The Research & The Big Picture

I pursued my PhD in experimental physics in the Single-Molecule Optics group at Leiden University. My research centered around developing novel optical instrumentation and measurement techniques to observe physical and photophysical phenomena at the single-molecule scale.

Building the Experimental Setups

A major part of my PhD was learning how to make things from scratch. Rather than relying on turnkey systems, we built custom setups on optical tables:

• Laser alignment and coupling: Achieving stability and precise beam control.
• Detector integration: Coordinating sensitive avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and spectrometers.
• Sub-nanometer positioning: Controlling piezo scanners and sample holders with high reproducibility.

Software as the Catalyst: Controlling the Lab with Python

One of the earliest and most impactful bottlenecks I faced was setup control. Commercial software was either too rigid, proprietary, or closed off. I turned to Python to build flexible, modular software that synchronized hardware in real time:

• Coordinating multiple instruments (stages, lasers, counters) through clear interfaces.
• Real-time data streaming, visualization, and reduction.
• Laying the groundwork for software patterns that would later inspire Python for the Lab and open-source packages.

Key Scientific Discoveries & Contributions

Through these custom-built setups, we were able to observe:

• Dynamics and photophysics of individual emitters.
• High-precision localization and tracking with microsecond-level temporal resolution.
• Novel insights into nano-optics and light-matter interactions at nanoscale dimensions.

Lessons from the Lab: Transitioning to Entrepreneurship

Doing a PhD taught me how to embrace ambiguity, troubleshoot problems methodically from first principles, and push beyond existing limitations. More importantly, it gave me the confidence that any instrument can be broken down, understood, and rebuilt. That mindset ultimately paved the way for my transition from academic research to deep-tech entrepreneurship and founding Dispertech.