NWO START-UP grant for three researchers of Applied Sciences
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO , has awarded almost 3 million euros to seven recently appointed principal investigators in physics and chemistry. Three of the laureates of these so-called ‘START-UP’ grants work at the faculty of Applied Sciences: Daan Brinks, Toeno van der Sar and Carlas Smith (also 3ME).
Brain signals at the nanoscale
Daan Brinks (Imaging Physics)
Brain signals start with electrical pulses in nanoscopically small parts of the cell: the synapses. Brinks will visualise those miniscule signals to discover how they lead to communication in brain cells and how that can go wrong. This might contribute to the treatment of brain diseases in the future.
Magnetic imaging of binary electron waves in 2D materials for the chips of the future
Toeno van der Sar (Quantum Nanoscience)
Recently discovered, atom-thin crystals have caused considerable excitement in physics. Their electrons have new, binary properties that could lead to a completely different and faster computer architecture. Van der Sar will investigate these properties using a diamond mini-MRI scanner with an exceptionally high nanometre resolution.
Towards imaging in living tissue at a resolution of 1 nanometre
Carlas Smith (Imaging Physics)
Smith proposes a new way of overcoming the diffraction limit, so that nanoscopy can be made available as a general tool for the imaging of living tissue. The technology is based on the formation of ultra-small points in time and space that penetrate deep into the tissue and reveal structures at a nanometre resolution.