News & updates
Latest developments from our institute
Stay informed about new research results, awards, events, and collaborations across our scientific community.
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
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has elected Albert Polman, group leader at AMOLF and professor at the University of Amsterdam, as member of the board as of September 1. In the board, Albert will represent the Domain Natural Sciences and Technology as the successor of Ton van der Steen, whose term ends on that date.
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 energy efficient hardware for artificial intelligence. The Dutch Research Council (NWO) uses the ENW-M1 grant to fund high quality fundamental research driven by curiosity and important scientific questions.
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 the ribosome, a protein called NAC binds and folds it into the correct structure. This finding fundamentally rewrites our textbook knowledge on how human cells suppress diseases caused by protein folding errors. The researchers published their findings in the journal Molecular Cell on March 23.
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 Robotics summer school. From 26 January to 2 February, PhD student Katrien van Riet and her South African students progressed from an introduction to the topic to a final prototype presentation.
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 project is 1.5 M€. NWO considers the Vici grant as an incentive for adventurous, talented, and groundbreaking researchers.
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 research team presented the groundbreaking research into micro-scale metamaterials in Nature on February 25.
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 1744. This behavior prompted researchers in the Mechanical Metamaterials group at AMOLF to ask themselves: can we change this? Together with collaborators from Leiden University, they show how partial cuts in beams can fundamentally alter their buckling (deformation) behavior. The researchers published their findings in the journal Science Advances on February 13, 2026.