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What is it like to work as a researcher? High school student Willemijn Wijckmans visited the Human Interactive Materials (HIM) laboratory to learn for herself. As part of her education, she followed a one-week internship within the HIM group. During her stay, Willemijn was guided by two researchers from the HIM group, postdoctoral researcher Dongyu […]

On Monday 2 February 2026, two researchers from the Human Interactive Materials (HIM) group, postdoctoral researcher Ivan Marin and PhD candidate Mathis Lagier, were invited to the Chinese Embassy in The Hague to participate in the China-Netherlands Youth Dialogue. The event brought together representatives from the Chinese embassy, Dutch government, universities, and research institutions, alongside

Feel alone in the lab? AI may be the solution this as your new lab buddy that takes you above and beyond! In his new perspective paper, Dr. Astam and PhD candidate L’Karkouri explore this concept and delve into the future world of liquid crystal research that is enhanced by artificial intelligence. The authors highlight

On November 19th, Jacques successfully defended his PhD thesis titled “Singularities and Topological Solitons as Functional Elements in Liquid Crystal Coatings.” Jacques’s work focused on self-assembly strategies to create complex and elegant defect structures in liquid crystals, resulting in smooth and highly resolved director fields that translate into well-defined, reversible surface topographies. In his thesis,

On September 18th, Pengrong Lyu successfully defended his PhD thesis, titled “Engineering Soft Matter into Functional Architectures: Liquid Crystal Polymers Towards Device Integration.” The thesis explores how 3D/4D printing of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) inks can be used to create soft electronic systems that integrate sensing, actuation, and memory within a single material platform. Using

On 24th of June, 2025, HIM Group participated in TU/e Research Day, as a part of ICMS community, presenting a series of demonstrations showcasing the laboratory’s research activities! Representing the group, Elif coordinated with event organizers and, together with Tom and Iván, introduced and explained the demos to attendees. The session highlighted the group’s ongoing

On March 13th, Yuxin You successfully defended her PhD thesis, titled “Programmed Dynamic Topographical Deformations in Liquid Crystal Polymers. Yuxin focused on surface topographies, referring to the micro-scale textures of the outermost layer of a coating. They are crucial in determining how the surface looks and feels, as well as influencing the wettability, tribology, and optical

The HIM group congratulates its member, Dr. Mert Orhan Astam, on receiving the NWO Faculty of Impact grant for his start-up, HaptonTech. We are proud to work together with him to valorize the innovative and exciting technologies that are being developed at the HIM group! Correspondence Mert Astam 

The winners of this year’s annual funny idea competition were rewarded highly with a shopping spree at one of the group’s favorite shops: Albert Heijn! With a 100 euros of credit, courtesy of the HIM group, and 5 minutes to collect that value of items, the winners were running around the shop collecting their most

On March 13th, Dongyu Zhang successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Light- and Electricity-Induced Liquid Secretion from Liquid Crystal Polymer Coatings.” The thesis draws inspiration from nature, where liquid secretion plays a vital role in biological systems—forming protective barriers, regulating temperature, enabling substance transport, and facilitating chemical reactions. Mimicking this adaptive behavior, Dongyu’s research explores