People

The Physics of Quantum Devices team

(per Sept. 2024, previous team members are below)

QD dinner 2017QD dinner 2017 – left to right: Gerjan, Talieh, Tom, Freddie, Feitze, Frits, Xiangyang, Carmem, Xu, Caspar

PI
Prof. Caspar van der Wal
(see Contact)

Postdocs and PhD students

Rick Beltman
(PhD student 2023-2027)
Quantum technology with spin-active quantum emitter in SiC
Email r.beltman[AT]rug.nl
Tel. +(31) 50 363 4974
Office 5113.0227

Our team also works with PhD students and postdocs in collaborations with teams of Profs. Guimaraes, Van Wees, Slawinska

Rixt Bosma (PhD student 2023-2027, main supervisor prof. Guimaraes])
Teresa López Carrasco (PhD student 2023-2027, main supervisor prof. Guimaraes])
Cedric Cordero Silis (PhD student 2022-2026, main supervisor prof. Guimaraes])
Chao Chen Ye (PhD student 2022-2026, main supervisor asst. prof. Slawinska])

Bachelor and (Top) Master students

We have always options for projects, but can only host a few projects at the same time.
Contact us in any case (early!).

Cala Gonzalez Penagos (Bachelor research internship 2024-2025)

Mikel Martinez Garrido (Bachelor research internship 2024-2025)

Robert Crawford (Bachelor junior research internship 2023-2025)

Naser Quevedo Cabrera (Bachelor junior research internship 2023-2025)

Elsa Herranz Valiente (Physics BSc project 2024-2025, collaboration QuTech Delft, group of Carlos Errando Herranz)

Hester Braaksma (Applied Physics MSc project 2024-2025, collaborative project carried out at Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (MIT-Harvard, USA), group of prof. Matt Rosen)

Lilly-Anne Kalderen (Applied Physics BSc project 2025, collaboration EU partner)

Previous team members: PhD students, postdoc, research assistants

Joop Hendriks (PhD student 2020-2023)
Quantum optics with defects in SiC, project within EU grant QuanTELCO
Continued as research scientist at Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure.

Rafael R. Rojas Lopez
(PhD student 2019-2023 [collaborative supervision with Prof. M. Guimaraes and Prof. P. Guimaraes])
Optically controlled spintronics in 2D materials
Continued as postdoc at UFMG in Brazil

Carmem Maia Gilardoni
(Postdoc 2021-2022, PhD student 2017-2021)
Fundamentals of color centres in SiC for quantum technology
Continued as NWO-Rubicon research fellow Cambridge University UK (QOMS group).
Per 2025 she has a staff position at the CBPF Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (link1, link2).

Xu Yang
(PhD student 2015-2019, postdoc 2020-2021 [project with profs. Van Wees, Herrmann])
Optical and transport studies of spin transport in chiral molecules and materials
Continued at Infineon Munich

Talieh Ghiasi
(PhD student 2016-2020, postdoc 2020-2021 [co-supervisor, main supervisor was prof. Van Wees])
Optically controlled spintronics in 2D materials
Continued as postdoc at TU Delft

Tom Bosma (PhD student 2016-2020)
Spin-active color centers in SiC for telecom-compatible quantum technologies
Continued as Research engineer at Microsoft Station Q Copenhagen
LinkedIn

Madhu Bettadahalli Nandishaiah  (publishing as B. N. Madhushankar)
(PhD student 2015-2019 [project with prof. Van Wees])
Optically controlled spintronics in 2D materials

Jorge Quereda Bernabeu (postdoc 2016-2019 [project with prof. Van Wees])
Optically controlled spintronics in 2D materials
Continued as research staff at University of Salamanca, Spain [link]

Gerjan Lof (PhD student 2014-2018 [project with profs. Havenith, Loi, Broer])
Optical preparation and detection of spin coherence in molecules and crystal defects
Continued as a R&D engineer at ASML

Jakko de Jong (postdoc 2016, PhD student 2012-2016)
Optical spin control with donor atoms in GaAs.
Continued at QNH consultants (Groningen), later co- founding the start-up spheer.ai

Olger Zwier (PhD student 2012-2016)
Quantum optics with color-center spins in SiC.
Continued as a design engineer at ASML

Sander Onur (postdoc 2015-2016, PhD student 2010-2014)
Controlling nuclei in GaAs via quantum optics.
Continued as Medical Physicist in Training/Researcher at UMC Utrecht

Danny O’Shea
(postdoc 2012-2014, NWO-Veni fellow recipient 2014)
Quantum optics with spins in waveguides
[modified career due to circumstances]

Diederik Perdok
(research assistant 2013 [project with profs. Loi, Broer, Havenith])
Spin dynamics with organic molecules and polymers
Continued on a research and data analysis position at Intelligence2Integrity (Amsterdam).

Alok Chaubal (PhD student 2009-2014)
continued as a design engineer at ASML

Javaid Iqbal (PhD student 2007-2012)
Continued as assistant professor, Centre of Excellence in Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Sergii Denega (PhD student 2007-2011)
Continued on a research and development position at ASML

Maksym Saldkov (PhD student 2006-2010)
continued on a research and development position at ASML

Pedro Rizo (PhD student 2005-2009 [with prof. Van Loosdrecht])
continued at Mapper Lithography (Delft) and ASML

Ji Liu (PhD student 2005-2009)
is now raising a family in China

Thorsten Last (postdoc 2006-2008 [with prof. Van Wees])
continued as research associate at UC Berkeley, USA

Erik Koop (PhD student 2004-2008)
continued on a research and development position at ASML

Previous team members: Bachelor and (Top) Master students

Cala Gonzalez Penagos (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2024)
Towards Electric Field Driving of Spins: Exploring and Manipulating the Fabry-Perot Effect in Au-Coated SiC

Simar Gerçeker (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2024)
Simulating optical properties of thin semi-transparent gold films in Faby-Perot context

Mikel Martinez Garrido (Physics Bachelor project 2024)
Theoretical modelling of tungsten defects in SiC

Anastasios Zeniou (Physics Bachelor project 2024)
Computational tool for estimating laser field transmission in a Lambda-type medium

Rick Beltman (Physics Master project 2022-2023)
Monolithic 4H-SiC strip-loaded waveguide and optical fiber alignment methods for improved optical EIT control

Jelger Bijma (Physics Bachelor project 2023)
Simulating EIT with spin-active quantum emitters in an optical waveguide

Adrian Sidhu (Physics Master project 2022-2023)
Initialisation protocols for quantum memory writing with vanadium defects in silicon carbide

Thomas Fortuin (Physics Master project 2022-2023, collaboration Taminiau Lab QuTech TU Delft)
Distributed qubit-register on a multi-node network with NV centers using dynamical decoupling with radio frequency pulses

Alex Rommens (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2022, exchange with IST Austria, Higginbotham group)
Chirality Induced Pair Breaking in Type 2 Superconductors

Michael Bruno (Physics Bachelor project 2022)
Characterizing spectral diffusion in vandium-doped 4H-SiC

Sietse Dijt (Topmaster Nanoscience literature study with report 2022)
Towards Quantum Biosensing with Defect Spins in Silicon Carbide

Amara Zahid (short Top Master project 2021)
On designing SiC waveguide structures

Irina Ion (Physics Master project 2019-2020)
Thesis title: Microwave driving of transition metal defect spins coupled to nuclear spins in SiC

Danny van Hien (Applied Physics Master project 2018-2019)
Thesis title: Time-resolved experiments on molybdenum impurity spins in silicon carbide

Robbert Julius (Applied Physics Bachelor project, with Honours College extension, 2019)
Waveguiding in highly p- and n-doped silicon carbide

Pieter Wolff (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2019)
Modelling time-resolved photo-luminescence of multi-level quantum emitters

Wastu Ginanjar (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2019)
Level structure and selection rules for transitions of quantum emitters in silicon carbide

Miina Leiviska (Topmaster Nanoscience literature study with report 2019),
Spin- and optically-active transition-metal defects in SiC

Hans Beukers (Physics Master project 2018-2019, collaborative project carried out at QuTech TU Delft, group prof. Ronald Hanson)
Thesis title: Improving coherence of quantum memory during entanglement creation between nitrogen vacancy centres in diamond – The cure for quantum Alzheimer?
(Winner MSc thesis prize)

Frits Kernkamp (Applied Physics Master project 2017-2018)
Thesis title: Towards transport measurements of chiral induced spin selectivity in organic molecules on graphene: Theoretical foundations and experimental design

Freddie Hendriks (Physics Master project 2017-2018)
Thesis title: Spin-active color centres in silicon carbide, fundamental description and novel experimental techniques

Xiangyang Wei (Nanoscience Top Master project 2017-2018)
Thesis title: Optical waveguides formed by silicon carbide on doped substrates: For enhanced optical manipulation of defect spin qubits in silicon carbide

Wessel Brinkhuis (Applied Physics Bachelor project 2018)
Thesis title: Towards slow light with inhomogeneous ensembles of color centers in silicon carbide: Modeling inhomogeneous broadening in SiC c-axis divacancies

Feitze van Zwol (Physics Master project 2016-2017)
Thesis title: Instrumentation development of a high-resolution two-laser spectroscopy setup and its applications to solid state devices

Carmem Maia Gilardoni (Nanoscience Top Master project 2016-2017)
Thesis title: Transport Properties of Graphene Field Effect Transistors Functionalized with Photosystem I

James Lyon (Bachelor project 2017, collaboration with SRON)
Thesis title: Performance Analysis of Low Temperature Superconducting Flux Pump

Fran Simic (Bachelor project 2017)
Thesis title: Single-mode waveguiding in n-doped 4H-SiC

Robert van der Velde (Bachelor project 2017)
Thesis title: Waveguiding in highly n-doped silicon carbide

Elias Brul (Bachelor project 2017)
Thesis title: Mechanical and Electrical characterization of Photosystem I adsorbed on graphene

Floris van Nyendaal (Bachelor project 2017)
Thesis title: Photoresponse of a Graphene-based Si/SiO2 Field-Effect Transistor

Evelien Zwanenburg (Bachelor project 2016)
Thesis title: Conducting probe measurements of photo-active photosystem I monolayers on graphene

Maarten Degen (Nanoscience Top Master project 2015-2016, exchange visit to MIT)
Thesis title: Engineering, control and effects of field amplitude distributions in solid-state devices with nanoscale optical emitters

Tom Bosma (Physics Master project 2015-2016)
Thesis title: Electron and Spin Transport in Graphene and Metallic Channels with Photosystem I Monolayers

Mikhail Dryzhov (Bachelor student honors project 2015-2017)
Thesis title: Preparation and characterization of self-assembled photosystem-I on graphene

Joop Adema (Bachelor project 2015)
Thesis title: Excited State Spectroscopy and Optical Bleaching in c-axis divacancies in Silicon Carbide

Feitze van Zwol (Bachelor project 2015)
Thesis title: Simulations on single-mode waveguides in GaAs

Henry de Vries (Bachelor project 2015)
Thesis title: Optimizing Photoluminescence Retrieval from Gallium Arsenide in a Fiber-Based Cryogenic Environment

Camiel van Hooff (Bachelor project 2015, collaboration with SRON)
Thesis title: On the Development of a Far-infrared Thermal Image Generator

Hallo Arbely (Bachelor project 2015, collaboration with SRON)
Thesis title: Calculations of Higher Modes in Pyramidal Horn Antennas

Xu Yang (Thesis project top master NanoScience 2014-2015)
continued as a PhD student in our team
Thesis title: Controlling Optical Interactions with Divacancy Spin Ensembles in Silicon Carbide: Towards a Quantum Memory

Sebastien Volker (Master project 2014-2015)
continued on a management trainee position at UMCG Groningen
Thesis title: Simulating the Emission of Spontaneous Spin-Flip Raman Photons from Ensembles of Donor-Bound Electrons in n-GaAs

Urvashi Gupta (Master research project 2014-2015, exchange student from IISER India)
continued to finish her master degree in India

Carmem Maia Gilardoni (Exchange student project 2014)
continued to finish her bachelor degree in Brazil, and came back to Groningen for the Nanoscience Top Master Program

Angad Singh (Research internship, visiting student 2014)
continued to finish his bachelor degree in India

Xavi Bonet Monroig (Erasmus bachelor project 2014)
continued to finish his bachelor degree in Valencia, Spain, and in master studies

Diederik Perdok (Master project 2012-2013)
continued as a research assistant in our team

Jorrit Sloot (Bachelor and Master project 2010-2012)
continued as consultant data analytics at Deloitte

Olger Zwier (Master project 2011-2012)
continued as PhD student in our team

Jakko de Jong (Master project 2011-2012)
continued as PhD student in our team

Rianne Lous (Top Master student 2011-2012, exchange visit to Harvard)
continued as PhD student in the group of prof. Grimm, Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation, Innsbruck, Austria

Rob Bremer (Master student 2011-2012)
continued on an industrial career

Jasper van der Velde (short Top Master project 2011)
continued as PhD student in the group of prof. Cordes in Groningen

Morten Bakker (Top Master project 2009-2010)
continued as PhD student in the group of prof. Bouwmeester in Leiden

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PERIOD TO BE COMPLETED 2008-2011
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2008 Andrii Rudavskyi (Topmaster research project), Optical probing of spin dynamics in devices etched in GaAs heterostructures.

2008 Sander Kamerbeek (Bachelor research project), Optical waveguides in semiconductor heterostructures.

2008 Brian Smith (Topmaster literature study with report), Solid-state quantum computing.

2008 Joost Flipse (Bachelor research project) Spin relaxation in quantum dots.

2008 Josbert Mulder (Bachelor research project) Low-noise detection scheme for optical studies on spins in semiconductors.

2007 Niels van der Kaap (Bachelor research project) Polarization maintaining fibers for addressing spin in semiconductors with a cryogenic microscope.

2007 Sander Kamerbeek (Bachelor instrumentation project), Automated measurements on quantum dots with rapid data transfer.

2007 Arjen van der Pal (Bachelor instrumentation project), Control of quantized conductance demonstration setup.

2006 Maksym Sladkov (Topmaster research project, with Prof. Bart van Wees), Microwave control of spintronics.

2006 Xinglan Liu (Topmaster literature study with report) Quantum optics wit BEC’s.

Bram Slachter (Bachelor and Master project 2004-2006)
continued as PhD student in the group of prof. Van Wees in Groningen, before going to ASML

2006 Bram Slachter (Topmaster research project, with Prof. Paul van Loosdrecht), Optical probing of spin dynamics in GaAs heterostructures.

2006 Bram Slachter (Topmaster literature study with report), Solid-state single-photon sources.

2006 Xinglan Liu (Topmaster research project) Quantum optics with semiconductors.

2006 Friederich Limbach (Bachelor research project), Ohmic contacts to GaAs heterostructures.

2005 Gabi Visanescu (Master research project), Microwave control of spintronics.

2004 Mikel Boute (Bachelor research project), Ohmic contacts to GaAs heterostructures.

2004 Francesco Maddalena (Topmaster literature study with report), Quantum dots.

2004 Bram Slachter (Bachelor research project), Microwave control of spintronics.