Renewable energy jobs at AMOLF
AMOLF
Company Overview
AMOLF, part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
1949
Approximately 200 employees (source: wikipedia.org). The annual budget is around 17 million euros, funded by NWO, EU grants, and industry contracts (source: amolf.nl).
What They Do
AMOLF is a fundamental research institute focused on complex matter, with applications in sustainable energy materials such as advanced solar cells. The institute is one of three interdisciplinary themes focused on Sustainable Energy Materials, studying nanophotonics and nanomaterials for the conversion of sunlight into electricity and chemicals to support the energy transition (source: amolf.nl). AMOLF develops self-optimizing tandem solar cells and programmable light-driven chemical reactors, manipulating light, charge, and ions on a nanoscale for higher efficiency solar cells and sustainable chemistry (source: amolf.nl). The institute does not produce commercial products but generates insights and demonstrators through its Corporate Partnership and Technology Transfer Program, collaborating with industry on projects funded by NWO and the EU (source: amolf.nl). The target markets are academic and industrial partners in renewable energy, green ICT, and healthcare, without direct customer segments, as it is research-driven (source: amolf.nl). AMOLF plays a unique role as an incubator for Dutch science, with infrastructure such as the NanoLab Amsterdam cleanroom and a precision manufacturing group that produces custom micron-accurate equipment (source: amolf.nl).
Projects & Track Record
AMOLF has completed several notable projects, including the SOLARDAM initiative, established in 2013 for multidisciplinary research on solar energy. Another project is a BSc project from 2018 by students from the University of Amsterdam, which investigated the correlation between temperature and properties of solar panels using data from AMOLF's solar field (source: amolf.nl). The AMOLF Solar Field, established in 2016, monitors six commercial PV panels and collects data every five minutes on power, voltage, current, temperature, and irradiance (source: amolf.nl). Ongoing major projects focus on Sustainable Energy Materials, including colored solar cells that use nanocylinders 600 times thinner than a human hair (source: stensborg.com). Key partnerships include collaborations with universities and industry, with AMOLF playing a crucial role in technology transfer (source: amolf.nl). Geographically, the presence is limited to Amsterdam, but the research impacts global applications in renewable energy (source: wikipedia.org).
Recent Developments
In 2022, AMOLF reorganized its research program into three themes and received NWO's Diversity Award for its international, interdisciplinary team efforts (source: amolf.nl). In 2023, the same department won NWO's Team Science Award for collaborative work (source: amolf.nl). AMOLF celebrated its 75th anniversary on November 12, 2024, with a networking event in Amsterdam, reflecting on its evolution since its founding in 1949 (source: amolf.nl). No major contracts, acquisitions, or mergers have been reported in the past two years, but the institute continues to conduct EU/NWO-funded projects and technology transfer (source: amolf.nl). Key milestones include the growth of the institutional repository for publications in nanophotonics and biophysics, with sponsorship of the Metamaterials'2026 conference emphasizing work in renewable energy (source: amolf.nl).
Working at AMOLF
AMOLF primarily offers positions for PhD students, postdocs, technicians, support staff, and scientific interns within 19 research groups, focusing on themes such as Sustainable Energy Materials (nanophotonics, solar energy) and technical departments (Precision Manufacturing, infrastructure support) (source: amolf.nl). The recruitment process takes place at the sole location in Amsterdam Science Park, with open positions for diverse, international candidates bringing unique perspectives (source: amolf.nl). The company culture emphasizes close, multidisciplinary collaboration and diversity, recognized with NWO awards in 2022 and 2023 (source: wikipedia.org). Key researchers include director Huib Bakker and Bruno Ehrler (Sustainable Energy Materials) (source: wikipedia.org). Specific benefits are not publicly documented, but the institute provides access to unique facilities such as the NanoLab cleanroom and TEM, plus training and cross-institute visits for staff (source: amolf.nl).
Last updated on May 22, 2026 | Report an issue
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