Dr. Ellen Backus, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Max Planck Gesellschaft, Mainz
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Dr. Ellen Backus

Nominated by

  • European Research Council (ERC)
  • AcademiaNet member since 11.11.2013
  • AcademiaNet- Selection Criteria


Employed by

  • Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Max Planck Gesellschaft, Mainz


Academic Discipline/Fields

  • Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics


Field

Physical sciences



Area of specialisation

Sum frequency generation spectroscopy, surface science, time-resolved spectroscopy



Research interests

  • Water at interfaces

  • Water dissociation

  • Ice

  • Reaction dynamics



Distinctions and Awards

  • ERC starting grant (2013)

  • Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (2013)

  • Three-years VENI fellowship from NWO (2008-2011)

  • One-year postdoc grant from the 'Forschungskredit' of the University of Zurich (2007)

  • Talent stipend for 1 year from NWO to perform research at the University of Zurich (2006)

  • 'Discoverer of the Year 2005' at the Science faculty of the Leiden University

  • Poster prize at the Gordon Research Conference 'Dynamics at Surfaces' in 2003

  • Poster prize at the meeting of the Holland Research School of Molecular Sciences in 2002

  • VNCI prize (Dutch Chemical Industry Prize for excellent students) in 1997, 1998 and 1999



Languages

Dutch, English, German



Doctorate

  • 2005: Driving and probing surfaces with light




Short CV/Education and training

  • 1996 – 2000
    Chemistry studies (cum laude, highest honour) at the University of Amsterdam, Master-thesis: Photoionization dynamics of the products of the photo-dissociation of 16 valence electron triatomics, supervisor C.A. de Lange

  • 2000 – 2005
    PhD student, Leiden University, PhD-thesis: Driving and probing surfaces with light, supervisors M. Bonn and A.W. Kleyn

  • 2006 – 2008
    Postdoc in the group of Prof. Hamm at the University of Zurich funded by a Talent stipend from NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) and a grant from the 'Forschungskredit' from the University of Zurich

  • 2008 – 2012
    Senior postdoc in the groups of Prof. Bakker at AMOLF in Amsterdam, independent VENI fellowship Co-supervising PhD students and postdocs

  • Since 2012
    Project leader at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research with the subject "water at interfaces"

Selected publications

  • C.S. Hsieh, R.K. Campen, M. Okuno, Y. Nagata, E.H.G. Backus, and M. Bonn

    Mechanism of Vibrational Energy Dissipation of Free OH Groups at the Air-Water Interface Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (2013), in print.

  • Y. Nagata, R.E. Pool, E.H.G. Backus, and M. Bonn

    Nuclear quantum effects affect bond orientation of water at the water-vapor interface

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 (2012) 226101

  • E.H.G. Backus, N. Garcia-Araez, M. Bonn, and H.J. Bakker

    On the role of Fresnel factors in sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of metal-water and metal-oxide-water interfaces

    J. Phys. Chem. C 116 (2012) 23351

  • E.H.G. Backus, J.A. Ihalainen, R. Pfister, and P. Hamm

    2D-IR study of a photoswitchable isotope labeled alpha-helix

    J. Phys. Chem. B 114 (2010) 3735

  • E.H.G. Backus, S. Garrett-Roe, and P. Hamm

    Phasing problem of heterodyne-detected two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy

    Opt. Lett. 33 (2008) 2665

  • E.H.G. Backus, A. Eichler, A.W. Kleyn, and M. Bonn

    Real-time observation of molecular motion on a surface

    Science 310 (2005) 1790


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