About the Principal Investigator
Since February 2026 Johannes T.B. (Bas) Overvelde moved fully to the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) as Full Professor, where he now leads the Autonomous Matter & Machines lab within the Dynamics and Control Section of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Previously, in May 2016, Overvelde started as a tenure-track Group Leader @AMOLF an academic institute for fundamental physics with high societal relevance in Amsterdam, where he started the Soft Robotic Matter Group. Between September 2020 and February 2026, Overvelde was also appointed as Associate Professor at the TU/e. Since then, Overvelde is also affiliated with the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems.
Between 2004 and 2012, Overvelde studied applied physics and mechanical engineering at the Delft University of Technology, where he received both his BSc and MSc degrees in mechanical engineering cum laude. In April 2016, Overvelde finished his PhD in applied mathematics at Harvard University under the direction of professor Katia Bertoldi at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Overvelde’s PhD research focussed on harnessing compliance and instabilities in engineered structural materials and devices to achieve function.
