Advent calendar - December 4th- Hoang Long Nguyen

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, support staff and technicians of our research groups and team - providing a glimpse in their typical day at work. In Episode 4 meet Hoang Long Nguyen , double degree PhD student at Nanyang Technological University and the Theory of Condensed Matter group of Prof. Thomas La Cour Jansen.

I am a PhD student from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and I have just joined the Theory of Condensed Matter group this June as part of the Joint PhD program with University of Groningen. The program allows PhD students to spend at least one year in the partner university to increase the collaborative relationship between the two institutions.

My research focuses on the excitonic energy transfer processes that allow photon energy to be effectively captured and converted during photosynthesis. Back in Singapore, I worked in Prof. Tan Howe Siang’s lab to perform ultrafast two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) measurements on pigment-protein complexes of photosynthetic systems, to resolve their spectral features and ultrafast dynamics. You will see me in the lab most of the time tweaking mirrors and lenses, while avoiding burning my skin with the laser beam. In contrast, in Zernike, my job is to study the energy transfer processes from a theoretical point of view. Thus, you will often see me sitting comfortably on my desk, reading theory papers and drinking coffee.

In my free time I enjoy doing my personal projects. This keeps me motivated and motivates me to learn new things every day. I also enjoy exploring around the city. Groningen is a nice place with not so many people, a stark contrast with Singapore. Being able to study in two different place across the globe gives me a perfect opportunity to meet new friends, expose to new cultures and broaden my perspective about the world