Institute of Physics

Physics research and education at our institute covers a wide range of topics - both experimental and theoretical, and ranging from fundamental to more applied.

Materials – but not as we know them

Active matter can use internal energy to change its shape and functionality when external forces are applied. The study of active materials is a dynamic, modern field of research. A team of physicists from the ...
KNAW appoints Albert Polman to its board

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has elected Albert Polman, group leader at AMOLF and professor at the UvA-Institute of Physics, as member of its board as of September 1. In the board, Polman ...
Materials that learn to change shape

In a new Nature Physics publication, University of Amsterdam researchers introduce human-made materials that spring to life. These ‘metamaterials’ don’t just learn to change shape, but can autonomously adapt their ...
Weave grant for Jan de Boer and Michal Heller

The NWO Science Board has approved the first grant applications within the Weave pilot in the Open Competition Domain Science-M programme. The Weave proposals were submitted to the Flemish research funder Fonds voor ...
Mazi Jalaal receives Oldroyd Early Career Award

The European Society of Rheology has awarded the 2026 Oldroyd Early Career Award to IoP-physicist Mazi Jalaal. The award highlights outstanding, early-career achievements in the field of rheology and for commitments ...
11 February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science

11 February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The Institute of Physics celebrates and thanks its excellent female staff members!
Rocket science? 3D printing soft matter in zero gravity

What happens to soft matter when gravity disappears? To answer this, UvA physicists launched a fluid dynamics experiment on a sounding rocket. The suborbital rocket reached an altitude of 267 km before falling back ...
Spherical assemblies of nanocrystals

From table salt to snowflakes, and from gemstones to diamonds—we encounter crystals everywhere in daily life, usually cubic (table salt) or hexagonal (snowflakes). Researchers from Noushine Shahidzadeh's group at the ...
Bringing business and science together at the Deep Tech Day

On 28 January, the UvA Faculty of Science hosted the Deep Tech Day to explore how our deep technological research can create real-world impact and foster collaboration with business leaders and innovators. The ...
ENW-M grants for three IoP researchers

In the latest round of the Open Competition Domain Science – M programme (ENW-M), three IoP researchers were awarded grants for their projects. Rene Gerritsma received an M1 grant for his project “Trapped ion qudits ...