**Mazi Jalaal (PI)**

— Associate Professor / Sep 2024 - now
— Assistant Professor / Jan 2021 - Sep 2024
— Postdoc, DAMTP - U. Cambridge / 2019 - 2021
— Postdoc, PoF - U. Twente / 2017-2019
— Ph.D., U. British Columbia / 2012-2017
**Research Interest:** See here. CV
**Listens to:** Ibrahim Maalouf and Kendrick Lamar

**Nico Schramma (Ph.D)**

– Ph.D. Student / Jan 2021 - now
— M.Sc. MPI - Dynamics & Self-Organisation
— B.Sc. Physics, University of Göttingen
**Research Interest:** Active Biological Matter
**Follows:** Adam Ondra and Shauna Coxsey

**Yuri Zeniti Sinzato (Ph.D)**

– Ph.D. Student / Feb 2022 - now
— M.Sc. & B.E., Mechanical Engineering, University of Brasília
**Research Interest:** Algae & Cyanobacteria biophysics
**Listens to:** Tom Jobim and Jamiroquai

**Hugo Leonardo França (Postdoc)**

*[joint with Oscar Versolato]*
– Postdoc June 2023 - now
— Ph.D. Student (March 2019 - 2023), Computational Mathematics, University of São Paulo (USP)
**Research Interest:** Computational Fluid Dynamics, Complex Fluids
**Listens to:** Samba and Brazilian music

**Jared Popowski (Ph.D.)**

— Ph.D. Student / Nov 2023 - now
— M.Sc. Physics, University of British Columbia
— B.A. Physics & Math, University of Colorado Boulder
**Research Interest:** Glassy Dynamics in Active
Biological Matter, Plants
**Loves:** Climbing, rap & jazz music & yoyoing

**Isabelle Eisenmann (Postdoc)**

– Postdoc September 2024 - now
— Post-doc, Jan-Aug 2024, ENS Paris
— PhD student, 2020-2023, ENS Paris
**Research Interest:** Algae & Cyanobacteria biophysics
**Likes:** mountains, night trains and piano

**Pedro Cosme (Postdoc)**

– Postdoc August 2024 - now
— Ph.D. Student (September 2019 - May 2024), Physics Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon
**Research Interest:** Dynamical & Active Systems, Complex Fluids
**Listens to:** Monteverdi, Rameau, Bach & Sweelinck

**Carola Seyfert (Guest Scientist)**

— Researcher (Deltares)
— Ph.D. Applied Physics, U Twente 2020
— M.Sc. Engineering, TU Dresden
**Project:** Environmental Fluid Mechanics
**Loves:** Birds

Screenshot 2021-09-18 at 21.07.17.png — **Tom Appleford (Ph.D.)**

— Ph.D. Student / Sep 2022 - now
— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. Mathematics and Physics, Durham Uni.
**Research Interest:** Plastocapillarity, Cavitation
**Likes:** to play the trombone

**Olfa D’Angelo (Guest Guest)**

— PhD, RWTH Aachen University
— B.Sc. & M. Sc., the European School of Materials Science and Engineering
— MBA, University of Lorraine
**Project:** 3D printing in microgravity
**Follows:** Danielle Wood and Tomás Saraceno

**Andriarimina Daniel Rakotonirina (Guest Scientist)**

— Computational Scientist, The Ocean Cleanup / 2020 – now
— Postdoc, U. British Columbia / 2016 – 2018
— Ph.D. Computational Physics, ENS Lyon / 2013 – 2016
**Research interests:** multi-scale transport of meso-, macro- and mega-plastics
**Likes:** dancing, farming, oceans, and mountains

**Holly du Plessis (M.Sc.)**

— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. Physics, University of Otago
**Project:** Active fluids
**Loves:** sushi and tacos

**Lentiana Plepi (M.Sc.)**
— B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Sciences
**Project:** Cyanobacteria Growth
**Listens to:** Lana del Rey and Tame Impala

**Max Marshall (M.Sc,)**

— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
**Project:** Active fluids
**Listens to:** Fiona Apple and Noga Erez

**Hannah van Sterkenburg**

— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. beta-gamma (major physics)
**Project:** Active fluids
**Likes:** Running, reading and cooking

**Vera Horjus (M.Sc.)**

— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
**Project:** Synthetic Active Matter
**Loves:** playing the bass

**Elias Sijl**

— M.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
— B.Sc. Physics and Astrophysics UvA/VU
**Project:** Physics of Cyanobacteria
**Likes:** Beekeeping, surfing in France

**Titouan Seguy**

— B.Sc. ENSEEIHT (Fluids mechanics engineering)
**Project:** Flow of Microswimmers
**Likes:** Rugby, Skateboarding, Cycling

**Romain-Lou Pallandre**

— M. Sc. Mechanical Engineering, ENSTA Paris
**Project:** Odd Viscosity
**Likes:** Volleyball, Golf, Skiing

Screenshot 2021-09-19 at 13.22.26.png — **Biggie Z (Honorable member)**

— B.Sc. Math and Physics, UBC
**Project:** Nonlinear tale dynamics
**Fan of:** Canucks and Rasi Z

**Nietzsche J (Honorable member)**

— B.Sc. Philosophy of Physics, U Tehran
**Project:** Metaphysics of Physics
**Reads:** Goethe and Hafiz

**see** **this page** **for the available positions.**

ARTISTS in RESIDENCE

Christopher William Bellamy

Chris Bellamy is a biodesigner fascinated by how we can live more symbiotically with nature. He has a background designing electric vehicles, footwear, and outdoor gear. After realising incremental improvements to plastics and metals would never be sufficient to meet climate targets, Chris has changed his career to work with living things. Chris' award-winning studio "Bio Crafted" explores the potential of “livingness”, both as a materiality and a philosophical approach, through interspecies and intercultural collaborations.

Chris' latest project, Lucid Life, is inspired by corals’ symbiotic relationships, Chris has developed a contemporary living material encapsulating bioluminescent micro-algae, which emits light in response to touch.

Likes: Idioms in different languages

website

Catalina Reyes Navarro

Catalina is a Chilean artist and filmmaker in Amsterdam with a BA in Graphic Design (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso), a Creative Practices certificate (International Center of Photography, USA) and an MA in Moving Image (Sandberg Instituut, NL). Her moving-image practice interlaces personal and historical narratives to reshape how we perceive past and present environments.

She’s now spearheading Micro Temporalities, an experimental analog-photography methodology that uses microalgae as low-impact developers on film and light-sensitive paper. Launched during a February 2025 residency at AGALAB Amsterdam, the project runs three concurrent phases—cultivating microalgae (sourced from UvA’s Aquatic and Microbial Ecology Lab), darkroom trials and protocol development—to forge a replicable, eco-sustainable darkroom process.

Likes: Pilates and Pole Dancing

website

Alumni

**Cintia Perugachi Israëls**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics, 21-22’
**Biophysics of Plants**
**Likes:** Mountaineering

**Jesse van der Kolk**

B.Sc. Physics, 21’
**Viscoplastic Spreading**
**loves:** skateboarding

Screenshot 2021-06-10 at 20.18.01.png — **Marieke Beerepoot**

B.Sc. Physics, 21’
**Bubbles in Complex Fluids**
**Fan of:** AZ Alkmaar

**Jackson Wilt**

Research Associate, 21-22’
**3D printing active matter**
**Fan of:** Studio Ghibli

Screenshot 2021-06-10 at 20.18.27.png — **Sophie Beck**

B.Sc. Physics, 21’
**Bioluminescence**
**Likes to:** Dance

**Samantha Visbeek**

Research Assistant, 21-22’
**ML for 3D printing**
**Fan of:** AFC Ajax

**Jetske Ribbers (B.Sc.)**

B.Sc. Physics 22’
**computational viscoplasticity**
**Loves:** to read and ski

**Thijs Albers**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 22-23’
**Mathematical Billiards**
**Follows:** Space News

**Rafaella Pitsillou**

M.Sc. Physics 22’
**Locomotion in Viscoplastic Fluids**
**Loves:** Dogs, Daft Punk

Screenshot 2021-06-10 at 20.19.44.png — **Twan Heijink**

B.Sc. Physics, Saxion, 21’
**Viscoplastic Waves**
**Admires:** John Mayer

**Evelien Wooning (M.Sc.)**

*[joint with Anotine Deblais]*
M.Sc. Physics 23’
**Viscoplastic Droplets**
**Loves to:** play the klaverjas

**Pepijn Sommerdijk**

B.Sc. Physics, 22’
**Locomotion in Complex Fluids**
**Loves:** Tyler the Creator

**Fernando López-Carrasco Pérez (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 23-24’
**Biological Pattern Formation**
**Loves:** hispanic music

**Mélanie Labiausse (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Physics, ENS-PSL
**Signalling in Plants**
**Likes:** Reading & frogs

**Frenk Klein Schiphorst (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 23-24’
**Computational Viscoplasticity**
**Likes:** (board) games

**Karen Villari (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Freshwater Biology
**Chloroplast Positioning**
**Loves:** Amphibians

**Valentin Rosario (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 23-24’
**Computaional Glaciology**
**Loves:** Skiing

**Eva Pot (M.Sc.)**

M.Sc. Freshwater Biology
**Cyanobacteria Growth**
**Likes:** Plants & dogs

**Hugo Tchétché**

Intern 23’
**Computational Viscoplasticity**
**Loves:** *Football*

**Gloria Casas Canales**

M.Sc. Marine Biology 23’
**Chloroplast positioning**
**Loves:** Scuba diving

**Daniël Tieman**

M.Sc. Physics 23’
**Fluid dynamics of 3D Printing**
**Loves:** Analog gear

**Claudia Valkenier**

M.Sc. Physics 23’
**Tidal Energy Conversion**
**Loves:** Yoga & Piano

**Stijn Delnoij**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 23’
**Mathematical Billiards**
**Likes:** Reading literature

**Micol Cresto-Dina**

B.Sc. Physics 23’
**Flow of Cyanobacteria**
**Plays:** Football

**Tomás Schuller**

visiting Ph.D. Engineering 23’
**Physics of Printing**
**Plays:** handball

**Jan-Willem Botermans**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics 23’
**Active Matter**
**Plays & love:** Basketball

**Roy van der Linden**

M.Sc. Physics 22’
**Particles in Turbulent Flows**
**Likes:** Mads Mikkelsen

**Elliott Sutton**

Ph.D. / Turing Fellow, 22’
**Viscoplastic Fluids**
**Listens to:** Bonobo & Bicep

**Milo Commandeur**

B.Sc. Physics, 23’
**Active Matter**
**Loves:** Cooking

Screenshot 2021-06-10 at 20.18.11.png — **Daniel van Bemmelen**

B.Sc. Physics, 21’
**Gravity Currents**
**Listens to:** Janine Jansen

**Tanguy Sarafian**

Intern from U Toulon, 21’
**Bioluminescence**
**Fan of:** Olympique Lyonnais

**Brent Muijskens**

M.Sc. Comp. Sciences 23
**Mathematical Billiards**
**Listens to:** Nu Metal

**Thomas Nazeyrollas**

Intern from ISAE-ENSMA, 21’
**Viscoplastic Droplets**
**Listens to:** Cactus Jack

**Isaac Deen García**

Intern, 21’ & B.Sc. 24
**Worms & Cynaobacteria**
**Listens to:** Radiohead

**Merlijne Ott**

Intern, 21’
**Motion in Complex Fluids**
**Loves:** Cats

**Toon Muskens**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics, 21-22’
**Lava Dome Formation**
**Loves:** Cultivating plants

**Julie Baudillon (Intern)**

Intern from Toulouse, 22’
**Complex fluids near solids**
**Likes:** Peaky Blinders!

**Tom Appleford**

M.Sc. Theor. Physics, 21-22’
**Plastocapillarity**
**Loves:** to play the trombone

**Joey Besseling**

B.Sc. Physics, 22’
**Biological Particles in Flow**
**Likes:** Programming

**Casper Smit**

Research Assistant, 21-22’
**Machine Learning Patterns**
**Fan of:** AFC Ajax

**Bodhi Simon Witte**

B.Sc. Physics, 22’
**Theory of Active Fluids**
**Likes:** Ajax

**Max Riemens**

B.Sc. Physics, 22’
**Experimental Microrheology**
**Listens to:** Dave

**Vandevoorde Maxime**

B.Sc. Comp. Sci., Toulon
**Image Processing**
**Listens to:** Sexion d'Assaut

**Axel Guillou (Intern)**

B.Sc. CFD, Toulon
**Flow of complex fluids**
**Likes to:** Sail

Screenshot 2021-06-10 at 20.18.50.png — **Abel van den Heuvel**

B.Sc. Physics, 21’
[joint with N. Shahidzadeh]
**Salt Compaction**
**Listens to:** Lewis Capaldi