Research

Solar conversion into electricity or fuel relies on a complex interplay of many light-induced processes. To improve the device performance, it is essential to develop fundamental insight in all these processes occurring in a broad time window from femtoseconds to milliseconds. My research aims at understanding and controlling structure-functionality relationships in photocatalytic and photovoltaic materials, by steering 1) the static or 2) the dynamic nanostructure of the complex. I have an active (inter)national multidisciplinary collaboration network with colleagues from various disciplines. My team and I employ advanced complementary ultrafast spectroscopic methods to visualize light-induced processes in real-time, such as femtosecond transient absorption and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. As process conditions play a major role in the device performance, we have recently also developed facilities to carry out our ultrafast spectroscopy studies under operating conditions, demonstrating the major role of the environment in the photodynamics that underpin the performance.

Education

Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Delft University of Technology, 2008. 

M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2004.

Grants and Awards

2023: NWO ENW M2 Open Competition grant, with Dr. Andrea Baldi (VU Amsterdam) (k€700)

2022: NWO Wind and Solar Energy grant, with Dr. Rebecca Saive (University of Twente) (M€1.2)

2021: NWO ENW M1 Open Competition grant (k€310)

2020: NWO Open Technology Program grant, with Prof. André ten Elshof (University of Twente) (k€580)

2018: TOP grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), offering outstanding researchers the opportunity to strengthen or renew challenging and innovative lines of research, with Prof. Huub De Groot (Leiden) and Dr. Tomas Jansen (Groningen) (k€820)

2004: Award for best M.Sc. student Chemical Engineering Delft University of Technology (out of ca. 50 students), the Netherlands

2004: Cum laude award (top 5 %) for M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands