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Institute of Physics Institute of Physics

WomenNetPhysics 2026 great success

13 May 2026

On Friday, 8 May, around 150 physicists from across the Netherlands gathered at the University of Amsterdam for WomenNetPhysics, the largest Dutch networking event focused on strengthening the position of women in physics. The day was a great success, with a programme of talks, networking and career-building activities. This year's edition was hosted by the UvA-Institute of Physics together with ARCNL, AMOLF and Nikhef.
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Noushine Shahidzadeh opens WomenNetPhysics 2026 with a talk on the path from research to professorship.

The morning of the event was dedicated to information and practical, hands-on tips from four role models in academia and industry. Noushine Shahidzadeh, Professor in Soft Matter at UvA and head of the Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, opened with a talk on the path from research to professorship, followed by Anna Watts, Professor in High Energy Astrophysics at UvA, who spoke on educational pathways in physics. After the coffee break, Genevieve Martin (ASML) reflected on leadership in industry, and Marijn Wiersma, co-author of SOS Women at Work, closed the morning with a talk on allyship, confidence and parenting.

After a networking lunch and poster session, the afternoon shifted toward interaction: a panel discussion hosted by WomenNetPhysics team member Kim Bui (PhD student, AMOLF), a career booster session with CV checks, mock interviews and speed dates hosted by sponsors Optics11 and QuantWare, and a LinkedIn photo booth. The day closed with networking drinks.

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Charly Bolhuis (organising team) circulates through the audience with the microphone during the Q&A.

“What stood out most was the engagement throughout the day,” says Charly Bolhuis, PhD student at UvA and chair of this year's organising team. “The speakers were remarkably open and participants weren't afraid to ask the difficult questions. The career booster sessions with Optics11 and QuantWare were fully booked, and the science poster session sparked real scientific conversations. It was great to see how easily participants asked questions, talked with the companies, and connected with each other. That's exactly the kind of constructive, supportive space we hoped to create.”

WomenNetPhysics is organised by a different Dutch university each year. The 2026 edition was made possible with support from NWO Round Table Physics, the FNWI Grassroots Science4all grant, Optics11 and QuantWare, and partner institutes UvA, ARCNL, AMOLF and Nikhef.

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From left to right: Kim Bui, Anna Hurhina, Vera Horjus, Charly Bolhuis, Wiebke Albrecht, Marie Tardieux, Vera Kok.

This year's organising team consisted of Wiebke Albrecht (AMOLF), Flavia de Almeida Dias (Nikhef / UvA), Barsha Bhattacharjee (ARCNL), Charly Bolhuis (IoP / UvA), Kim Bui (AMOLF),  Vera Horjus (IoP / UvA), Anna Hurhina (Nikhef / UvA), Vera Kok (IoP / UvA), Emilia Olsson (ARCNL / UvA) and Marie Tardieux (IoP / UvA).