News & updates
Latest developments from our institute
Stay informed about new research results, awards, events, and collaborations across our scientific community.
Bruno Ehrler appointed professor at University of Groningen
Group leader Bruno Ehrler has been named professor by special appointment for New Hybrid Material Systems for Solar-cell Applications at the University of Groningen. Ehrler will continue working at AMOLF leading the research group Hybrid Solar Cells.
Kristina Ganzinger awarded by KHMW
On September 11th, group leader Kristina Ganzinger has been awarded this year’s Pieter Langerhuizen Lambertuszoon Fonds of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (KHMW).
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 support talented early-career scientists who have already produced excellent research, and show potential to be a research leader.
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 number of crosslinkers. The authors believe that cells use this scaling, not only to stabilize cellular structures but also to control their size. The new findings are important for our understanding of the dynamics of cellular structures such as the mitotic spindle, which pulls chromosomes apart during cell division.
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 unexpected manner why this is the case: pressure plays an important role. They published their findings on July 15th in Cell Reports Physical Science.
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. This degree is reserved for the top 5% of the students. Gijsje Koenderink was the promotor. Until recently, Burla was a PhD student in the AMOLF research group of Gijsje Koenderink who left AMOLF to become full professor at TU Delft.
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 by experiments on bacteria. On June 24, they publish their results in the journal Cell Systems.
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 optical cavity in which light undergoes phase transitions similar to those in boiling water. The system they studied has memory because the oil causes photons to interact with themselves. By varying the distance between the two mirrors and measuring the transmission of light through the cavity, they discovered a universal law describing phase transitions in systems with memory. These results are published on April 15th in Physical Review Letters.