About our research
At Radboud University, we have a strong connection between theory and experiment. That’s why our leading theoretical physicists collaborate intensively with experimental material physicists at the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM). Together, they form the teaching staff of the Master’s specialisation in Quantum Matter.
In your internship, you will have the opportunity to work in unique research facilities such as HFML-FELIX (High Field Magnet Laboratory and the FELIX free electron laser laboratory), with internationally renowned scientists. If you’re successful in your internship, you have a good chance of obtaining a PhD position at the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM).
On this page, you can read more about the relevant research institute(s) and departments in which our highly renowned research takes place.
Research institutes
Institute for Molecules and Materials
IMM is an interdisciplinary research institute in chemistry and physics. The mission of IMM is to perform fundamental research to understand, design, and control the functioning of molecules and materials.
Research groups
IMM offers you unique opportunities in different research fields. To give you an idea of the research you can perform at Radboud University, some examples are highlighted below. Or click the button for an overview of all IMM research groups.
As our research groups have close collaborations with companies, it’s also possible to choose an external location for your internship. If you would rather go abroad, we’ll help you to find a suitable possibility, using our network.
Spectroscopy of Cold Molecules
We develop unique experimental techniques to control, collide and image individual molecules in the gas-phase, to answer what happens fundamentally when two molecules come together and collide?
Theory of Condensed Matter
We predict condensed matter properties, ranging from structural and dynamical properties, to topological and interaction phenomena, For this, we develop advanced mathematical frameworks and state-of-the-art numerical approaches.
Scanning Probe Microscopy
We study fundamental problems in condensed matter physics, down to the atomic scale. We focus on electronic and magnetic imaging in cryogenic environments and magnetic fields, often combined with atomic manipulation.
Molecular Structure and Dynamics (FELIX)
This group combines and integrates mass spectrometry with IR spectroscopy, enabling them to obtain infrared spectral fingerprints for mass-selected ions inside the mass spectrometer. This allows them to identify molecular structures of low-abundance compounds within complex mixtures, and in more fundamental studies, investigate molecular spectra and structures of ionized molecules.
Research facilities
Radboud University is renowned for its unique, world class facilities in the field of material research. As a student in Physics of Molecules and Materials, you’ll get the chance to work with one of the strongest continuous magnets in the world, whether or not in combination with unique Free Electron Lasers, as well as with NMR devices, Scanning Tunneling Microscopes, and many other kinds of laboratory equipment. All these facilities form part of the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM).
High Field Magnetic Laboratory (HFML)
The HFML is one of the few facilities with continuous high magnetic fields in the world. These magnetic fields bring surprising material properties to light, such as quantum phenomena and transport in graphene and superconductivity in low-dimensional metals.
Magnetic Resonance Research Center
The focus of the MRRC research center is the development and application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods that enable the study of local structure and dynamics in functional materials. With Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy, our researchers unravel the design and synthesis of novel functional materials. In this way they characterise materials for energy storage and conversion, and molecules such as polymers, pharmaceuticals and catalysts .
FELIX Laboratory
The FELIX Laboratory (Free-Electron Lasers for Infrared eXperiments) is an international user facility, exploiting several free electron lasers that can be precisely tuned in wavelength, energy and pulse time. Together they can produce an exceptionally broad spectrum of wavelengths from 3 µm to 1.5 mm, ideal for studying soft and condensed matter.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)
STM, in the Nanolab, is used to observe electronic and magnetic properties of surfaces and nanoscopic materials down to single molecules and atoms. There’s a close collaboration with the HFML and FELIX, housed in connected buildings.
Cold and Controlled Collisions (CCC)
The study of collisions between individual molecules in the gas phase is one of the most revealing methods to acquire a detailed understanding of molecular structures and interactions. The CCC group uses advanced experimental techniques to optimise the quality of the preparation of the collision partners, and hence the level of detail of their experiments.
Laser spectroscopy: SSI & MLP
Laser spectroscopy is a successful tool for ultrasensitive detection. Researchers at Radboud University have developed methods to detect gases below the part per billion volume (1:109). Using nonlinear optical phenomena they are studying magnetic properties at surfaces and interfaces with femtosecond temporal resolution.