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).
About the proposals
Overvelde will use the grant to develop his research on integrating mechanical metamaterials in soft robots. Over the next three years, Overvelde will try to create and understand a new class of reprogrammable materials and integrate these in soft robots to increase their capabilities. To achieve this goal, he will work with, and develop, mechanical metamaterials, which are materials that have properties arising from the shape of their microstructure, rather than their chemical composition.
Martinez Torres will be looking into stretching the lifespan of blood clots for effective wound healing. When we cut our skin, proteins and cells in the blood stream rapidly form a rigid blood clot that seals off the wound to prevent bleeding. Blood clots have the challenging task to withstand large mechanical deformations until the injury has healed, but vanish shortly after to ensure normal blood circulation. Interestingly, clots that are deformed last longer than those who are not, suggesting a physical mechanism regulating the clot lifespan. Martinez Torres will study why the stretched clots are more resistant to disappear.
About the grants
This year, a total of 154 researchers receive a Veni grant with a maximum of 250.000 euros. The veni grants are individual grants from NWO to promote scientific talent. They allow researchers who have recently obtained their PhD to conduct independent research and develop their ideas. With this approach, NWO and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science encourage curiosity-driven and innovative research. Veni is part of NWO’s Talent Scheme (Veni, Vidi and Vici) aimed at different career phases of scientists.
Video credits: NWO (in Dutch)
