Exploiting light-matter interaction on the nanoscale leads to novel concepts for the required ubiquitous sensors for the current era of the Internet of Things.  

Rob van der Heijden is Associate Professor in the group Photonics and Semiconductor Nanophysics at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His expertise is in Photonic Crystals made in the Opto-Electronic semiconductors GaAs and InP. These are used as functional components in Photonic Integrated Circuits for ultra-low volume sensors of diverse quantities such as temperature, refractive index, pressure, reflection spectra, displacements and more.

Rob is interested in application areas varying from the agri&food to semiconductor industries and all the way to consumer appliances. He has a background both in the advanced technology development of micro- and nanofabrication as well as in the theory and design of novel concepts for dedicated sensors. Furthermore, Rob works on hybrid technologies combining microscale semiconductor circuits with fiber-optic sensors.

Rob van der Heijden obtained his MSc in Experimental Physics (with honors) from Radboud University in Nijmegen and later obtained his PhD on Terahertz spectroscopy of solids from the same university. After a post-doc at the Nijmegen High Field Magnet Laboratory, he joined the Department of Applied Physics at TU/e, where he worked in Cryogenic Techniques, Low Temperature Physics and Electronic Transport in Low-dimensional systems before he started his current affiliation with the Photonics and Semiconductor Nanophysics group as Associate Professor to work in the field of Nanophotonics.

Rob is also associated with the Institute for Photonic Integration. His work at the TU/e was only interrupted by a visiting professorship lasting several months at the University of Sydney.