AMOLF
Physics of functional complex matter

The EU Pathfinder project Electron Beams Enhancing Analytical Microscopy (EBEAM) that was recently completed has received a highly positive review of the European Innovation Council (EIC). EBEAM brought together eight European research institutions and companies, including AMOLF, that develop new concepts and instruments combining spectroscopic analysis with electron microscopy.

Organoids are instrumental in improving our understanding of processes that are otherwise hidden inside the body. For instance, these small 3D organs can be used to test medicines on tissue grown from a patient’s own cells. AMOLF researchers carry out unique and complex experiments to follow organoids in time. In order to enable other researchers to benefit from their experiences, they now publish their methods in the prestigious journal Nature Protocols.

This year at the opening of the parliamentary year (Prinsjesdag) Minister of Education, Culture and Science Rianne Letschert wears a spectacular hat and shoulder ornament. Both of them are inspired by the microscopic structures studied by group leader Wim Noorduin (AMOLF/UvA), which look remarkably like tiny flowers under a microscope. Artist and designer Malou Beemer translated these shapes, normally invisible to the naked eye, into wearable art.

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.”

Researchers from the Nanoscale Solar Cells group at AMOLF have developed a new way to control light using tiny glass spheres. The spheres can efficiently capture incoming light and control which color is guided in which direction. This could help make photocatalysis, where light is used to drive chemical reactions, more efficient and ultimately contribute to more sustainable chemical processes. The technique could also be useful for future semiconductor applications. The research was published in ACS Photonics on August 13, 2026.

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.

AMOLF researchers report in Nature Communications that they followed in real time how the cellular protein recycling system selects and dismantles proteins. Using single molecule manipulation, they found that the protein recycling system acts as a motor that threads proteins through a central pore. They also discovered energy-driven fluctuations that may help it recognize the correct target, revealing how cells avoid mistakes and prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

For the first time, AMOLF participated in the Netherlands’ largest summer festival, Zwarte Cross. Together with volunteers from NWO, the AMOLF team introduced children to the fascinating world of molecules. The AMOLF booth was located in the festival’s children’s area, Blagenparadijs, as part of the NWA (National Science Agenda) carried out by NWO.

As materials become thinner – now reaching a thickness of single atoms – it has become ever more difficult to create large enough sheets of these materials and transfer them without cracking them into tiny flakes. Recent work by a broad Amsterdam-based team of scientists, published in the journal ACS Nano, presents a new technique that solves this problem – using an unexpected material that can be found in any home kitchen.

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.

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).

On June 19, physicists and chemists in the Netherlands came together to learn about recent discoveries on light for driving and monitoring chemical reactions. Light is a powerful and sustainable tool for steering such reactions with precision. AMOLF organized the bi-annual symposium at Amsterdam Science Park.