About AMOLF
Mission
AMOLF’s mission is to initiate and perform leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry.
The AMOLF way
- Focus on excellent science
- Obtain outstanding technical infrastructure
- Initiate and develop new scientific topics
- Keep the organization and the research groups relatively small
- Collaborate with colleagues, universities and academia
- Facilitate social cohesion
Institute policy
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AMOLF Strategic Plan 2023-2028
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Diversity & inclusion
At AMOLF, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential …
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Sustainability
AMOLF is committed to sustainability and to reducing its environmental …
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Collaboration and academic freedom
Collaboration is essential to scientific progress. AMOLF therefore supports cooperation …
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Guest researchers
We started a program in which we offer university group leaders a part-time position at AMOLF, to intensify the collaboration with their research groups. At present two of these positions are filled, by Wim Sinke (Professor of Sustainable Energy, University of Amsterdam and ECN), and by Marjolein Dijkstra (Professor of Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute, Utrecht University). In the coming years, we aim to significantly strengthen this program.
Former group leaders
See the list of former group leaders who contributed to AMOLF’s research in the past.
History
Jaap Kistemaker (1917-2010), founder of AMOLF and a pioneer in the field of uranium isotope separation. He led AMOLF from 1949 until his retirement in 1982.
In 1946 the Dutch government established the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) ‘to initiate fundamental scientific research in the Netherlands on matter in the general sense, and to support higher education’. In order to achieve this goal, the FOM Laboratory for Mass Spectrography was founded. The institute’s name was changed to Laboratory for Mass Separation in 1960, and then to FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF) in 1966. The name changes reflect the significant changes in the institute’s research program over the years.
As of January 1, 2017, FOM forms a new organization together with other parts of NWO. The name ‘FOM’, therefore, disappears after more than 70 years. As a result of this, the FOM Institute AMOLF changes its name to AMOLF.
