Renske van der Veen heads new department "Atomic Dynamics in Light-Energy Conversion"
Renske van der Veen has a lot of experience with ultrafast x-ray measurements. © Irene Böttcher-Gajweski/MPIBC
From June 2021, Dr. Renske van der Veen is setting up a new research group at HZB. The chemist is an expert in time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy and studies catalytic processes that enable the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.
Dr. Renske van der Veen successfully obtained a Helmholtz Funding of first-time professorial appointments of excellent women scientists (W2/W3), whereupon the HZB has already initiated an S-W2 appointment procedure at TU Berlin. She has 14 years of experience in the field of ultrafast X-ray methods. "At BESSY II, I can apply and expand this experience in my research project," says van der Veen, emphasising, "The results could also contribute to the scientific case for BESSY III."
Renske van der Veen studied at ETH Zurich, received her PhD from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and conducted research at the California Institute of Technology, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, and the University of Illinois, where she held an assistant professorship. Her research was honoured with the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering.
At HZB, Renske van der Veen is now looking forward to exchange with research groups working on related topics, from modelling ultrafast energy transfer, developing ultrafast techniques at BESSY II, to developing photoelectrodes and heterogeneous photocatalysts at the Institute for Solar Fuels.
- Magnon momentum microscopy: A new window into nanoscale spin-wavesAn international team lead by the Max Born Institute has developed a new type of momentum microscopy to image magnons — the quanta of collectively excited spins — directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space using soft X-rays. Measurements have taken place at BESSY II and PETRA III, first author ist the HZB physicist Steffen Wittrock. Owing to its remarkable sensitivity, simplicity, and access to nanometer-scale wavelengths, this novel technique establishes a powerful and versatile platform for exploring nonlinear magnon interactions, which are promising for future computing schemes.
- Magnetic field during catalyst synthesis triples ammonia yieldApplying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin films, making catalytically active sites more accessible. In the journal 'Advanced Functional Materials', a team led by Marcel Risch at HZB and Sanjay Mathur at University of Cologne demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production.
- Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysisThe synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics. These new approaches could accelerate the discovery of long-lasting and efficient catalysts for future energy conversion and the decarbonisation of the chemical industry. A recent article by Dr Prashanth Menezes and his team in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie provides an overview of this research.