News & updates
Latest developments from our institute
Stay informed about new research results, awards, events, and collaborations across our scientific community.
Wiebke Albrecht appointed professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dr. Wiebke Albrecht has been appointed professor by special appointment in Electron and Optical Imaging of Nanomaterials at the Faculty of Science of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). The chair was established on behalf of the Foundation for the Advancement of Atomic and Molecular Physics (‘Stichting tot bevordering van de Atoom- en Molecuulfysica’) with the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the VU.
Nachi Stern awarded ERC Starting Grant to explore how matter learns
Why do brains learn, but rocks do not? Could a material one day adapt to its environment the way a living organism does? AMOLF group leader Dr. Nachi Stern has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant to investigate the physical laws of learning, in a project called, “Physical Learning in Dynamical Systems.”
Huibregtsen prize nomination for lead detection method
AMOLF group leader Professor Wim Noorduin and his collaborator Professor Arian van Asten (UvA) have been nominated for the Huibregtsen Prize 2026. The winner will be announced at the annual event called ‘Avond van Wetenschap en Maatschappij’ (evening of science and society) on October 8, 2026. The prize recognizes scientists who combine scientific excellence and innovation with particular societal relevance or outreach.
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 cells respond to signals from the tissue around them. Dr. Kunal Datta will investigate how new optical and electronic properties emerge when semiconductor crystals twist against each other.
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 & Physics of Cellular Interactions), Dr. Sarah Gillespie (Nanoscale Solar Cells), and Dr. Sergio Rey Puentes (Hybrid Nanosystems).
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 for processing information directly where it is sensed. This approach reduces the need to transfer data to separate processing units, as is typically done on conventional computers. The project ‘Vision with Ionic Spatiotemporal Perovskite Arrays’ (VISTA) is funded with €150,000.
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.
Four PhD candidates close their AMOLF chapter
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Left to right: Sjoerd van Dongen (cum laude), Paul Ducarme, Max Betjes (cum laude), and Mees Dieperink.[/caption] Sjoerd van Dongen (cum laude) At AMOLF, Sjoerd worked…