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 to study problems in developmental biology, focusing on the small roundworm C. elegans. The aim of research is to elucidate how living organisms can reliably build their bodies during development, despite considerable underlying variability on the molecular level. The group will use a combination of fluorescence microscopy, microfluidics and mathematical modelling to study these questions.

Jeroen van Zon obtained his degree in Physics (2002) and his PhD degree in Theoretical Physics (2006) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For his PhD research, he worked on the statistical physics of granular materials with Prof. Fred MacKintosh and on the modelling of biological networks with Prof. Pieter Rein ten Wolde (AMOLF). In 2006, he moved to Imperial College London, where he continued modelling biological systems, working with Prof. Martin Howard on the mechanics of phagocytosis and on the regulation of DNA segregation in bacteria, both in close collaboration with biologists. In 2008, he was awarded a Human Frontier Science Program fellowship to work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) in the group of Prof. Alexander van Oudenaarden, where he performed experiments to study the role of molecular noise and variability in cell fate patterning during C. elegans organ development.

Jeroen van Zon

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People and recognition

Four PhD candidates close their AMOLF chapter

Four PhD students defended their thesis and are about to take the next steps in their career. Congratulations to Colin Meulblok (Mechanical Metamaterials), Francesca Scalerandi (Hybrid Nanosystems), Vashist Gangigude Ramesh (Interacting Photons), and Parisa Omidvar (Hypersmart Matter). We wish you all the best in your next steps!

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People and recognition

Joining forces to study perovskite interfaces

AMOLF group leaders Professor Wiebke Albrecht and Professor Bruno Ehrler have received an NWO ENW-M2 grant for their joint research project, The Dynamic Atomic Interface between Halide Perovskites and Metals. The insights gained will pave the way for sustainable, high-performance solar energy and information technology. Wiebke and Bruno will each hire a PhD student for this project. The grant amounts to €800.000.

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People and recognition

Wim Noorduin and Arian van Asten presenting their scientific journey

On October 8, Professor Wim Noorduin and his collaborator Professor Arian van Asten (University of Amsterdam) presented their scientific journey in a video to the audience at the ‘Avond van Wetenschap en Maatschappij’. They did so alongside the other nominees for the Huibregtsen Prize.

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Research highlights

Natural phenomena ‘hyperuniform disorder’ enables highly efficient, thin silicon solar cells

Silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, and many rooftops cannot support them. This creates a need for thin, flexible solar cells that can be integrated into building materials. However, making silicon solar cells thinner makes it harder to trap light inside the material. Researchers in the 3D Photovoltaics group found a fascinating way to overcome this challenge using a phenomenon called hyperuniform disorder. They publish their findings in the journal ACS Photonics.

The researchers were able to make highly efficient silicon solar cell materials that are 30 times thinner than conventional ones. They managed to do this by integrating a layer of nanometer sized structures on top of the material. Up close, this pattern looks random, but it is remarkably when you step back: no clumps, no gaps, and no repeating pattern. This is called hyperuniform disorder (or HUD).

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