Six Veni grants for young physicists
NWO awarded a Veni grant to six talented young physics researchers. The six physicists were part of the 161 highly promising researchers who have recently gained their PhDs and can spend the next three years working on their scientific ideas. A Veni grant is worth a maximum of 250,000 euros and is one of the individual grants from NWO to encourage scientific talent. In total, NWO and OCW invest 40 million euros in this round.
Innovative research
Veni is part of NWO's prestigious Talent Line programme, which consists of the Veni, Vidi and Vici grants. With this programme, NWO offers scientists at various stages in their career the possibility to do groundbreaking research. Veni laureates gained their PhDs no more than three years ago. They are free to choose their research subject. By allowing this freedom, NWO and OCW encourage curiosity-driven and innovative research.
This year, a total of 1.124 researchers submitted an application for Veni. 161 scientists receive a grant, which results in an award rate of 14%. Of all the applications, 620 were admitted by men and 504 by women. 75 women and 86 men receive a grant, which results in a granting percentage of respectively 15% for women and 14% for men.
More information
The complete list with all Veni-researchers can be found on the NWO website.
Physics
Aperiodic Mechanical Metamaterials: Bridging the Gap between Matter and Machine
Dr. Corentin Coulais (m), FOM Institute AMOLF
Mechanical metamaterials are artificial structures with extraordinary properties. Since they often have a periodical structure, their capabilities are limited. This project will develop metamaterials with complex mechanical functions using aperiodic structures.
Taking Pictures of Free-flying Electrons
Dr. Johannes Jobst (m,) LEI
In graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, electrons travel large distances without changing direction. The researcher will use a novel microscopy technique to study how these free-flying electrons behave when the devices are switched on and off.
Magnets out of the comfort zone
J.H. (Johan) Mentink (m) Radboud University Nijmegen – Physics
Magnetism occurs due to the interactions between electrons. The researchers want to understand how quickly magnets can be manipulated using the ultrafast dynamics of electrons' charge and angular momentum; for this they will develop a non-equilibrium quantum theory.
Design of 2-dimensional soft materials
Dr. Laura Rossi (f), UvA
Despite their importance in science and technology, 2D materials are difficult to study directly at the atomic scale. The researchers will assemble smart micron-size particles into directionally bonded 2D structures mimicking atomic systems, allowing observation of single particle behaviours.
Heart of Darkness: dark matter illuminated
Dr J. (Jordy) de Vries (m) FOM-Nikhef – Physics
Strong indications exist that our universe consists partially of dark matter. This research develops new theoretical methods for describing collisions between dark matter and atomic nuclei. The purpose is to unravel the mysterious nature of dark matter.
Towards realistic predictions for new physics searches at the LHC
Dr L. (Lisa) Zeune (f), FOM-Nikhef – Physics
What is the universe made of? What is dark matter? The Large Hadron Collider will answer these questions by searching for new physics. This quest is possible only with realistic and precise theoretical predictions for new physics processes. These will be made in this project.