By designing the structure of a material — hence creating a ‘meta-material’— we can control with great precision how waves will propagate in it. This control allows us realise a variety of functions, from acoustic lenses to simulations of quantum materials. A fascinating horizon for metamaterials lies in their use as computing machines. While information plays a crucial role in modern society, until now it has largely been ignored from the description of metamaterials. As a consequence, several exciting fundamental questions remain unexplored: Can we engineer structures that perform complex calculations in an energy-efficient way? What functions can metamaterials compute, given physical constraints such as thermodynamics and nonlinearity. How can we solve the inverse problem of determining a metamaterial shape that will perform a particular computation?

 At the hypersmart matter group at AMOLF, we are looking for a Ph.D. student focused on answering these questions. The work will take place using mechanical metamaterials as a model system. Mechanics is an exciting platform to investigate new information-processing physics. It allows for high nonlinearity and low dissipation; structures can be fabricated with extraordinary precision, and measured so accurately that we can distinctly observe thermomechanical motion.

This research direction involves both theoretical and experimental dimensions. Therefore, you can choose to to combine theory and experiment or to select an area of specialisation.

You will need to meet the requirements for an MSc-degree in chemistry, physics, materials science or a relevant engineering discipline, to ensure eligibility for a Dutch PhD examination.

The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 2,441 per month and a range of employment benefits. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

Hypersmart Matter

The hypersmart matter group investigates the processing of information by structured elastic materials. We combine a fundamental interest to understand the limits and principles that govern information processing in physical systems with an applied drive to answer the low-energy and ubiquitous computing needs of the future. To achieve these goals, we combine advanced simulation and design methods with cleanroom fabrication techniques.