Lezing
Life After a PhD - Special Seminar for PhD Students
- Datum
- woensdag 16 september 2026
- Tijd
- Locatie
- Gorlaeus Building,
- Zaal
- Room BE 0.08
Life After a PhD:
Do you already know waht you are going to do once you finish your PhD (after you've taken a proper holiday)? Come and listen to 2 former PhD students who talk about what they are doing now. Both did their PhDs with Joost Batenburg (LIACS), but the seminar is open to all PhD students.
Robert Auenhammer talks about his work at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. In 2023 he defended his PhD thesis, titled ‘Image-based numerical modelling of heterogeneous materials’.
Abstract
The ability to visualise and understand the internal structure of materials is transforming how materials are characterised, modelled, and designed. By integrating three-dimensional imaging, intelligent data analysis, and predictive modelling, material behaviour can be linked directly to its evolving microstructure. This approach can be applied to materials whose properties are governed by their microstructure, including for example fibrous composites, polymeric foams, and battery materials. It creates workflows towards virtual material representations that learn from experimental observations and predict performance across scales. In the long term, material modelling focussed on advanced imaging will reduce physical testing and accelerate the development of materials with tailored properties.
Jan Willem Buurlage talks about his work at Monumental, who operate in the field of Autonomous Construction Robots. In 2020 he defended his PhD thesis, titled ‘Real-time tomographic reconstruction’.
Abstract
Placing Holograms and Bricks with Millimeter Precision
Inverse problems in the real world
Inverse problems and the techniques used to solve them are found everywhere in real-world applications of imaging, mixed reality, and robotics. Despite the differences between these fields, many of the underlying problems are surprisingly similar: we have incomplete or noisy measurements and want to estimate some unknown part of the world.
In this talk, we will look at several examples, including tomography, bundle adjustment for large-scale 3D mapping, alpha matting for high-fidelity occlusions in mixed reality, and uncertainty estimation for confidently laying bricks with millimeter precision. Along the way, we will look at some of the challenges that come up when applying these techniques to real systems. We will also touch on some of the differences between working on these problems in academia, big tech, and a startup.
Jan-Willem Buurlage obtained his PhD on real-time tomographic imaging from Leiden University in 2020. Afterwards, he worked at Microsoft and Meta on computer vision for mixed reality devices, including the HoloLens and Quest headsets. He now works on construction robots at Monumental, a robotics startup in the Netherlands.
