university of amsterdam phd thesis

Dissertations

Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research / AISSR

Dissertations 2023

Dissertations 2022

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PhD Programme

Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR

• PhD programme
• Application and Admission

The conduct of a research project by PhD students is central to ASCoR’s PhD programme. A research project is based on a proposal that is usually written by one or more senior ASCoR faculty, but in some cases by the PhD candidate him/herself. In all cases the project conforms to the following criteria:

• Fits into the ASCoR Research Programme .
• Contains all compulsory elements of a Dutch Science Foundation application. Definition of academic relevance (theoretical background), research question, proposed methodology, societal relevance, work plan and a budget.

A PhD project usually takes 4 years full-time and leads up to an article-based dissertation. The dissertation consists of 3 or more research studies, deemed to be with quality equivalent to peer-reviewed academic publications within Communication Science. In addition to writing articles, ASCoR PhD students also follow courses to broaden their knowledge, have the opportunity to visit (inter)national conferences and attend relevant workshops and symposia.

The PhD training program at ASCoR consists of three learning pathways: a Teaching Pathway, Research Pathway, and Personal Development Pathway. All of these pathways contain mandatory components which can be complemented, if desired by the candidate, with additional elective training.

Mandatory components of the Research and Personal Development Pathways together encompass 9 ECTS. To obtain these ECTS, PhDs have to complete the courses “Mastering my PhD”, “Introduction to a PhD in Communication Science”, and “Academic Writing”. In addition, they will participate in one of ASCoR’s PhD clubs (i.e., a place for peer feedback and support) and attend several other, mandatory events. The Teaching Pathway consists of 54 hours of teacher training plus didactic coaching offered by the department.

In addition, the training program contains an elective component as part of which PhD candidates can, for instance, take elective courses at the Graduate School of Communication or faculty, attend a summer school, or go on a research visit.

Progress of all PhD projects at ASCoR is monitored at several points during the project through the following instruments:

Training & Supervison Plan

The basic work plan, agreements about supervision, and the training plan are laid down in the Training & Supervision Plan 2 months after the start of the PhD project.

First Year Paper

Nine months after the formal start of the PhD project, a paper must be ready and submitted to the ASCoR Board for a formal assessment. The paper is either an empirical article or a theoretical review article and the quality of the article should be such that the article can comfortably be submitted to those outlets that are well-recognized in the particular sub-area.

Progress Report

In the Progress Report, the PhD candidate and the supervision team report on the progress so far, and indicate whether and how successful completion of the project before the project end date can be guaranteed. The report consists of an outline of the dissertation, an overview of progress so far of all thesis chapters, an overview of papers that have resulted from the project so far, and a 'statement of feasibility' that the dissertation can and will be submitted a number of months before the project end date.

PhD thesis and thesis defense

The final months of each project are devoted to finishing the PhD thesis, which is based on the articles written throughout the project. After the dissertation has been read and approved by a committee of experts, there is a public defense, held at the University of Amsterdam.

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Thesis and graduation project

• Key competences of academic writing As a student you often have to write texts. Academic writing is a skill you will develop during the course of your studies.
• Help to find academic literature and research data To do research and write texts, you will need academic literature and/or research data. Where and how will you find good and relevant sources?
• Help with academic writing If you want help or advice to improve your academic writing skills, the UvA offers free options to do so in both English and Dutch.
• Help with methods and statistics Here we explain where you can find help when you have questions about methodology and statistics. We also list sources where you can find answers to frequently asked questions.
• Guided study sessions
• Creating a study plan
• Reading effectively
• Plagiarism and fraud

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A LaTeX template for PhD theses at the University of Amsterdam

mmazzanti/UvA-PhD-thesis-template

Folders and files.

Repository files navigation

Uva phd thesis template.

You can see the final version of my thesis here

Here instead a dummy template of it

You can just compile the main file (thesis.tex). Just opening that in TexStudio (or any similar editor) should work.

For more nerdy people there's a Makefile (never used it though, who's a programmer here...)

You can also upload it on overleaf, use the following settings:

Cover and invitation

A dummy (AI generated) cover and invitation are provided. I normally use Adobe Illustrator so I included the .pdf and .ai source files.

Please if you see something off contact me or open an issue.

Acknowledgement

Based on ETH design of Tino Wagner

PhD at the University of Amsterdam

Contrary to the situation in many other countries, PhD students in the Netherlands become employees of the university. PhDs are usually not required to follow classes and can concentrate on their research project through the 4 year PhD period. However, they are expected to teach as e.g. Teaching Assistants for about 10% of their time. This is often in the form of leading Tutorial or Lab sessions for BSc and MSc students. They will also participate in supervising BSc and MSc thesis research projects.

Requirements to enter a PhD

In order to enter the PhD program at GRAPPA, applicants will have to have completed an MSc in Physics and/or Astronomy or a closely related field at a recognized university. A good command of English is also required and computing skills are typically also strongly desired. Depending on the opening, additional competences may be necessary.

Employment Details

PhDs have an employment contract with the University of Amsterdam. They obtain a temporary contract for 38 hours a week for a duration of 4 years. The Initial appointment will be for a period of 18 months and after a satisfactory evaluation it can be extended for a total duration of 4 years. The employment should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €2.325 to €2.972 (scale P) gross per month in 2020, based on fulltime employment (38 hours a week), exclusive of an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favorable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

For more information please refer to University of Amsterdam website .

Nikhef's PhD vacancies are advertized at  https://www.nikhef.nl/en/vacancies/ .

Doctoral school

Submitting final version of the thesis - Amsterdam UMC/UvA

Amsterdam UMC/UvA PhD candidates issued a definitive doctoral defence ceremony reservation by the Office of the Beadle

Print and submit the final version of the thesis to the appropriate offices and prepare for the defence ceremony

Start no later than 6 weeks before the confirmed defence ceremony date. Try to finalize the process about two weeks before the public defence ceremony

Depends on the printing process

• Make an appointment with the printer of your thesis. Never print your thesis before you have received the final decision with the definitive defence date from the Office of the Beadle (see Title page package )
• No later than 6 weeks before the defence date: submit the license agreement to the University Library . The license agreement grants permission to publish your thesis online in the UvA’s digital academic repository (UvA-DARE). Where needed, specify which articles should be placed under embargo for publication
• No later than 4 weeks before the defence date: submit an electronic version of the thesis by email to the Medical Library and the Dean/Office of Doctorate Affairs

At the same time:

• Send or bring 3 printed copies of the thesis to: University of Amsterdam Attn. Office of the Beadle Spui 21 1012 WX Amsterdam
• Send or bring 2 printed copies of the thesis to the Office of Doctorate Affairs (for the dean and public defence chair)*/**: Amsterdam UMC Attn. Office of Doctorate Affairs E2-176 Meibergdreef 9 1105 AZ Amsterdam
• Send printed copies to the supervisor(s), co-supervisor(s), all members of the Doctorate Committee, guest opponents and any others

* In case you want to compete for the PhD Thesis Design Award , or the PhD Thesis Award , please check the relevant webpage and send or bring extra printed copies with a short note, including the email address at which we can reach you in future time

** Note: One of the two printed theses will be sent to the chairman of the defence ceremony. The second printed thesis we will keep in store  for ( no longer than ) exactly one month after the date of your defence . Please feel free to collect it, or have it collected, at our office of Doctorate Affairs. Unfortunately  we shall not return it to you by mail

Necessary documents:

Printing and posting copies of your thesis.

• Not sure about the possibilities, deadlines, the process of printing your thesis? Check the ASAP website regularly: ASAP organizes once a year a 'printers fair' on both location AMC and VUmc, and several times in a year workshops 'innovative thesis printing'
• You can request all your notifications for design, printing and illustration via the  Amsterdam UMC 'Service Portaal' , being the application-desk both Amsterdam UMC locations. No access to the Service Portaal? Then send an email to the  'Huisdrukkerij'
• You may need to order special envelopes to send your thesis by post: order number 49461

Reimbursement for PhD costs

For all Amsterdam UMC PhD candidates: click here for the summarizing schedule of the following regulations for compensation:

• For information about a refund for printing costs click here
• For information about the Graduation Bonus (CAO Regulation) click here

Requirements and instructions for submission of an electronic version of the thesis

• Convert the thesis to PDF or PDF/A format, as a single or multiple files, without file protection

Make sure the thesis is complete (i.e. includes cover page, sections covered by an embargo (even if a permanent embargo), any material appended separately such as supplementary annexes, a propositions (stellingen) sheet, a list of changes made to the thesis)

• Note: a propositions sheet should not be included as part of the thesis, but as a separate page
• The electronic version must be absolutely identical to the printed version of your thesis (including the cover, title page, publishing details, layout, orthography, pagination)
• For larger PDF files, use WeTransfer or SURFfilesender (AMC login required) or a similar service

Make sure to state ‘Final thesis submission ’ in the email subject line, and in the email itself include your name and confirm that the electronic version of the thesis is absolutely identical to the printed version of your thesis and whether substantive changes to the content were made to the content after submission for assessment and screening on plagiarism OR that no substantive changes were made. An overview with admitted changes you can find in the document below

Note: substantive changes to the content require approval of the dean's delegate and are to be specified in the email

Invitation:

• Amsterdam UMC Workshop 'Finishing my PhD trajectory'

UvA Beadle Class

For more information on both events: Check step 8

Have you or are you planning to include propositions ( stellingen) in your thesis?

If you think (some of) your propositions are a game changer in the medical field, you can submit your best 2 propositions to the "Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (NTvG)" magazine and perhaps they will be featured in the next issue

License agreement in the ‘Your doctoral thesis online’ brochure - English

• License agreement in the ‘Your doctoral thesis online’ brochure - Dutch

Back to "PhD Graduation UvA"

CENTRE   for  LATIN AMERICAN

Research and documentation, centre   for  latin american research and documentation.

Completed PhD Projects at CEDLA

Next to its team of researchers, CEDLA hosts a number of PhD students and fellows, and occasionally appoints temporary staff members for specific research projects. CEDLA researchers are involved in multiple research networks with Latin American and other international researchers and institutions.

GABRIELA RUSSO LOPES

Forest-making in agrarian frontiers: place-based transformative pathways toward sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon

GIJS CREMERS

Voices from the landscape 

LILIA VENEGAS AGUILERA

Mujeres del Partido Acción Nacional

JUAN PABLO HIDALGO BASTIDAS

Agua, poder y tecnología

BIBIANA DUARTE ABADIA

Imaginarios hidrosociales

CRISTINA BASTIDAS

Luchas por la justicia en la educación

MILTON FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ RODRÍGUEZ

Histrionic indigeneity

LUCÍA GALARZA SUÁREZ

Toxic Tropics

KAROLIEN VAN TEIJLINGEN

Mining in the land of Buen Vivir

JULIENNE WEEGELS

Performing prison

IRENE ARENDS

Digital youth spaces in Chile 

JUANITA ROCA SÁNCHEZ

The making of the global indigenous movement 

ALEXIS SOSSA

Bodies, societies and culture

ESTEBAN RAMÍREZ HINCAPIÉ

Sin historia no hay cámara

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ERLACS – European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Doctoral Theses

Inaugural and Valedictory Speeches

Project Publication

Annual Reports

MLAS Final Theses

Amsterdam Cosmology Group

University of Amsterdam

Lars Aalsma, Instabilities of String Vacua and Cosmological Spacetimes (Supervisor: Jan Pieter van der Schaar)

Jorinde van de Vis, Higgs Dynamics in the Early Universe (Supervisor: Marieke Postma)

Jacopo Fumagalli, Running in the Early Universe (Supervisor: Marieke Postma)

Benjamin Wallisch, Cosmological Probes of Light Relics (Supervisor: Daniel Baumann)

Fotios Dimitrakopoulos, Nonlinear Dynamics and the Instability of Anti-de Sitter Space (Supervisor: Ben Freivogel)

Robert Jefferson, Breakdown of Locality in Quantum Gravity (Supervisor: Ben Freivogel)

Laurens Kabir,  Bulk Locality Breakdown: Burning Black Holes & Precarious Precursors (Supervisor: Ben Freivogel)

Hayden Lee, High-Energy Aspects of Inflationary Cosmology (Supervisor: Daniel Baumann)

Valentin Assassi, Signatures of High-Energy Physics in Structure Formation (Supervisor: Daniel Baumann)

Magnet.me     -     The smart network where hbo and wo students find their internship and first job.

The smart network where hbo and wo students find their internship and first job.

Candidate in Antibacterial Drug Discovery

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Create a profile and receive smart job recommendations based on your liked jobs.

Antibiotic resistance is a major threat in human societies and will occur as long as we use antibiotics. It is therefore imperative to keep on developing novel antibiotics. This requires an intricate knowledge of bacterial pathogens, as this will reveal novel targets, and enables us to fully understand the workings of antimicrobial compounds. In this PhD project, you will investigate the basic mechanisms of cell division in relation to cell wall synthesis, with the aim to discover protein targets that can be used to develop novel antibiotic lead compounds.

The position is supported by a recently awarded Marie Curie ITN grant “Clear”, and the research will be performed within the Clear consortium encompassing 10 European partners. Our lab is part of the Microbiology theme at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam. Our state-of-the-art facilities and supportive research community provide an ideal environment for ambitious researchers eager to make an impact.

What are you going to do?

As a PhD candidate you will:

• Develop and Apply Novel Techniques: Employ and develop advanced fluorescent labelling and crosslinking techniques, in combination with NGS based transposon sequencing techniques, to elucidate the link between cell division and cell wall synthesis.
• Collaborate and Innovate: Work alongside a divers and international team of experts.
• Professional Development: Complete a PhD thesis within four years. You will take on shared responsibilities, maintain an organized work environment, and keep records of your experiments and data.
• Community and Communication: Present your findings at international scientific meetings and take a leading role in manuscript writing and publication.
• Teaching and Supervision: Contribute to the educational by assisting in teaching and supervising undergraduate and graduate students.
• Expand Your Skills: Participate in a variety of courses and placements for professional development offered by the Clear consortium.
• Contribute to a Vibrant Community: Our lab values an open, positive, and stimulating work environment. You will engage in meetings, social activities, and collaborative projects to enrich your PhD experience.

What do you have to offer?

You have/are

• a MSc degree in Molecular biology or Biochemistry;
• experience with a wide array of molecular techniques like cloning, Northern/Western blot, qRT-PCR and NGS library preparation;
• a basic ability to perform bioinformatic analyses;
• not lived in the Netherlands more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the recruitment date;
• willing to travel abroad within the EU regularly;
• a drive and passion for fundamental research;
• fluent in English, both written and spoken.

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week, preferably starting on 1 September 2024 or sooner, for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

Your salary will range between €2,770 in the first year to €3,539 gross per month in the last year of employment, on the basis of a full working week of 38 hours. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8.3% year-end allowance. A favorable tax agreement, the 30% ruling, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Amsterdam Science Park, we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime);
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here .

Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about our organisation? Please contact: Dr. Leendert Hamoen, [email protected]

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is located at the vibrant Amsterdam Science Park. SILS is one of eight institutes of the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Science (FNWI). With around 240 employees, SILS carries out internationally high-quality life science research and provides education within various university programs. Research is also carried out in close cooperation with the medical, biotech, chemical, flavor, food & agricultural, and high-tech industries, and revolves around 4 main themes, Cell & Systems biology, Neurosciences, Microbiology and Green Life Sciences.

Application

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 23 June 2024. You can apply online by using the link below.

Applications should include the following information (all files should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a letter of motivation;
• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• the names and contact information of two references (no letters of recommendation are required at this stage)

We will invite potential candidates for interviews in the first half of July.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure. (for details: National knowledge security guidelines )

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

No agencies please.

The University of Amsterdam is one of the largest comprehensive universities in Europe. With some 40,000 students, 6,000 staff, 3,000 PhD candidates, and an annual budget of more than 850 million euros, it is also one of Amsterdam’s biggest employers. Deze bedrijfspagina is automatisch gegenereerd en bevat daarom nog weinig informatie. Je vindt meer informatie over ‘bedrijfsnaam’ op hun website: ‘’Carrierewebsite’’

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How to write a PhD thesis: a step-by-step guide

A draft isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper, writes Kelly Louise Preece

Kelly Louise Preece

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Congratulations; you’ve finished your research! Time to write your PhD thesis. This resource will take you through an eight-step plan for drafting your chapters and your thesis as a whole. 

Organise your material

Before you start, it’s important to get organised. Take a step back and look at the data you have, then reorganise your research. Which parts of it are central to your thesis and which bits need putting to one side? Label and organise everything using logical folders – make it easy for yourself! Academic and blogger Pat Thomson calls this  “Clean up to get clearer” . Thomson suggests these questions to ask yourself before you start writing:

• What data do you have? You might find it useful to write out a list of types of data (your supervisor will find this list useful too.) This list is also an audit document that can go in your thesis. Do you have any for the “cutting room floor”? Take a deep breath and put it in a separate non-thesis file. You can easily retrieve it if it turns out you need it.
• What do you have already written? What chunks of material have you written so far that could form the basis of pieces of the thesis text? They will most likely need to be revised but they are useful starting points. Do you have any holding text? That is material you already know has to be rewritten but contains information that will be the basis of a new piece of text.
• What have you read and what do you still need to read? Are there new texts that you need to consult now after your analysis? What readings can you now put to one side, knowing that they aren’t useful for this thesis – although they might be useful at another time?
• What goes with what? Can you create chunks or themes of materials that are going to form the basis of some chunks of your text, perhaps even chapters?

Once you have assessed and sorted what you have collected and generated you will be in much better shape to approach the big task of composing the dissertation. 

Decide on a key message

A key message is a summary of new information communicated in your thesis. You should have started to map this out already in the section on argument and contribution – an overarching argument with building blocks that you will flesh out in individual chapters.

You have already mapped your argument visually, now you need to begin writing it in prose. Following another of Pat Thomson’s exercises, write a “tiny text” thesis abstract. This doesn’t have to be elegant, or indeed the finished product, but it will help you articulate the argument you want your thesis to make. You create a tiny text using a five-paragraph structure:

• The first sentence addresses the broad context. This locates the study in a policy, practice or research field.
• The second sentence establishes a problem related to the broad context you have set out. It often starts with “But”, “Yet” or “However”.
• The third sentence says what specific research has been done. This often starts with “This research” or “I report…”
• The fourth sentence reports the results. Don’t try to be too tricky here, just start with something like: “This study shows,” or “Analysis of the data suggests that…”
• The fifth and final sentence addresses the “So What?” question and makes clear the claim to contribution.

Here’s an example that Thomson provides:

Secondary school arts are in trouble, as the fall in enrolments in arts subjects dramatically attests. However, there is patchy evidence about the benefits of studying arts subjects at school and this makes it hard to argue why the drop in arts enrolments matters. This thesis reports on research which attempts to provide some answers to this problem – a longitudinal study which followed two groups of senior secondary students, one group enrolled in arts subjects and the other not, for three years. The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of young people’s engagement in arts activities, both in and out of school, as well as the connections between the two. The study not only adds to what is known about the benefits of both formal and informal arts education but also provides robust evidence for policymakers and practitioners arguing for the benefits of the arts. You can  find out more about tiny texts and thesis abstracts on Thomson’s blog.

• Writing tips for higher education professionals
• Resource collection on academic writing
• What is your academic writing temperament?

Write a plan

You might not be a planner when it comes to writing. You might prefer to sit, type and think through ideas as you go. That’s OK. Everybody works differently. But one of the benefits of planning your writing is that your plan can help you when you get stuck. It can help with writer’s block (more on this shortly!) but also maintain clarity of intention and purpose in your writing.

You can do this by creating a  thesis skeleton or storyboard , planning the order of your chapters, thinking of potential titles (which may change at a later stage), noting down what each chapter/section will cover and considering how many words you will dedicate to each chapter (make sure the total doesn’t exceed the maximum word limit allowed).

Use your plan to help prompt your writing when you get stuck and to develop clarity in your writing.

Some starting points include:

• This chapter will argue that…
• This section illustrates that…
• This paragraph provides evidence that…

Of course, we wish it werethat easy. But you need to approach your first draft as exactly that: a draft. It isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper. Start with whichever chapter you feel you want to write first; you don’t necessarily have to write the introduction first. Depending on your research, you may find it easier to begin with your empirical/data chapters.

Vitae advocates for the “three draft approach” to help with this and to stop you from focusing on finding exactly the right word or transition as part of your first draft.

This resource originally appeared on Researcher Development .

Kelly Louse Preece is head of educator development at the University of Exeter.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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The thinnest lens on Earth, enabled by excitons

29 May 2024

When you imagine a lens, you probably picture a piece of curved glass. This type of lens works because light is refracted (bent) when it enters the glass, and again when it exits, allowing us to make things appear larger or closer than they actually are. We have used curved lenses for more than two millennia, allowing us to study the movements of distant planets and stars, to reveal tiny microorganisms, and to improve our vision.

Ludovica Guarneri, Thomas Bauer, and Jorik van de Groep of the University of Amsterdam, together with colleagues from Stanford University in California, took a different approach. Using a single layer of a unique material called tungsten disulphide (WS 2 for short), they constructed a flat lens that is half a millimetre wide, but just 0.0000006 millimetres, or 0.6 nanometres, thick. This makes it the thinnest lens on Earth!

Rather than relying on a curved shape, the lens is made of concentric rings of WS 2 with gaps in between. This is called a ‘Fresnel lens’ or ‘zone plate lens’, and it focuses light using diffraction rather than refraction. The size of, and distance between the rings (compared to the wavelength of the light hitting it) determines the lens’s focal length. The design used here focuses red light 1 mm from the lens.

Quantum enhancement

A unique feature of this lens is that its focussing efficiency relies on quantum effects within WS 2 . These effects allow the material to efficiently absorb and re-emit light at specific wavelengths, giving the lens the built-in ability to work better for these wavelengths.

This quantum enhancement works as follows. First, WS 2 absorbs light by sending an electron to a higher energy level. Due to the ultra-thin structure of the material, the negatively charged electron and the positively charged ‘hole’ it leaves behind in the atomic lattice stay bound together by the electrostatic attraction between them, forming what is known as an ‘exciton’. These excitons quickly disappear again by the electron and hole merging together and sending out light. This re-emitted light contributes to the lens’s efficiency.

The scientists detected a clear peak in lens efficiency for the specific wavelengths of light sent out by the excitons. While the effect is already observed at room temperature, the lenses are even more efficient when cooled down. This is because excitons do their work better at lower temperatures.

Augmented reality

Another one of the lens’s unique features is that, while some of the light passing through it makes a bright focal point, most light passes through unaffected. While this may sound like a disadvantage, it actually opens new doors for use in technology of the future. “The lens can be used in applications where the view through the lens should not be disturbed, but a small part of the light can be tapped to collect information. This makes it perfect for wearable glasses such as for augmented reality,” explains Jorik van de Groep, one of the authors of the paper.

The researchers are now setting their sights on designing and testing more complex and multifunctional optical coatings whose function (such as focussing light) can be adjusted electrically. “Excitons are very sensitive to the charge density in the material, and therefore we can change the refractive index of the material by applying a voltage,” says Van de Groep. The future of excitonic materials is bright!

Publication

Ludovica Guarneri, Qitong Li, Thomas Bauer, Jung-Hwan Song, Ashley P. Saunders, Fang Liu, Mark L. Brongersma and Jorik van de Groep, Temperature-Dependent Excitonic Light Manipulation with Atomically Thin Optical Elements . Nano Letters 24, 21, 6240-6246 (2024)

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PhD Defence ceremony of Mirjam de Bruin Hoegée

Faculty of Science

Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

[email protected] +31 (0)20 525 7656

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M.J. van der Schans

Research group

Analytical Chemistry

Singel 411 1012 WN Amsterdam

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Female leaders get less room to be inconsistent

11 juni 2024

‘Consistent behaviour, meaning always acting in the same way, is something we find very important in a leader,’ explains Van Gerven. ‘It gives leaders credibility and provides followers with certainty. But leaders are also expected to be flexible when a situation calls for divergent behaviour. This can be a tricky balance.’ According to Van Gerven, the crucial point is whether deviations in a leader's behaviour are understandable or remain unexplained. ‘The latter can lead to unpredictability.’

Narcissistic traits and stereotypical images

Van Gerven calls unpredictability one of the narcissistic traits we often observe in leaders. ‘Many leaders are chosen for their narcissistic traits, such as dominant behaviour and excessive self-confidence. However, in the long run, these traits can hinder good leadership. It is interesting to know what the consequences of specifically unpredictable behaviour are, since this narcistic trait has not received much attention yet.’ Van Gerven analysed how these consequences of unpredictability differ between men and women, ‘because most narcissistic traits do not align with the stereotypical image of a woman.’

Employees primarily noticed inconsistent behaviour in female leaders

In a field study of 165 leaders and their teams, Van Gerven investigated to what extent the behaviour of female and male leaders was inconsistent, how it was perceived, and what the consequences were. Unpredictable leaders were found to have a negative effect on their employees, making them less productive. But employees primarily noticed inconsistent behaviour in female leaders - much less so than in male leaders - and judged them more harshly for it. ‘Inconsistent behaviour in female leaders is therefore more quickly given a negative label.’

The quality of the relationship

Van Gerven was also curious in how far the quality of the work relationship affects employees' experiences. ‘A strong relationship can soften an employee's perception: unpredictable behaviour is still noticed, but the leader can be forgiven.’ Van Gerven discovered that when there is a weak relationship, employees judge inconsistent behaviour much more negatively and it has a greater impact on their performance. ‘Strengthening relationships can thus make a difference, for example by being more transparent about certain choices,’ concludes Van Gerven. ‘It is advisable for organisations to support their leaders in this.’

Dissertation and defence ceremony

This study on the role of gender in inconsistent leadership behaviour is part of Emma van Gerven's doctoral research: ‘When you can't follow the leader: Inconsistency: Its antecedents and outcomes’, supervisors: Prof. A.H.B. de Hoogh and Prof.  D.N. den Hartog, Co-supervisor: Prof. F.D. Belschak. She will defend this dissertation on 18 June at the University of Amsterdam.

Van Gerven also examined how spectators react to inconsistent decisions by football referees. She manipulated the consistency of decisions after two similar situations during a football match. Neutral spectators were found to be angrier when they saw inconsistent decisions than when they saw consistent ones. Not surprisingly, supporters had the strongest reaction to inconsistent decisions: angriest when the outcome was unfavourable for them, and least angry when it was favourable. People have a dislike for unfair decisions, but it depends on the extent to which they identify with the victims concludes Van Gerven.

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