Advent calendar - December 14th - Nong Hoang

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, and technicians of our research groups - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 14 meet Nong Hoang.

Currently, I’m doing a PhD at the University of Groningen in the Optical Condensed Matter Physics group of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials. My working days often vary, but usually I focus on writing reports, manuscripts and doing literature research in the morning. However, before that, drinking a cup of coffee is extremely essential to keep my brain awake for the rest of the day. After having lunch and a short break, I usually work in the laboratory doing measurements, preparing materials and setup for the next day.

I’m working on two exciting topics of organics solar cells and molecular motors. My main research goals are to obtain deeper insights into photophysical processes in organics solar cells and to demonstrate the functionality of newly designed molecular motors using spectroscopic tools. For the latter case, I am collaborating with several post-docs of the research group of Ben Feringa, who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Overall, this PhD journey helps me to gain not only the knowledge, experience and skills while doing research but the understanding of cultural differences, diversity, and inclusion beyond science.

Contact: Nong Hoang