Measuring strain of laser-excited gold plasmonic nanoparticles with 4D-STEM

Work Activities
Recent studies have shown that defects in metallic plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) could increase the reaction rate of catalytic reactions. These atomic defects can result in lattice strain and can for example be caused by excitation with ultrafast laser pulses. The study of lattice strain can be done with 4D-STEM, which we can perform in our recently acquired transmission electron microscope (TEM). Our TEM is unique as we can perform these strain measurements in situ under picosecond pulsed laser excitation. In this project, the goal will be to acquire 4D-STEM data under laser excitation and develop a suitable pipeline to analyze such large datasets.

Qualifications
You are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics, chemistry, materials science, nano-science, sustainable energy, or a related field. You have a nationality of an EU-member state and/or you are a student at a Netherlands University. The internship has to be a mandatory part of your curriculum. We expect you to be available for at least 6 months, although longer is preferable.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

In the Hybrid-nanosystems group group, we investigate the interaction between different components in complex hybrid nanostructures and develop new architectures for such systems. The Hybrid Nanosystems group focuses on unravelling the interplay of morphology and underlying charge and energy transfer processes in metal-semiconductor hybrid nanosystems by combining advanced electron microscopy and single particle optical and time-resolved spectroscopy.

https://amolf.nl/research-groups/hybrid-nanosystems

Working conditions
At the start of the traineeship your trainee plan will be set out, in consultation with your AMOLF supervisor.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Tom Veeken: t.veeken@amolf.nl and Wiebke Albrecht: w.albrecht@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Quantum-controlled electron wavepackets in the scanning electron microscope

Work Activities
In this project, you will explore the interaction between high-energy electrons and intense nanostructured light fields in a scanning electron microscope. During this interaction, electrons can absorb or emit one or more photon energy quanta, placing them into a quantum mechanical superposition state. As a result, the electron—initially a point charge— transforms into a complex wavepacket in space and time. The goal of this project is to investigate the use of optical metasurfaces to control nanoscale light fields, with the aim of shaping the electron energy spectrum and wavepacket profile at will. These shaped wavepackets could enable novel forms of ultrafast quantum-coherent materials spectroscopy. The project involves nanofabrication of metasurfaces, setting up a system to modulate light fields, and measuring the electron energy and light emission spectra and their correlations.

Qualifications
You are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics, nanophotonics, photonics, materials science, or a related field. You have a nationality of an EU-member state and/or you are a student at a Netherlands University. The internship has to be a mandatory part of your curriculum. We expect you to be available for at least 6 months, although longer is preferable.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

The Photonic Materis group focuses on three main research themes:

• Quantum cathodoluminescence microscopy
• Light management in photovoltaics
• Optical metamaterials

Working conditions
At the start of the traineeship your trainee plan will be set out, in consultation with your AMOLF supervisor.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Tom Veeken: t.veeken@amolf.nl or Albert Polman: a.polman@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD-student: Active Hysterons and Spiking Neurons for Physical Computing

Work Activities

Qualifications
We seek candidates with a strong background in physics, electrical\mechanical engineering, materials science, or computer science with an interest in complex materials for computing and learning. Excellent candidates with training in any area of science or engineering will be considered. PhD candidates must meet the requirements for an MSc degree. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required. Other advantageous qualities include experience with coding (Python\Matlab) and numerical methods, as well as familiarity with concepts in complex systems, physical memories or machine learning. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse research environment, and welcome applicants with any background.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.968 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• The successful candidate is expected to spend 50% of their time in Amsterdam and 50% of their time in Eindhoven.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact :

Prof. Dr. Martin van Hecke
E-mail: M.v.Hecke@amolf.nl

Prof. Dr. Yoeri van de Burgt
E-mail: Y.B.v.d.Burgt@tue.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. This means that we will only consider your application if it entails your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD-student: Active Hysterons and Spiking Neurons for Physical Computing

Work Activities

Qualifications
We seek candidates with a strong background in physics, electrical\mechanical engineering, materials science, or computer science with an interest in complex materials for computing and learning. Excellent candidates with training in any area of science or engineering will be considered. PhD candidates must meet the requirements for an MSc degree. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required. Other advantageous qualities include experience with coding (Python\Matlab) and numerical methods, as well as familiarity with concepts in complex systems, physical memories or machine learning. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse research environment, and welcome applicants with any background.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.968 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• The successful candidate is expected to spend 50% of their time in Amsterdam and 50% of their time in Eindhoven.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact :

Prof. Dr. Martin van Hecke
E-mail: M.v.Hecke@amolf.nl

Prof. Dr. Yoeri van de Burgt
E-mail: Y.B.v.d.Burgt@tue.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. This means that we will only consider your application if it entails your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD-student: Self-Learning Metamaterials

Work Activities
We are seeking a motivated PhD student to join our team working on realizing learning in novel physical materials, as part of a joint theoretical/experimental research project between AMOLF and the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Living systems capture our imagination in their incredible resilience and ability to adapt and prosper in the face of change in their environments. In comparison, human-made materials work reliably until an external change or internal aging cause them to fail once and for all. In this project, we will utilize a physical learning approach to imbue metamaterials and robots with intrinsic adaptation and learning from their experiences.

Using a combination of theory, numerical experiments and precision desktop experiments, we will create 3D materials with self-adapting elastic elements that counteract changes in the environment and the aging of their own parts. We will study how to make these materials learn continually by adapting functions over their lifetime without forgetting old lessons. Thereby, we will bring synthetic materials a large step closer to their living counterparts. With this project, we aim to redefine the way we engineer materials with direct ramifications in adaptive materials and robotics.

We offer a PhD position that combines theoretical exploration and experimental realization of a new class of robotic learning metamaterial, based on active and non-reciprocal elastic elements with controllable stiffness. The project will involve analytical and computational modelling, as well as designing and conducting lab experiments. Key questions include: How to create materials that can self-learn bulk visco-elastic properties? How to structure such materials to learn continually and counteract the aging of their own parts? Can we optimize self-learning materials to achieve properties that are hard to combine? With this research, we aim combine materials engineering with evolution and learning theory, blurring the lines between synthetic materials and adapting living systems.

For more information about our work, see:

[1] Jonas Veenstra, Colin Scheibner, Martin Brandenbourger, Jack Binysh, Anton Souslov, Vincenzo Vitelli, and Corentin Coulais. Adaptive locomotion of active solids. Nature, 639(8056):935–941 (2025).

[2] Yao Du, Jonas Veenstra, Ryan van Mastrigt, and Corentin Coulais. Metamaterials that learn to change shape. arXiv:2501.11958 (2025).

[3] Stern and Murugan, Learning without neurons in physical systems, Ann Rev Cond Matt Phys 14, 417 (2023)

[4] Dillavou, Beyer, Stern, Liu, Miskin and Durian, Machine learning without a processor: Emergent learning in a nonlinear analog network, PNAS 121, e2319718121 (2024)

Qualifications
We seek candidates with a strong background in physics, mechanical engineering, materials science, or computer science with an interest in complex meta-materials and (physical) learning. Excellent candidates with training in any area of science or engineering will be considered. PhD candidates must meet the requirements for an MSc degree. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required. Other advantageous qualities include experience with coding (Python\Matlab) and numerical methods, as well as familiarity with concepts in complex systems, physical memories or machine learning. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse research environment, and welcome applicants with any background.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

The Machine Materials laboratory at the University of Amsterdam is led by Corentin Coulais, with the goal of developing artificial materials which combine microstructure and out-of-equilibrium processes to interact with their environment in a programmable fashion.

The Learning Machines group is a new group at AMOLF, led by Menachem (Nachi) Stern, and focuses on the development of fundamental understanding and theories regarding learning, from a physical perspective, under real world constraints.

Our group members work closely together with extensive support from us and AMOLF resources in all aspects of design, realization, and interpretation of computational models of mechanical metamaterials and physical learning systems. We have a strong focus on stimulating development of students in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at our institutes and beyond. Moreover, we work closely together with international groups and companies.

Working conditions
The position is hosted at AMOLF, and the successful candidate will be enrolled for a Ph.D. program an the University of Amsterdam with joint supervision of Dr. Coulais and Dr. Stern. The experimental elements of the work will be carried at the science park campus of the University of Amsterdam.

• The working atmosphere at AMOLF is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.968 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at the University of Amsterdam.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact:

Dr. Menachem Stern
E-mail: stern@amolf.nl

Dr. Corentin Coulais
E-mail: C.J.M.Coulais@uva.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.