Martin van Hecke

Martin van Hecke is a Professor at Leiden University, affiliated with the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) in the Biological, Soft and Complex Systems department. He leads the Van Hecke Lab, focusing on the organisation of disordered matter and the development of 'machine materials' for prostheses and wearable technology.

Research Interests:

• Extreme phenomena in soft materials
• Mechanical metamaterials
• Disordered systems
• Computational physics
• Biophysics

His work has pioneered methods to design 3D structures using simple building blocks, with notable projects like 'Computing with rubber' and 'A computer made of floppy rubber' showcasing interdisciplinary applications in engineering and biotechnology.

Students & Collaborations:

• Current PhD students: Lennard Kwakernaak, Colin Meulblok, Margot Teunisse, Bernat Durà Faulí, Parisa Omidvar
• Former group members: Lennard Jurian Kwakernaak, Amitesh Singh, Jiangnan Ding, Anne Meeussen, Nitin Singh
• Collaborations with AMOLF and industry partners

Scientific Recognition:

• Elected as an American Physical Society (APS) Fellow (2021)

Teaching: Instructs the MSc course 'Mechanical Metamaterials' and the BSc course 'Experimentele Natuurkunde' (Experimental Physics).