Albert Polman

Prof. Albert Polman is a Group Leader at AMOLF (NWO research institute) and Professor of Photonic Materials for Photovoltaics at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on nanophotonics, solar cell efficiency, optical metasurfaces, and cathodoluminescence microscopy. He earned his PhD from Utrecht University and held postdoctoral roles at AT&T Bell Labs and Caltech. Polman leads the national SolarNL initiative (€898M) and co-founded Delmic BV, commercializing cathodoluminescence tools.

Education & Career:

• PhD in Physics, University of Utrecht (1995)
• Postdoc, AT&T Bell Labs (1995-1997)
• Group Leader, AMOLF (since 1997)
• Sabbaticals: Caltech (2003-2004) and UNSW Sydney (2017-2018)

Research Interests: Pioneering studies on light-matter interactions at nanoscale, including:

• High-efficiency solar cells via light management
• Computational metasurfaces for analog optical processing
• Cathodoluminescence tomography and microscopy

His work bridges fundamental photonics with industrial applications in renewable energy.

Key Achievements:

• Over 350 publications (~40k citations)
• 3 ERC Advanced Grants (2011, 2016, 2021)
• NAE Fellow, KNAW Member, and multiple international awards
• Co-developed national MaterialsNL and SolarNL programs

Advising & Grants: Supervised >160 researchers (PhD/postdoc) and 80 master students. Key grants include NWO Growth Fund projects on microscopy (€N/A) and photovoltaic industry development (€950M total across programs).

Labs & Teams: Leads the Photonic Materials group at AMOLF, coordinating with 4 co-PIs in the LMPV program (Light Management in Photovoltaic Materials). Collaborates internationally on EU-funded projects and industry partnerships.