TNNN's 5th annual conference

The TNNN Conference 2026 will be held 6-8 May in Trondheim.
The conference will mainly take place at the campus of Gløshaugen. 

The conference will begin with lunch on Wednesday, May 6, and will end on Friday, May 8, after lunch.

Welcome

welcome letter to all registered participants HERE.

Accomodation

We have reserved a limited number of rooms at hotel Scandic Lerkendal in Trondheim. 

TNNN will cover the hotel accommodation for PhD members from outside of Trondheim for the two nights during the conference. 

Master’s students are welcome to attend the conference. They cannot participate in the conference dinner and will not have accommodation covered. Registration is completed as usual via the registration form.

Conference fee

TNNN will also cover the conference fee for PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers who are members of the TNNN Research School.

For other participants, the conference fee will be approximately 2000 NOK (exact amount will be known when the registration opens). Payment link will be sent by email after you have registered.

Program

Abstracts overview for contributed speakers HERE

Wednesday 6 May

11.00 - 12.30	Lunch and Registration NTNU Gløshaugen: Gamle Elektro, room EL5
12.30-12.35	Opening of the conference
12.35 - 14.10	Session 1: Quantum technology part 1
12.35 - 13.20	Towards in-memory computing using ferroelectric memristors Mattias Borg, Associate Professor, Lund University of Sweden
13.25 - 13.50	Industry invited speaker: Gunnar Maehlum, CEO of Integrated Detector Electronics AS (IDEAS) Title: From First Principles to Flight Hardware: Microelectronics in Space.
13:50–14:00	Stand Presentations
14.00 - 14.30	Coffee break
14.30 - 16.30	Workshops Workshop 1:  Science Graphic Design - Room Smia Workshop 2: Technology Transfer as - Room Lise
16.30 - 17:00	Poster pitch presentations
17:15	Bus to Lager 11
17.15 - 21:00	Poster session and dinner at Lager 11

Thursday 7 May

09.00 - 12.00	Session 2: Nanotechnology part 1
09:00 - 09.45	Next-Generation Concepts in Cancer Nanomedicine Twan Lammers, Professor of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
09:45 - 10.00	Contributed Talk 1: Improving Anti-PD1 Uptake and Therapy in Tumors Using Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT) in Mice Håkon F. Wesche, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
10:00 - 10.15	Contributed Talk 2: Doxorubicin-Loaded Iron Oxide Nanocubes for Targeted Anticancer-Drug Delivery Egon G. Höfgen, PhD candidate, NTNU
10.15 - 10.45	Coffee break
10.45 - 11.30	Atomically precise structures tailored into 2D materials Jani Kotakoski, Professor, University of Vienna
11:30 - 11.45	Contributed Talk 3: Taper-Engineered AlGaN/GaN Nanowire Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting UV Lasers Dishiti Gupta, PhD candidate, Department of Electronic Systems, NTNU
11:45 - 12.00	Contributed Talk 4: Hybrid antiferroelectric–ferroelectric-ferroelastic domain walls in noncollinear antipolar oxides Ivan N. Ushakov, Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU
12.00 - 13.00	Lunch
13.00 - 15.45	Session 3: Nanotechnology part 2
13:00 - 13.45	Medical Micro & Nanotechnologies – fast blood analysis and "swallow your doctor" Anja Boisen, Professor Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark
13:45 - 14.00	Contributed Talk 5: Investigating the Connection Between Surface Topography, Cell Membrane and Nucleus Deformation and its Impact on Chromatin Organization Sara Beate S. Årbogen, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
14:00 - 14.15	Contributed Talk 6: Acoustofluidic trapping of microplastics using travelling surface acoustic waves (TSAW) Ibrahim Ali, PhD candidate, Department of Microsystems, University of South-Eastern Norway
14:15 - 14.30	Contributed Talk 7: Surface-Adsorbed Water as a Limiting Loss Mechanism in Mid-Infrared Photonics Noémie Mestre, Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT
14.30 - 15.00	Coffee break
15:00 - 15.15	Contributed Talk 8: Deposition and characterization of novel oxide perovskites Anjali Choubey, Doctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology Physics, UiO
15:15 - 15.30	Contributed Talk 9: Creatures in Artificial Spin Ice: emergent life-like behavior in a nanomagnetic metamaterial Thea M. Dale, PhD candidate, Department of Electronic Systems, NTNU
15:30 - 15.45	Contributed Talk 10: Development of in-situ bias TEM chip production with magnetic thin-films, which also allows for correlative studies of identical films Sindre Vie Jørgensen, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
16.30 - 18.30	Social program: quiz at Work-Work arranged by the PhD counsil
19.00 -	Conference dinner at Rockheim Panorama

Friday 8 May

08.45 - 12.00	Session 4: Optics, photonics and materials
08:45 - 09.00	Contributed Talk 11: Emergent non-reciprocity and unidirectional domain dynamics in a magnetic metamaterial Ida Breivik, PhD candidate, Department of Electronic Systems, NTNU
09:00 - 09.45	From Glass Slides to Photonic Chips: A New Era of Multi-Modal Microscopy Balpreet S. Ahluwalia, Professor / Ultrasound, Microwaves and Optics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
09:45 - 10.00	Contributed Talk 12: Seeing the invisible – upconversion of mid-infrared light to visible using molecular optomechanics in dual-resonant metasurfaces Julia Lövgren, PhD candidate, Department of Electronic Systems, NTNU
10:00 - 10.15	Contributed Talk 13: Resolving Operando Breathing of Li-ion Batteries with X-ray Computed Tomography Shibi Tharayanmaru Palliyalil, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
10.15 - 10.45	Coffee break
10:45 - 11.00	Contributed Talk 14: Peierls-induced topological Weyl semimetal in PtBi2 Anders C. Mathisen, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
11:00 - 11.15	Contributed Talk 15: Regulating interactions via Nanoscale Assembly for Uniform Adhesive Networks Jun Chen, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Structural Engineering, NTNU
11:15 - 11.30	Contributed Talk 16: Self-Assembling Monolayers as a Tool for Selective Chemical Solution Deposition Karola Neeleman, PhD candidate, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU
11:30 - 11.45	Contributed Talk 17: Towards reconfigurable magnonic crystals using artificial spin ice based magnetic multilayer structures Johannes Hestmark, PhD candidate, Department of Electronic Systems, NTNU
11:45 - 12.00	Contributed Talk 18: Optimizing Pulsed Laser Deposition of Cr + N Co-Doped TiO2 for Intermediate Band Solar Cells Eskil Vik, PhD candidate, Department of Physics, NTNU
12.00 - 13.00	Lunch and end‑of‑conference wrap‑up

Meet the invited speakers

Prof. Dr. Dr. Twan Lammers 

RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Title: Next-Generation Concepts in Cancer Nanomedicine

Abstract:

Nanomedicines are extensively used for cancer therapy. By delivering drug molecules more effectively and more selectively to pathological sites, nanomedicines assist in improving the balance between drug efficacy and toxicity. The tumor accumu-lation of nanomedicines is traditionally ascribed to the EPR effect, which is highly variable, both in animal models and in patients. To address issues associated with tumor targeting heterogeneity, and to promote cancer nanomedicine clinical per-formance and translation, we are working on tools and technologies to modulate, monitor and predict tumor-targeted drug delivery. In this TNNN lecture, several of these strategies will be highlighted, including physical (ultrasound), pharmacological and physiological interventions to prime the tumor microenvironment, and the use of imaging and histopathology biomarkers for patient selection and personalized medicine. Altogether, our efforts aim to establish rational and realistic ways forward to improve the clinical impact of cancer nanomedicines.

Prof. Anja Boisen

Technical University of Denmark

Title: Medical Micro & Nanotechnologies – fast blood analysis and ‘swallow your doctor’

Abstract: 
Our ability to shape materials at the nanoscale opens new possibilities for, among other things, rapid diagnostics and smart medication. I will give examples from our research that encompass both new discoveries and startup stories.

In the treatment of leukemia and sepsis, there is a need for therapeutic monitoring of drug concentrations in patients’ blood. Silicon structures at the nanometer scale can have surprising optical properties. For example, they can enhance the so-called Raman scattering more than a million times. This effect can be used to perform very sensitive measurements of small molecules in a complex blood sample.

Our vision is that in the future we can ‘swallow our doctor’. Ingestible capsules can be made smart so that they can eventually measure, take samples, and perform local repairs/medication in the stomach and intestines. Can this be done without also having to swallow a battery, and how do you take a sample from the intestines?

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jani Kotakoski

University of Vienna

Ttile: Atomically precise structures tailored into 2D materials

Abstract: 

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is often carried out separate from other experimental steps, allowing only “post mortem” analysis. This is a significant disadvantage compared to for example scanning tunneling microscopy, where the microscopic investigation is directly integrated as a part of the same experimental setup where the samples are grown and manipulated. There is however no fundamental reason why TEM and scanning TEM (STEM) could not be similarly integrated into more comprehensive system.

In this contribution, I will present the experimental setup that we have established at the University of Vienna over the past decade to overcome this disadvantage [1]. I will further show how this setup and other advances made in the group in manipulation of 2D materials have enabled research towards truly atomically precise structures that can be tailored into 2D materials (e.g., Refs. [2-8]) for applications ranging from catalysis to quantum information technology.

     1. Mangler et al., Microsc. Microanal. 28 S1, 2940 (2022)
     2. Trentino et al., Nano Lett. 21, 5179-5185 (2021)
     3. Leuthner et al., 2D Mater. 8, 035023 (2021)
     4. Trentino et al., Micron 184, 103667 (2024)
     5. Längle et al., Nat. Mater. 23, 762 (2024)
     6. Speckmann et al., Adv. Mater. Interfaces 12, 2400784 (2024)
     7. Längle et al., arXiv: 2404.07166 (2025)
     8. Joudi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 166102 (2025)

Prof. Balpreet S. Ahluwalia

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

Title: From Glass Slides to Photonic Chips: A New Era of Multi-Modal Microscopy

Abstract:

For more than a century, optical microscopy has relied on glass slides and coverslips as the basic support for biological samples. To overcome the diffraction limit of conventional optical microscopy, researchers have historically modified the photophysical properties of fluorophores and developed advanced laser engineering techniques. These efforts have significantly enhanced the microscope’s optical setup, yet the fundamental sample support, i.e. glass slides or coverslips has largely remained unchanged.

In this talk, an overview of photonic chip-based multi-modal super-resolution microscopy is presented. Instead of a glass coverslips, the sample is seeded directly on top of an optical waveguide, (photonic-chip), that delivers the evanescent field illumination directly to the sample via total internal reflection (TIR). The core of chip is made of high-refractive index material ensuring excellent optical sectioning via ultra-thin (decay <50nm), ultra-large and clean TIR illumination over entire length of the chip (centimeter scale) and supports broad spectral range.

The photonic-chip based microscopy not only reduces the footprint, and complexity but enables integration of different microscopy platforms such as on-chip single molecule localization optical microscopy (SMLM) [1], on-chip TIRF-structured illumination microscopy (TIRF-SIM) [2], light intensity fluctuation based optical super-resolution microscopy [3] and its compatibility with correlative light-electron microscopy [4]. The chip-based SMLM enabled super-resolved images over millimetre field-of-view scale; a 100-fold increase in imaging area as compared to conventional SMLM platforms, thus opening the opportunities of high-throughput optical nanoscopy. The compatibility of photonic-chip for different biological applications have been demonstrated on living (5) and delicate cells such as neurons (6). Similarly, the photonic-chip withstands standard preparation protocols of histopathology (7). This makes photonic-chip optical microscopy an attractive platform for application looking for scanning large areas with super-resolution and ultra-high contrast.

In this talk, I will also present, recent development of harnessing dark-field alike TIR-illumination from a photonic-chip for label-free superior contrast imaging (8) and label-free super-resolution imaging (9) of nanosized extra-cellular vesciles and tissue sections. By exploiting the photoluminence of the silicon nitride waveguide platform in tandem with the autofluoroscence of tissue sections, we proposed novel incoherent label-free super-resolution optical microscopy. Depending on time, will reflect future directions towards spatial omics applications using photonoic-chip nanoscopy.

Reference
1. R. Diekmann, O. I. Helle, C. I. Oie, P. McCourt, T. R. Huser, M. Schuttpelz, and B. S. Ahluwalia, “Chip-based wide field-of-view nanoscopy,” Nature Photonics 11, 322 (2017).

2.. Ø.I. Helle, F.T. Dullo, M. Lahrberg, J.C.Tinguley, O.G. Hellesø and B. S. Ahluwalia, “ Structured illumination microscopy using a photonic chip. Nature Photonics 14, 431–438 (2020).

3. N. Jayakumar, Ø.I. Helle, K. Agarwal and B. S. Ahluwalia, “On-chip TIRF nanoscopy by applying Haar wavelet kernel analysis on intensity fluctuations induced by chip illumination”, Opt. Express, 28, 35454, 2020.

4. J.C. Tinguely, A. M. Steyer, C. I. Øie, Ø.I. Helle, F.T. Dullo, R. Olsen, P. McCourt, Y. Schwab, B. S. Ahluwalia, “Photonic-chip assisted correlative light and electron microscopy”, Communication Biology 3, 739 (2020).

5. J.C. Tinguely, Ø. I. Helle, and B. S. Ahluwalia, "Silicon nitride waveguide platform for fluorescence microscopy of living cells," Opt. Express 25, 27678-27690 (2017).

6. I. S. Opstad, F. Ströhl, M. Fantham, C. Hockings, O. Vanderpoorten, F. W. van Tartwijk, J. Q. Lin, J.C. Tinguely, F. T. Dullo, G. S. Kaminski-Schierle, B S. Ahluwalia, C F. Kaminski, “A waveguide imaging platform for live-cell TIRF imaging of neurons over large fields of view”, Journal of Biophotonics, 13, 6, e201960222, 2020.

7. Villegas-Hernández, L.E., et al., Chip-based multimodal super-resolution microscopy for histological investigations of cryopreserved tissue sections. Light: Science & Applications, 2022. 11(1): p. 1-17.

8. N. Jayakumar, F.T. Dullo, V. Dubey, A. Ahmad, F. Ströhl, J. Cauzzo, E. M. Guerreiro, O. Snir, N. Skalko-Basnet, K. Agarwal, B. S . Ahluwalia, "Multi-moded high-index contrast optical waveguide for super-contrast high-resolution label-free microscopy" Nanophotonics, vol. 11, no. 15, 2022.

9. N Jayakumar, L E. Villegas-Hernández, W. Zhao, H. Mao, F. T Dullo, J.C Tinguley, K. Sagini, A. Llorente, B. S. Ahluwalia, “Label-free incoherent super-resolution optical microscopy”, Light: Science & Applications 14 (259) 2025.

Assoc. Prof. Mattias Borg

Lund University of Sweden

Title: Towards in-memory computing using ferroelectric memristors

Abstract:

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have led to rapidly escalating energy demands, motivating the search for fundamentally new hardware paradigms for efficient computation. In‑memory computing based on memristive devices offers a promising route to dramatically reducing energy consumption by eliminating the traditional separation between memory and processing. Among these devices, ferroelectric memristors stand out due to their intrinsically low operating currents and robust, nonvolatile switching characteristics.

In this work, we present our recent progress toward reliable in‑memory computing using ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) memristors. Through the development of refined programming schemes, we have enhanced the analog resistance precision from 5 to 7.5 effective bits, enabling more accurate analog computation within neuromorphic and AI‑accelerated architectures. We further evaluate FTJ device performance in representative AI workloads, including image segmentation and natural language processing, and identify an especially strong match with the computational patterns found in natural language applications.

Finally, we demonstrate advances in materials engineering aimed at improving device scalability and manufacturability. Using nanosecond‑pulse laser annealing, we reduce the ferroelectric tunnel barrier thickness to 3.4 nm while improving the electrode/ferroelectric interface quality, paving the way for back‑end‑of‑line integration. Together, these results represent a significant step toward practical, energy‑efficient in‑memory computing platforms based on ferroelectric memristive technologies.

Gunnar Maehlum

CEO of Integrated Detector Electronics AS (IDEAS)

Title: From First Principles to Flight Hardware: Microelectronics in Space.

Abstract:
Space microelectronics is driven by first‑principle physics constrained by the harsh operational environment in space.

This talk follows a path from semiconductor device physics and radiation–matter interactions to the realization of flight‑qualified hardware for space missions. Key topics include radiation effects in ICs, system‑level trade‑offs, and the qualification process that bridges prototypes and spaceflight hardware.

The objective is to give PhD students and early‑career engineers a taste of how robust space systems are engineered. —and how deep technical competence becomes a long‑term asset in both space missions and emerging commercial markets.

Bio:

Gunnar Maehlum is the CEO of Integrated Detector Electronics AS (IDEAS), a Norwegian technology company specializing in radiation‑tolerant microelectronics and detector systems for space and scientific applications.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oslo and has a research background from CERN, the University of Karlsruhe, and the University of Perugia. Gunnar joined IDEAS in 1997 and has since held a range of technical, scientific, and managerial roles within the company.

With a foundation in high‑energy physics and advanced electronics, and long‑standing involvement in European space programs, he has led the development of flight‑qualified ASICs and instruments for ESA, national space agencies, and international partners. His work bridges first‑principle engineering, space heritage, and the development of sustainable space‑technology businesses.