MRS Fall Meeting prizes for Susan Rigter

At the 2020 Virtual MRS Fall Meeting, PhD student Susan Rigter has won two awards with her poster Amorphous Halide Perovskite Thin Films. First, the Materials Research Society announced that she had won the Best Poster Award in the symposium, followed by the news that she was also shortlisted for best poster at the overall conference sponsored by ACS Energy Letters. Like a cherry on the cake, Rigter also received this second prize for her poster.

The MRS conference is the largest and most important conference on materials research. Group leader Erik Garnett is proud of his PhD student and says, “I can’t think of anyone I’ve known who has ever won the poster prize at MRS, though I’ve known hundreds of top people who have presented posters there.”

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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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People and recognition

Off Road grant for a better understanding of intestinal cells that communicate with the immune system

AMOLF postdoc Dr. Susanna Eli received an Off Road grant from ZonMw to investigate cells known as M cells in the gut lining that connect the intestine to the immune system. Understanding how M cells develop could ultimately contribute to better treatments for intestinal and immune-related diseases. The grant amounts to 100,000 euros.

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Events and outreach

Science for all ages at Wetenschapsdag 2026

Each year during the national Weekend of Science, AMOLF opens its doors to visitors of all ages to share our enthusiasm for science. AMOLF organizes Wetenschapsdag together with four other research organizations at Amsterdam Science Park: ARCNL, Nikhef, CWI, and University of Amsterdam.

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About AMOLF

Annual AMOLF Diversity Day focuses on Impostor Phenomenon

Once a year, the AMOLF Inclusion and Diversity team organizes Diversity Day for all AMOLF employees. On October 1, this year’s event took place with the theme Beyond Impostor Phenomenon – More Than Just Luck.

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