Dr. Tomislav Prokopec

I am interested in…

What are you working on?

My research interests are in cosmology. That includes all questions one can ask about the universe by means of physics.

What does the DRSTP mean for you?

DRSTP allows me to meet interesting people, exchange ideas, and foster new collaborations, sometimes also outside my main expertise.

What interests do you have apart from your research?

I’m interested in films, philosophy. I also like to explore Dutch nature and townscapes on my bike. I enjoy visiting distant countries and learning about different ways of being.

Prof. dr. Rembert Duine

I am interested in…

What are you working on?

I am interested in how new materials can be exploited for energy-efficient applications, mostly in the context of information technology – think new forms of logic and computer memories. My field of research, called “spintronics”, does this by using a quantum property of electrons, called “spin”. The spin gives electrons a built-in magnetic moment which may be used to store and transmit information. What I like about spintronics is that it combines fundamental research, done by theorists like myself, with applications. In one of our recent projects, for example, we proposed how to mimic a black-hole horizon using spintronic materials. The results of this project are two-fold: on the one hand, it teaches us about fundamental aspects of black-hole physics; on the other, it could pave the way for practical applications of black-hole physics! It is precisely this strong connection between fundamental and applied research which I like.

What does the DRSTP mean for you?

The DRSTP is the place to meet fellow theoretical physicist. Though the word “networking” sometimes has a negative connotation within academic physics, it is at the events of the DRSTP where I met fellow PhD students while doing my PhD. With one of them, I wrote my first article without involvement of my supervisor!

What interests do you have apart from you research?

I like cycling, playing guitar and drums, listening to music and going to concerts, and reading.

Prof. dr. Paul van der Schoot

I am interested in…

What are you workin on?

I apply the toolbox of statistical mechanics to a wide range of problems in soft condensed matter physics. The soft matter systems I work on, include liquid crystals, colloids, polymers, droplets, transient and permenent networks of particles, gels and supramolecular assemblies such as viruses and virus-like particles. My work is mostly but not exclusively driven by experimental observation, and involves collaboration with very diverse experimental groups, involving biotechnologists, biophysicists, organic chemists, polymer engineers, structural biologists and so on. Often our more applied research, such as that on the formation of system-spanning networks of particles in polymeric materials, leads to new insights in fundamental science as well as to exciting new ideas for composite materials and sometimes even to patents!

What does the DRSTP mean for you?

DRSTP is the way to build a theoretical physics community in The Netherlands, and broaden the horizon of graduate students that typically focus attention on a very small research area. It is also very rewarding to get to know young and aspiring young theoreticians and get them interested in the more applied aspects of theoretical physics.

What interests do you have apart from your research?

I am avid swimmer, and like to listen to many different styles of music. I also enjoy reading books, fiction and non-fiction.