Martin van Hecke

Prof. dr. Martin van Hecke is a group leader at the FOM Institute AMOLF in Amsterdam and a professor of physics at Leiden University. He obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from Leiden University in 1996 and has since led interdisciplinary research at the intersection of experiments, simulations, and theory in soft matter and mechanical metamaterials.

• Professor of Physics, Leiden University
• Part-time Group Leader, AMOLF
• PI of the 'Designer Matter' and 'Modern Mechanics' initiatives

His research focuses on harnessing disorder and frustration in materials to design systems where complex behavior emerges, particularly in mechanical metamaterials capable of storing and processing information. Key areas include pattern formation, origami-inspired design, jamming, and the inverse problem in material science.

Notable scientific awards include the Vici grant (2011) and the ERC-Advanced grant (2021). His group at AMOLF actively trains PhD students such as Bernat Dura Faulí, Colin Meulblok, and Margot Teunisse, while pioneering collaborations in programmable materials and soft robotics.

Selected publications highlight his work on emergent memory, geometric control, non-Abelian mechanics, and information processing in materials. His research infrastructure leverages the AMOLF NanoLab and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) facilities.