in laboratoriumomgeving

Visit our People page

Een persoon inspecteert een printplaat aan een werktafel met een microscoop en computerbeeldscherm.

Learn more about AMOLF

Tomorrow’s scientists

Your future starts here

At AMOLF, bright young minds work side by side with leading researchers — gaining hands-on experience, mentorship, and inspiration for the next step in science.

Explore job opportunities

Glimlachende vrouw in witte labjas en blauwe handschoenen houdt transparant gegevensblad vast in laboratorium

Vrouwelijke wetenschapper met witte labjas en veiligheidsbril, houdt tablet vast in laboratorium.

Vrouw in witte labjas en veiligheidsbril in laboratorium met labapparatuur rondom haar, glimlachend.

Jonge vrouw met korte gekrulde haardos in witte labjas kijkt vriendelijk in een kantooromgeving.

Vrouw in witte labjas met mondkapje kijkt door microscoop in helder modern laboratorium

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