TNW-CE-PCS
Workdays
even
odd
M
T
W
T
F
on campus
work from home
out of office

I am a Physical Chemist specialized in ultrafast spectroscopy to develop fundamental understanding of photoinduced processes in materials with application in photocatalysis and photovoltaics.

Current and previous positions

Jan. 2021 - present: Associate Professor, Photocatalytic Synthesis group, University of Twente, the Netherlands

Dec. 2016 - Dec. 2020: Assistant Professor, Photocatalytic Synthesis group, University of Twente, the Netherlands

Nov. 2011-Nov. 2016: Assistant Professor, Optical Sciences group, University of Twente, the Netherlands


May 2008-Oct. 2011: Postdoctoral scientist, Chemical Physics Department, Lund University, Sweden. Advisor: Prof. Villy Sundstrom

Education

2014: Dutch university teaching qualification

2008: Ph.D. degree. Thesis: 'Energy transfer dynamics in molecular layers of porphyrin derivatives'. Supervisors: Prof. Laurens Siebbeles and Dr. Tom Savenije, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands 

2004: M.Sc. degree (cum laude) in Chemical Engineering, specialization in Physical Chemistry, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

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

Organisations

Research aim

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.

Team members

Collaborations

Preparation of photoactive materials and nanostructured layers

  • Prof. Joost Reek, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Prof. André ten Elshof, University of Twente, the Netherlands
  • Prof. Han Gardeniers, University of Twente, the Netherlands

Modeling of excited state processes

  • Prof. Leticia González, University of Vienna, Austria
  • Dr. Thomas Jansen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Complementary spectroscopic and microscopic expertises

  • Prof. Huub de Groot, University of Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Prof. Alfred Holzwarth, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim, Germany
  • Dr. Tom Savenije, TU Delft, the Netherlands
  • Dr. Cees Otto, University of Twente, the Netherlands
  • Dr. Jens Uhlig, Lund University, Sweden
  • Dr. Kristoffer Haldrup, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
  • Dr. Grigory Smolentsev, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
  • Prof. Anatoli Ianoul, Carleton University, Canada
  • Dr. Sven Askes, Free University Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Dr. Andrea Baldi, Free University Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Research institutes

  • Dr. Sjoerd Veenstra, Solliance/TNO, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
  • Dr. Jan Christoph Goldschmidt, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Freiburg, Germany

Presentations at conferences and events

  • National Fundamentals and Methods of Chemistry day, May 2022 (invited)
  • International Conference on Photochemistry, July 2021
  • National Physics at Veldhoven annual conference, January 2021 (invited)
  • National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco, United States, August 2020 (invited, talk cancelled due to pandemic)
  • AVS66 International Conference, Columbus, United States, October 2019 (invited)
  • NanoG International Conference, Torremolinos, Spain, October 2018
  • Nordic Femtochemistry Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 2018
  • International Photochemistry Conference, Strasbourg, France, July 2017
  • Conference on Light-Harvesting processes, Kloster Banz, Germany, March 2017
  • International NanoG16 Conference, Berlin, Germany, September 2016
  • International Femtochemistry Conference, Hamburg, Germany, July 2015 (invited ‘hot topic’ talk)
  • International Conference on Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy, Berlin, Germany, July 2014, 2 contributions
  • International Conference on Photochemistry, Leuven, Belgium, July 2013
  • Gordon Research Conference on Photochemistry, Easton, United States, July 2013
  • International conference on Quantum Solar Energy Conversion, Bad Gastein, March 2013 (invited talk)
  • Nordic Femtochemistry conference, Ylläs, Finland, June 2010
  • EU CERC3 meeting on solar energy conversion for young chemists, Spa, Belgium, April 2007
  • International workshop on Quantum Solar Energy Conversion, Bad Hofgastein, Austria, March 2007

Publications

2024
2023
Disentangling Hot Carrier Decay and the Nature of Low-n to High-n Transfer Processes in Quasi-Two-Dimensional Layered Perovskites, 23312-23322. Einhaus, L. M., Zhang, X., Zhu, K., Korterik, J. P., Molenaar, R., Askes, S. H. C., Mul, G., ten Elshof, J. E. & Huijser, A.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c05415Photon Energy-Dependent Ultrafast Exciton Transfer in Chlorosomes of Chlorobium tepidum and the Role of Supramolecular Dynamics, 7581−7589. Frehan, S. K., Dsouza, L., Li, X., Eric, V., Jansen, T. L. C., Mul, G., Holzwarth, A. R., Buda, F., Agur Sevink, G. J., de Groot, H. J. M. & Huijser, A.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05282Ultrafast Anisotropy Decay Reveals Structure and Energy Transfer in Supramolecular Aggregates, 7487-7496. Eric, V., Castro, J. L., Li, X., Dsouza, L., Frehan, S. K., Huijser, A., Holzwarth, A. R., Buda, F., Agur Sevink, G. J., de Groot, H. J. M. & Jansen, T. L. C.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04719Photophysical Characterization of Ru Nanoclusters on Nanostructured TiO2 by Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Spectroscopy, 14353-14362. Wenderich, K., Zhu, K., Bu, Y., Tichelaar, F. D., Mul, G. & Huijser, A.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c04075Dye-sensitized photocathodes: Materials and interfacial photodynamics. University of Twente. Zhu, K.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036555739Manifestation of hydrogen bonding and exciton delocalization on the absorption and two-dimensional electronic spectra of chlorosomes, 1097-1109. Eric, V., Li, X., Dsouza, L., Frehan, S. K., Huijser, A., Holzwarth, A. R., Buda, F., Sevink, G. J. A., de Groot, H. J. M. & Jansen, T. L. C.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07143Using supramolecular machinery to engineer directional charge propagation in photoelectrochemical devices, 213-221. Bouwens, T., Bakker, T., Zhu, K., Hasenack, J., Dieperink, M., Brouwer, A. M., Huijser, A., Mathew, S. & Reek, J.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-022-01068-y
2022
2021
2020
2019

Research profiles

BSc programs Advanced Technology and Chemical Engineering

Lecturer Molecular Structure and Spectroscopy

Tutor Materials for Energy

 

MSc programs Nanotechnology and Chemical Engineering

Lecturer Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Module Coordinator Characterization of Nanostructures

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2022/2023

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room ME227
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

Navigate to location

Organisations

Scan the QR code or
Download vCard