Ghislaine Vantomme

Ghislaine Vantomme is an Assistant Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), where she leads the Supramolecular Chemistry and Materials group within the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. Her research focuses on developing intelligent supramolecular materials inspired by living systems, with applications in molecular computing, bio-(opto)electronics, and sustainable materials.

Dr. Vantomme received her chemistry education at l'École Normale Supérieure (Cachan, France) from 2006 to 2010, followed by an MSc from Sorbonne University (Paris). She completed her PhD in 2014 under Nobel Laureate Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn at the Institut de Sciences et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires in Strasbourg. After a postdoctoral fellowship at TU Eindhoven working with Prof. Bert Meijer on photo-actuators based on liquid crystal networks, she was appointed Assistant Professor in 2019.

Her research program bridges organic synthesis, systems chemistry, and materials science to create supramolecular materials capable of sensing, adapting, communicating, and learning. Dr. Vantomme's group designs, synthesizes, and characterizes complex molecular systems with the ultimate aim of building intelligent materials that can be trained to learn new decision-making functions. Her work particularly focuses on developing materials that mimic the adaptability and sustainability of living matter using purely synthetic molecules, as she states: 'My dream is to synthesize materials that are as adaptive and sustainable as living matter - using purely synthetic molecules.'

Analysis of Dr. Vantomme's recent publications reveals a strong focus on supramolecular materials with adaptive properties, particularly in the areas of chirality control, 2D nanostructure formation, and biomimetic systems. Her research integrates concepts from polymer science, nanotechnology, and computational modeling to create materials with precisely controlled morphologies and functions. The interdisciplinary nature of her work is evident in publications spanning chemistry, materials science, and electronics journals, with a particular emphasis on applications in next-generation electronic devices and sustainable technologies.

Dr. Vantomme has received significant recognition for her research, including:

• VENI grant (2017)
• VIDI grant (2024)
• 2026 New Horizons Solvay Lectureship

Her research is supported by prestigious funding sources including the European Research Council (SYNMAT project ID 788618) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Gravity program 024.001.035). Dr. Vantomme is actively involved in mentoring students and teaching courses including Organic Chemistry 1 & 2, Practical Organic Chemistry, and Advances in Molecular Chemistry.

Dr. Vantomme leads the Supramolecular Chemistry and Materials group, which is part of the ICMS Core and Macro-Organic Chemistry groups within the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. Her team brings together expertise in organic synthesis, physical characterization, and materials science to tackle challenging problems in supramolecular chemistry and advanced materials development.