Dr Wiebke Albrecht has been appointed professor by special appointment in Electron and Optical Imaging of Nanomaterials at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science. The chair was established on behalf of the Foundation for the Advancement of Atomic and Molecular Physics (Stichting tot bevordering van de Atoom- en Molecuulfysica) in collaboration with VU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Albrecht studies how light interacts with nanomaterials and how it can change their structure down to individual atoms. Her appointment strengthens the collaboration between VU Amsterdam and AMOLF, where she leads the Hybrid Nanosystems group. It also connects research in advanced imaging, photoconversion materials and light-driven chemistry.
Watching materials at work
Materials used in sustainable energy conversion, such as photocatalysts that use light to drive chemical reactions, can change while they are in use. These structural changes affect their performance and stability. Albrecht combines optical spectroscopy and electron microscopy on the very same nanoparticles. This allows her to link a material’s atomic structure directly to its optical and functional properties. She also investigates how light can actively reshape materials, for example by creating defects or strain in metal nanoparticles. Her research can help reveal why materials for solar energy conversion work as they do, and how they can be made more efficient and durable.
Linking a unique microscope to VU expertise
At AMOLF, Albrecht initiated the national SHINE consortium, which led to the acquisition of a transmission electron microscope with a capability that is unique worldwide. The facility allows researchers to follow materials at the atomic scale in real time while they are illuminated with light. As professor, Albrecht will link this capability with VU expertise in materials synthesis, optical spectroscopy and photocatalysis in the Photoconversion Materials section. Together, the researchers will investigate materials for solar energy conversion and light-driven chemistry under operating conditions.
Education and background
Alongside her role at AMOLF, Albrecht will teach in VU Amsterdam’s joint Master’s programme in Physics and Astronomy with the University of Amsterdam. She will contribute to the Advanced Matter and Energy Physics track and supervise bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students.
Through the Amsterdam Imaging Hub, which she co-founded, she will also help develop education in advanced imaging techniques.
Albrecht obtained her PhD from Utrecht University in 2017 and subsequently held a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship at the University of Antwerp. She joined AMOLF as group leader in 2021. That same year, she received the Minerva Prize from the Netherlands’ Physical Society and the Dutch Physics Council. She is a board member of the Netherlands Electron Microscopy Infrastructure (NEMI) and the Dutch Microscopy Society (NVvM).