Postdoc: Inverse design of broadband multi-parameter nanophotonic sensors

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2026-05-28 (Europe/Amsterdam)

Work Activities

The Photonic Forces group at AMOLF is looking for a motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher to join an ambitious interdisciplinary project on next-generation optical sensing technologies. In this project, you will develop novel theoretical and numerical methods for the inverse design of nanophotonic structures enabling broadband, multiparameter sensing in fiber-based systems.

The project is a collaboration between AMOLF, TU Eindhoven, and industrial partners, aiming to establish a new paradigm for nanophotonic fiber sensing. Modern industry increasingly relies on real-time monitoring of various quantities, such as pressure, temperature, and acceleration. While optical sensors have great advantages, they are challenged by high cost and the difficulty to distinguish various physical quantities. We address these challenges by developing broadband nanophotonic sensors that disentangle multiple physical parameters from complex optical spectra. This approach raises fundamental questions on how information about parameters is optimally encoded and retrieved from light. In particular, it requires understanding how multimode photonic systems respond to mechanical and thermal perturbations, what sets the ultimate precision limits of such measurements, and how nanophotonic structures can be designed to approach these limits.

As a postdoc, you will develop theoretical models and inverse design strategies for optomechanical nanophotonic transducers. You will investigate how to engineer their spectral response for multiparameter sensing, guided by fundamental bounds on estimation precision, and implement advanced computational design methods to realize optimal structures. Your work will directly connect fundamental concepts in nanophotonics and measurement theory to the development of new sensing technologies, in close collaboration with experimental researchers and industrial partners.

Our group offers an open and collaborative environment in which we focus on hands-on learning and personal growth of all group members. We are looking for excited and talented candidates, who are eager to develop new skills and engage new challenges in close collaboration with colleagues.

Please send your application at the latest by May 28, 2026.

Qualifications

We seek an excellent candidate with a background in physics or engineering, with relevant experience in nanophotonic theory and/or novel automated design approaches. You need to have a doctoral degree, or have met all the requirements and will receive the doctoral degree shortly. The successful candidate has a collaborative spirit, and will liaise with collaborators. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse workplace, and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

Work environment

The Photonic Forces team led by prof. Ewold Verhagen studies light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, in devices ranging from photonic crystals and metamaterials to high-quality optical resonators. We investigate the fundamental physics associated with such interactions, which are enhanced through optical field confinement in tailored nanophotonic systems, as well as the applications they allow. In particular, we study new ways to measure and control both light and motion down to the fundamental limits governed by physical laws and symmetries. Theory and experiment go hand in hand in many projects in the group. Within the group as well as among the different groups at AMOLF, we have a strong focus on stimulating development of junior researchers in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at AMOLF and beyond. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where passion and enjoyment of science can shine. For more information, see www.optomechanics.nl.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at AMOLF is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of 1.5 years
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.552 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?

For further information about the position, please contact Ewold Verhagen: verhagen@amolf.nl.

Application

You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below, at the latest by May 28, 2026.
*Online screening may be part of the selection.*