ERC Advanced Grant for Nikhef researchers Harry van der Graaf and Piet Mulders
Dr. Harry van der Graaf and FOM workgroup leader prof.dr. Piet Mulders, both researchers at Nikhef, have each been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). Van der Graaf will receive nearly € 2.5 million for his highly innovative proposal 'MEMS-made Electron Emission Membranes'. Mulders, professor of theoretical physics at VU University Amsterdam and member of the Nikhef theory group, will receive over € 2 million for his outstanding proposal 'Quantum Chromodynamics at Work'.
Harry van der Graaf proposes a radically new and generic type of detector for photons, electrons and energetic charged particles which will not only improve particle detection in fundamental research but also have a direct spin-off effect in applied fields like medical imaging or optical communication. The core innovation, a stacked set of curved dynodes on top of a pixel chip, in itself is an extremely efficient electron detector. By capping the system with a traditional photocathode, a highly sensitive timed photon counter can be realized, outperforming all existing photon detectors. By capping it with an Electron Emission Membrane, a timed particle tracking detector is realized with a time resolution far superior to current particle detectors. Please see the Nikhef website for further information about the proposal.
ERC Advanced Grant for Piet Mulders
The proposal 'Quantum Chromodynamics at Work'of Mulders will make the following research possible. For a duration of five years, the grant will fund a programme of Theoretical Physics Research aimed at deepening our understanding of the structure of subatomic particles which are made of quarks and gluons, also called partons. The goal is to provide new ideas that can help experiments to uncover the secrets underlying the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
Please see the Nikhef website for further information about the proposal.
About the ERC Advanced Grants
The ERC Advanced Grant is given to exceptional individual researchers to pursue cutting-edge ground-breaking projects that open new directions in their respective research fields or other domains. Every year a few thousand applications are received by the European Research Council, of which only a few hundred are honoured.
More information
Dr. Harry van der Graaf (Nikhef), (020) 592 50 92
Prof.dr. Piet Mulders (Nikhef & VU University Amsterdam) (020) 598 78 63
Vanessa Mexner, Science Communication FOM-Nikhef, (020) 592 50 75