Ester Abram

Ester Abram is a Research Fellow at the Biophotonics and Medical Imaging research group within the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). Her work bridges experimental physics and materials engineering, focusing on laser interactions with nanoscale metal systems for advanced fabrication and diagnostic applications.

She completed her PhD in Optics, Physics, Nanolithography, and Imaging at the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) under the NWO-HTSM program, with research conducted from June 15, 2020, to January 1, 2025, and the degree awarded on June 20, 2025. Her doctoral work established foundational insights into light-matter interactions below ablation thresholds.

Dr. Abram's research centers on pre-ablation laser processing of metal films, where she investigates optical, morphological, and structural changes induced by sub-threshold laser pulses. Key areas include ruthenium thin-film modification, plasmonic strain-wave generation, and diffraction-limit overcoming techniques. Her interdisciplinary approach combines ultrafast optics, materials characterization, and nanofabrication to develop novel nanolithography methods and optical sensors.

Recent publications reveal consistent innovation in sub-diffraction laser patterning and pre-ablation optical diagnostics, with strong emphasis on ruthenium systems. Her work demonstrates how controlled laser fluence enables nanoscale feature creation without thermal damage, advancing applications in semiconductor manufacturing and biomedical imaging.

As an active member of the Biophotonics and Medical Imaging group, she maintains critical collaborations with ARCNL and leverages NWO-HTSM grant support. Her research infrastructure includes advanced laser systems, optical reflectance setups, and nanofabrication tools for probing light-matter interactions at fundamental scales.