Smart lighting technology, the security of wireless sensor systems and how innovative government policy can be implemented more quickly. These are, in short, the three topics that the three TU/e researchers will be able to further develop their own lines of research and expand their own research groups thanks to an NWO Vidi grant of up to 850,000 euros.
Vidis are awarded annually by NWO . Of the 778 preliminary applications, 149 were approved, 70 for male candidates and 79 for female candidates. With a total of over €126 million in available grants. This round, NWO has been able to grant additional funds to honor more high-quality proposals. This enables NWO to give talented researchers a helping hand in times of cutbacks in research and science. With three of these grants awarded to TU/e researchers, our university can make significant progress in various scientific domains.
Overcoming Barriers with Multi-Layer Nano-Optics for Advanced Information Processing
Ahmed Dorrah , department Applied Physics and Science Education
"This research aims to develop advanced light-controlling technologies that are compatible with semiconductor chip manufacturing. By creating artificial multi-layer materials that manage light on a scale smaller than its wavelength, researchers seek to improve devices like cameras, sensors, and light-based computers. These nano-optics allow better control of light, enabling sharper images, faster processing, and more precise functionality in compact, energy-efficient designs.
The technology integrates easily into existing systems, improving everyday devices like smartphones and AR/VR headsets. It also allows using light for secure data transmission and quantum computing."
Faster, cleaner and more accessible
Dorrah outlines the purpose of the research: "To make optical systems faster, smaller and far more energy efficient. By developing ultra-thin, layered optical structures that guide light directly on a chip. This could reduce the energy consumption of data centers, allow microscopes to see deeper into living tissue and enable quantum-secure communication that cannot be intercepted or copied."
"Even a modest ten to twenty percent improvement in optical efficiency would have a measurable global impact. In the long run, this work paves the way for technologies that are faster, cleaner and more accessible - while strengthening the Netherlands and the Brainport region as global leaders in photonics, quantum innovation and high-tech engineering."
How can government design policies to accelerate time-sensitive innovation?
Jaime Bonnin Roca , department Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences
Bonnin Roca's research focuses on large government projects aimed at solving issues such as climate change, and why results often take a long time to materialize. The goal is to help governments take action so that innovations reach the market more quickly and responsibly.
"The topic and the risks surrounding the outcome of the project don't fit well within research conducted in consortia. Thanks to this grant, I can conduct research on a subject that is difficult to fund through other schemes," the researcher explains. The grant enables him to hire a PhD student and a postdoctoral researcher.
Faster Solutions
The aim of his research is to assist policymakers in designing policies and regulations that shorten the time it takes for a technology to reach the market. In the long term, this contributes to faster solutions for urgent societal challenges.
Bonnin Roca continues: "This grant offers me academic freedom. I can explore the topic with more enjoyment and curiosity. The focus is more on qualitative than quantitative outcomes. And have more time myself to spend on research, as right now I depend mostly on my PhD students, and have little time to do my own things."
Information Theoretic Foundations of Robust and Secure Sensing (IT-RoSens)
Hamdi Joudeh , department Electrical Engineering
"Wireless sensing systems use electromagnetic waves to detect, locate, and track objects. From automotive safety and smart farming to smartphones and health monitoring, this technology has become an integral part of modern society. But as our reliance on them grows, wireless sensing systems face increasing risks, from signal interference to cyberattacks.
This project reimagines wireless sensing from the ground up, using tools from a mathematical field called information theory to make it more resilient and secure. The goal is to build smarter sensing systems that can better withstand real-world challenges and help keep critical services reliable and safe."
Safer autonomous vehicles
With his Vidi grant Joudeh aims to extend the reach of information theory to sensing systems. "At its core, sensing is the process of extracting meaningful information from noisy data. The key question I plan to address is: how can we do this in the most efficient, reliable, and secure manner?"
Joudeh explains how this grant contributes to the societal impact of his research: "I envision that information theory can have a transformative impact on sensing technologies, such as wireless sensing and automotive radars, making them more resource-efficient, resilient to interference, and secure against adversarial attacks. This will ultimately enable smarter sensing systems and safer autonomous vehicles that benefit everyday life."
