Cas Thijssen can be found in
New Visitor, Ali Azadbakht
A Major Milestone for Our Group!
We’re thrilled to celebrate a landmark achievement — the very first PhD graduation from our research group! This marks a proud moment in our journey, reflecting years of dedication, collaboration, and scientific growth. Congratulations to our newly minted doctor Ruth Crothers and to everyone who contributed to this success — here’s to many more to come!
New Bachelor Internship, Maximilian Mircea
New Bachelor Internship, Dionne Veld
Master Student Concludes Internship with a Great Presentation
This week, Jelena Tavcar one of our master students gave her final presentation, sharing the outcomes of her internship project. The talk was engaging and well-prepared, marking a nice conclusion to her time in the group. Congratulations on successfully completing the internship!
Bachelor Internship Presentation Completed
Ian, one of our bachelor students recently gave the final presentation of his internship project. We appreciate his efforts during the internship period and wish him the best in his future endeavours.
Wrapping Up another Great Internship Journey
This week, we enjoyed the final presentation of Merlijn, one of our bachelor interns, who wrapped up his project with a clear and engaging talk. Starting from a fresh idea, he worked steadily to develop and complete the project during his time with us. Congratulations on a successful internship and a solid contribution to our group!
Wishing Our Colleagues Farewell and Success
We recently gathered for a dinner outing to congratulate and thank two valued colleagues. Ruth our PhD student is off to the U.S. for an exciting postdoc, and a Merin, our first postdoc is moving on after two impactful years in our group. We’re truly grateful for their contributions and wish them every success in their future careers.
Students Present Research at Physics Symposium
We congratulate Adriaan and Joost, two of our bachelor students who successfully completed their internships in our department and presented their research at the university’s annual Physics Symposium. Over eight weeks, they made valuable contributions to our work in soft matter and optical manipulation, and their final presentations were well received by the academic community.
Grill & Chill at Dullens’s Home!
Big thanks to Roel and his lovely family for the delicious BBQ and amazing hospitality — couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the afternoon!
Soft Matter, Hard Throws!
Swapping lab gear for flying discs, our group stepped out for a sunny day of frisbee fun. With big throws, quick sprints, and lots of laughs, it was a perfect way to unwind, recharge, and enjoy some playful team spirit in the great outdoors.
We traded our lab coats for running shoes!
Our group participated in a local running competition, the St. Stevens stadscross. During the event, we ran through the beautiful city centre of Nijmegen—even passing through a church, the library, and the history museum! With great views, good vibes, and plenty of laughs, everyone crossed the finish line smiling. We’re already looking forward to the next one!
New Bachelor Internship, Ian Paulus
New Bachelor Internship, Merlijn Geurts
Master Student Shares Insights on 2D Colloidal Crystal Yielding
We recently had the pleasure of attending the final presentation of Sjors, one of our master students, who explored the yielding behavior of 2D colloidal crystals. Through careful experiments and thoughtful analysis, the project offered valuable insights into the mechanical response of these systems. Well done on a clear presentation and a strong finish to the research!
Demi’s Final Presentation
🎉 Congratulations to Demi on successfully defending her Master’s thesis at our department, where she presented her research on “the effect of gravity on the rotational dynamics in a charged system”. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments and wish her the very best as she embarks on the next chapter of her academic and professional journey.
New Bachelor Internship, Joost van den Oord
New Bachelor Internship, Adriaan Boot
NWO Physics 2025
During the NWO Physics Conference, our group members presented their latest work as posters and oral presentations, drawing attention from leading experts in the field. The presentations were met with enthusiasm, sparking fruitful discussions and collaborations that will propel further research in the coming months. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and creativity they demonstrated, which significantly enriched the scientific dialogue and inspired further exploration in the field.
Christmas Tree Graces Our Office
The holiday spirit has arrived at our office as we put up our Christmas tree, a symbol of joy and togetherness. Thanks to the creative efforts of Marieke, Jan, and Magda, the tree now stands as a festive centrepiece, adding warmth and cheer to our scientific space. Let it remind us to celebrate not just the season, but also the atmosphere and camaraderie that make our workplace special.
12th Liquid Matter Conference
A Social Evening With Our Visitors
After an inspiring week with our visitors, Taiki Yanagishima and Nicholas Orr, we celebrated with an evening of socialising at the BUUR Brakkenstein, in Nijmegen.
Colleagues & Friends Visiting Our Labs
We were thrilled to welcome our old Oxford colleagues and friends, Taiki Yanagishima and Nicholas Orr, for an inspiring week of engaging talks and new ideas. If you’re interested in exploring our labs and learning more about our work, we encourage you to get in touch!
New PhD Candidate, Jan van Leeuwen
Roel is recognised as an internationally renowned scientist.
Roel has received the prestigious Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, recognising his significant research achievements. Roel is honoured to receive this prestigious award, and is looking forward to the opportunities this creates. You can read more on Radbouds website here
Colloidal avalanche
The first colloidal avalanche has been recorded in our lab using confocal microscopy! The video shows a 100µm drum, filled with 2µm TPM particles in a TDE:DMSO solvent mixture, rotated to an angle of 45°. Due to gravity our first colloidal avalanche is a recorded!
Friction in colloidal systems
This week Roel introduced colloidal systems — and the role of friction therein using our OCULI particles — to the granular community in a talk at the Granular Matter Gordon Research Conference at Stonehill College near Boston (US).
How particles shift from grain to grain
This week Roel introduced how the O-lattice dictates the motion of particles and defects during grain boundary migration in a talk at the Heraeus-Seminar “Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Micro‐ and Nanoparticles: Theory & Experiment” in Bad Honnef (Germany).
Talking to the future
Roel delivered an excellent presentation to a group of second-year Physics undergraduates at the IMM on Friday. He shared insights about our group’s work, aiming to inspire the next generation of Soft Matter scientists. If you’re interested in learning more about our labs and research, get in touch!
New Visitor, Abhimanyu Nowbagh
Investigation into Grain Boundaries at RU!
In an exciting development, Sjors one of our master’s students has successfully conducted his first experiment, focusing on the intricate dynamics of grain boundary loop rotation.
Do not let any laser beam enter your eye!
In a demonstration of optical safety, we showcased the protective efficacy of our laser eye protection goggles. The melted area on the goggles highlights the potential risks associated with high-intensity laser exposure, reinforcing the importance of robust safety measures in such environments.
Our Second Group Photo & We Have Grown! 🤩
Our first group photo was back in Aug 2023 (here) and we are growing! Sadly, Magda and Ulash were absent. Thank you to our colleague Matan Ben Zion for taking the time to snap us in the Huygensgebouw lobby.
Merin returns from Japan with some exciting results
Merin had travelled to Japan to collaborate with long standing colleague and friend Taiki Yanagishima.
New MSc Student, Jelena Tavcar
I am currently doing my master internship with the banana-shaped colloids as my main focus. In the next year I will try to optimize preparation of these particles with an aim to reach minimal size dispersity. I will also explore their behaviour and self-assembly in an electric field.
Jelena Tavcar can be found in
Sigma Lunch Lecture With Roel Dullens
Come and find out what we do at Sigma Lunch Lecture on Monday February 26th 12:30-13:30 in HG00.307
New MSc Student, Mara Bosman
My name is Mara, and I joined the Physics and Chemistry of Soft Matter department in January 2024 for my masters internship. Together with Merin I will be working on geophysical colloids and avalanche behaviour.
New MSc Student, Sjors Cornielje
Sjors Cornielje can be found in 03.632
We had a great time at NWO Physics.
Our group was represented by PhD students Marieke Reijneveld, Habib Moradi in the poster sessions and Ruth Crothers presented her work on ‘Rotational Dynamics in Colloidal Liquids, Crystals and Glasses’ in the parallel session.
We have changed our name! 🥸👌
In a strategic move to reflect more accurately what we are all about at in the Dullens Lab we have changed our departmental name from the “Physical Chemistry of Soft Matter” to “Physics & Chemistry of Soft Matter.”
New MSc Student, Demi Vollebregt
Demi Vollebregt can be found in
New Student, Ulash Kayabash
Ulash Kayabash can be found in
New Visitor, Alexandra Knebel
Alexandra Knebel can be found in
Ruth Crothers Working with Our American Colleagues
Our OCULI particles show how friction affects rotation. The Soft Matter group in Georgetown University have a unique setup combining a rheometer with a confocal microscope for direct insight into OCULI behaviour under shear stress.
📸 Our First Group Photo in Nijmegen!
We’re thrilled to share our first group photo since moving our group from Oxford University to Radboud Universiteit! 🌟Thank you to our colleague, Moussa Boujemaa in Systems Chemistry who took the time to take our photos.
New Bachelor Internship, Ida van der Heijden
Ida van der Heijden can be found in HG 03.632
New Group Member, Marieke Reijneveld
Marieke Reijneveld can be found in HG 03.632
The IMM Interviews Roel Dullens
In August 2021, Roel was appointed Professor at the Institute for Molecules and Materials at Radboud University. Miriam Heijmerink, the communications expert for the IMM writes about Roel’s scientific career and what the future holds for the PCSM. You can read the full article here.
New Post Doc – Merin Jose
Merin can be found in HG 03.632.
New PhD Candidates – Habib Moradi
HG 03.632 can be found in
Financial Times Interviews the Dullens Lab
The British newspaper, Financial Times, interviewed group members who where instrumental in moving our laboratory from Oxford to Radboud. You can read more here.