Projects per year
Personal profile
Quote
I want to understand what really drives highly transient electrical discharges and how these beautiful and intriguing phenomena can best be controlled and used.
Research profile
Sander Nijdam is Associate Professor in the Elementary Processes in Gas Discharges (EPG) group at Eindhoven University of Technology. He works on projects involving a variety of highly transient plasmas, focusing on the question what drives a transient discharge. His work includes both the temporal and spatial development of transient discharges including streamers, microwave discharges and EUV-induced discharges. He is interested in both the industrial applications of such discharges as well as in their fundamental properties and their involvement in natural processes like lightning.
As an engineer with Philips after completing his Master's degree studies, Nijdam worked on research and development of high-intensity discharge lamps. He returned to academia for more in-depth research in this field. During his PhD research in the EPG group, Nijdam focused on the physics of streamers and exotic phenomena in hydrogen discharges.
Academic background
Sander Nijdam obtained his MSc in Applied Physics from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in 2000. He then worked for Philips Lighting as an engineer until he started his PhD research at TU/e in 2006. In 2011, he successfully defended his PhD thesis and was appointed Assistant Professor at TU/e. In 2017, he won the Hershkowitz Early Career Award and Review.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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DDLC - TKI HTSM/22.0656 - Defect Driven Local Charging
Nijdam, S. (Project Manager), Smith, N. (Project member) & Guo, Y. (Project member)
1/01/22 → 9/09/27
Project: Third tier
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Plasma Power: Energizing and model-based design of plasma torches (TKI-HTSM/22.0024)
Nijdam, S. (Project Manager), van Gils, A. M. H. (Project member) & van Dijk, J. (Project member)
1/01/21 → 1/10/27
Project: Third tier
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PhotoLitho, Aberration compensation and surface charging PPS 1912P11
Nijdam, S. (Project Manager), Limburg, A. A. A. (Project member), van Gils, A. M. H. (Project member), Montero Franco, E. (Project member), Sanders, P. (Project member) & Guo, Y. (Project member)
1/03/20 → 31/12/27
Project: Third tier
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TTW 16480 Making plasma-assisted combustion efficient
Nijdam, S. (Project Manager) & Patel, R. B. (Project member)
1/09/18 → 3/05/24
Project: Second tier
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Science and Innovation with thunderstorms
Nijdam, S. (Project Manager) & Mirpour, S. (Project member)
1/03/17 → 31/08/21
Project: Research direct
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The physics of streamer discharge phenomena
Nijdam, S. (Corresponding author), Teunissen, J. & Ebert, U., Oct 2020, In: Plasma Sources Science and Technology. 29, 10, 49 p., 103001.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access375 Citations (Scopus) -
Streamer discharges can move perpendicularly to the electric field
Nijdam, S., Takahashi, E., Teunissen, J. & Ebert, U., 2014, In: New Journal of Physics. 16, p. 103038-1/10 10 p., 103038.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile49 Citations (Scopus)1492 Downloads (Pure) -
Probing photo-ionization : experiments on positive streamers in pure gases and mixtures
Nijdam, S., Wetering, van de, F. M. J. H., Blanc, R., Veldhuizen, van, E. M. & Ebert, U. M., 2010, In: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 43, 14, p. 145204-1/16Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
179 Citations (Scopus) -
Experimental investigations on the physics of streamers
Nijdam, S., 2011, Eindhoven: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. 224 p.Research output: Thesis › Phd Thesis 1 (Research TU/e / Graduation TU/e)
Open AccessFile1918 Downloads (Pure) -
Invasiveness of pico- and nanosecond E-FISH on plasma bullets in nitrogen
Limburg, A. A. A. (Corresponding author), Keur, T. E. W., Pleijers, R. F. E. & Nijdam, S., 1 Mar 2025, In: Plasma Sources Science and Technology. 34, 3, 21 p., 035008.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Data for "Statistical analysis on branching characteristics of positive streamer discharges in N2-O2 mixtures"
Guo, Y. (Creator) & Nijdam, S. (Creator), Zenodo, 19 Jan 2024
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10534905, https://zenodo.org/records/10534905
Dataset
Prizes
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Noah Hershkowitz Early Career Award and Review
Nijdam, S. (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Other › Career, activity or publication related prizes (lifetime, best paper, poster etc.) › Scientific
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NWO Veni Award : The secrets of ionic wind
Nijdam, S. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: NWO › Veni › Scientific
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NWO-JSPS Scientist exchange Short Term Japan, Tsukuba, Japan
Nijdam, S. (Recipient), 2012
Prize: Other › Visiting scholar › Scientific
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Outstanding Student Paper Award winner
Nijdam, S. (Recipient), 14 Dec 2009
Prize: Other › Career, activity or publication related prizes (lifetime, best paper, poster etc.) › Scientific
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16th Frontiers in Low Temperature Plasma Diagnostics (FLTPD) conference
Sobota, A. (Chair), Peeters, A. (Organiser), Nijdam, S. (Organiser), Wubs, J. R. (Organiser), Held, J. (Organiser), Engeln, R. A. H. (Organiser) & van Rooij, G. J. (Organiser)
12 Apr 2026 → 16 Apr 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Conference › Scientific
File -
Advanced diagnostics of streamer discharges
Nijdam, S. (Speaker)
16 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk › Scientific
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High Voltage (Journal)
Nijdam, S. (Editorial board member)
2025 → 2028Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity › Scientific
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12th International Conference on Reactive Plasmas and 44th Symposium on Plasma Processing (ICRP-12/SPP-44)
Nijdam, S. (Organiser)
2025 → 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Conference › Scientific
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Recent understanding of streamer discharges by combining experiments and numerical modelling
Nijdam, S. (Invited speaker)
30 Sept 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk › Scientific
Courses
Press/Media
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Enorm kleine kans, maar Rick overkwam het: hij is twee keer geraakt door de bliksem
9/08/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Wetenschappers zien voor het eerst krachtige straling direct uit bliksems komen
21/05/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Bliksem begrijpen door het te temmen
1/05/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Moet je bij onweer de stekkers uit het stopcontact trekken?
19/10/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Research areas
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Corona discharges and lightning
Nijdam, S. (Content manager)
Impact: Research Topic/Theme (at group level)
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Thesis
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Concentration measurements in a stratified fluid using laser induced fluorescence
Nijdam, S. (Author), van der Plas, G. A. J. (Supervisor 1), Maassen, S. R. (Supervisor 2) & van Heijst, G. J. F. (Supervisor 2), 30 Apr 2000Student thesis: Master
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