BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:Colloquium with Dr. Mazi Jalaal - UVA & Dennis v.d. Lockand - VU METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260114T123000 DTEND:20260114T140000 DTSTAMP:20260114T123000 UID:2026/colloquium-with-dr-mazi-j@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260602T231437 LOCATION: SUMMARY:Colloquium with Dr. Mazi Jalaal - UVA & Dennis v.d. Lockand - VU X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Colloquium with Dr. Maz i Jalaal (UVA) and Dennis van de Lockand (VU Amsterdam)

12:30 - 12:50 Dennis van de Lockand, PhD candidate, Biophotonics &a mp; Medical Imaging, VU Amsterdam

Title: Femto- to picosecond time-resolved infrared photothermal ima ging.

Abstract: The talk will focus on a developed pump-probe scheme where samples are excited via femtosecond near and mid-infrared pulses of various frequencies after which thei r response is imaged in time (up to tens of nanoseconds) using widefi eld off-axis holography. These experiments give us more insight on th e vibrational dynamics that happen instantly after excitation and cou ples this to the thermal dynamics that occur after. From these dynami cs we can then determine certain parameters like molecular compositio n and sample stiffness. So a little bit of fundamental science and a little bit of practical application.

12:50 -13:45 Dr. M azi Jalaal, Associate Professor at Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute (In stitute of Physics), Universiteit van Amsterdam

Title: Light and Mechanics in Living Matter

Abstract: Light sustains life, but it can also damage it; forcing living systems to sense, process, and respond to light ac ross multiple timescales. In this talk, I will show how chloroplasts, the photosynthetic organelles of plants and algae, form dense, inter acting assemblies whose collective behavior is governed by physical p rinciples rather than purely biochemical control. Combining experimen ts and theory, we reveal chloroplasts as active matter in confinement , exhibiting glassy dynamics, mechanical interactions, and memory eff ects. In bioluminescent dinoflagellates, chloroplasts organize into a reticulated network that behaves as a biological metamaterial, enabl ing large, reversible deformations under strong confinement and rapid adaptation to changing light conditions. These results position livi ng cells as programmable physical systems and raise questions that cu t across disciplines: from biology and soft-matter physics to photoni cs, physical chemistry, and emerging concepts of memory and learning in living matter.

DESCRIPTION: 12:30 - 12:50 Dennis van de Lockand, PhD candidat e, Biophotonics & Medical Imaging, VU Amsterdam Title: Femto- to picosecond time-resolved infrared phot othermal imaging. Abstract: The talk will focus on a developed pump-probe scheme where samples are excited via femto second near and mid-infrared pulses of various frequencies after whic h their response is imaged in time (up to tens of nanoseconds) using widefield off-axis holography. These experiments give us more insight on the vibrational dynamics that happen instantly after excitation a nd couples this to the thermal dynamics that occur after. From these dynamics we can then determine certain parameters like molecular comp osition and sample stiffness. So a little bit of fundamental science and a little bit of practical application. 12:50 -13:45 Dr. M azi Jalaal, Associate Professor at Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute (In stitute of Physics), Universiteit van Amsterdam Titl e: Light and Mechanics in Living Matter Abstra ct: Light sustains life, but it can also damage it; forcing living systems to sense, process, and respond to light across multipl e timescales. In this talk, I will show how chloroplasts, the photosy nthetic organelles of plants and algae, form dense, interacting assem blies whose collective behavior is governed by physical principles ra ther than purely biochemical control. Combining experiments and theor y, we reveal chloroplasts as active matter in confinement, exhibiting glassy dynamics, mechanical interactions, and memory effects. In bio luminescent dinoflagellates, chloroplasts organize into a reticulated network that behaves as a biological metamaterial, enabling large, r eversible deformations under strong confinement and rapid adaptation to changing light conditions. These results position living cells as programmable physical systems and raise questions that cut across dis ciplines: from biology and soft-matter physics to photonics, physical chemistry, and emerging concepts of memory and learning in living ma tter. Colloquium with Dr. Mazi Jalaal (UVA) and Dennis van de Lockand (VU Amsterdam) END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR