Peter Zijlstra

Peter Zijlstra is a Full Professor in the Department of Applied Physics at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), leading the Molecular Plasmonics group. His research focuses on single-molecule sensing using plasmonic and nanophotonic approaches to study biomolecular interactions in complex environments. He is a core member of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems at TU/e, collaborating across disciplines like chemistry, biomedical engineering, and mathematics.

Education:

• MSc in Applied Physics, University of Twente (2005)
• PhD from Swinburne University of Technology (2009), studying plasmonic nanoparticles in optical data storage
• Postdoctoral fellowship at Leiden University under Prof. Michel Orrit

Research Interests: Developing novel sensing concepts via nanophotonics and super-resolution microscopy. Key areas include plasmon-enhanced fluorescence, real-time biomolecular dynamics, and applications in cancer management. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through advancements in biosensing technologies.

Awards:

• 2013 NWO Vidi Award for research on plasmonic imaging of enzymes in living cells

Teaching & Activities:

• Teaches courses like Advanced Optical Microscopy and Electromagnetism
• Supervised 32 academic works
• Contributed to conferences and editorial roles for journals like npj Biosensing

Labs & Collaborations:

• Molecular Plasmonics group website: www.molecular-plasmonics.nl
• Marie Curie ITN SuperCol project: www.supercol.eu