Herre van der Zant appointed Antoni van Leeuwenhoek professor

Dr Herre van der Zant (1963) of TU Delft''s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience is regarded as an outstanding, internationally renowned researcher. His prolific output includes two articles that were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. The TU Delft Executive Board has lauded his research as being highly original and instructive.

Van der Zant is particularly engaged in the development of NEMS (Nano Electro Mechanical Systems). These are extremely small electromechanical systems, such as, for example, switches and sensors. Van der Zant: "NEMS are the logical successor to MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). MEMS are now a billion-dollar business and are used in for example the speed sensors of car airbags. Sooner or later there will be a breakthrough on the nano-level and therefore also for NEMS."

Van der Zant is especially focused on the characteristics of vibrating nanotubes. Suspended, free-floating nanotubes vibrate with an extremely high frequency and as a result display new quantum effects. One of the resulting quantum effects is that a single electron can induce a sustained vibration in these nanotubes that is reminiscent of the way in which light particles are reflected to and fro in a laser''s resonator cavity. Van der Zant intends to study this vibration behaviour and measure it with unprecedented precision.

Van der Zant studied Applied Physic at TU Delft (1987) and received his PhD degree in 1991. He then worked as a researcher at MIT, among other institutes. He received a NWO VICI-grant for his research in December 2005. 

Dr Jan van Neerven (1964) of TU Delft''s EEMCS Faculty is regarded as an outstanding, internationally renowned researcher. Van Neerven is engaged in solving and analysing stochastic partial differential equations. These equations describe processes, including those that occur in physics, biology and financial mathematics, in which random disruptions play a role.

The Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (AvL) professorships are awarded to the very best young researchers at TU Delft. This early promotion to a professorship allows the young researchers to develop their scientific careers to the fullest extent possible. AvL professors however are not required to carry out the administrative and teaching tasks normally required of professors.

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