Meet imec fellow Pol Van Dorpe

An impactful career highlighted by three occasions

Pol’s time at imec is marked by numerous interesting results on several topics, both academically and professionally, which form the basis of his highlights. “On the academic side, we managed to publish impactful papers revealing new types of devices, for instance using plasmonics or spintronics, and displaying them at major international conferences. On a DNA sequencing conference for instance, we showed single-molecule recognition results of DNA strands.”

On the company side of his career, Pol is particularly proud of some interesting collaborations where he could make a meaningful impact. “For instance, I had the privilege to be part of a team researching and developing a DNA sequencing chip for an American partner that commercially produced it. The product is now internationally recognized as the standard in terms of high-accuracy long-read DNA sequencing. It makes a difference in people’s lives as it impacts the way medicine is evolving, so I think that by using the research at imec on a component level, we can make a positive difference in society.”

A last highlight Pol wants to mention is that all his efforts and results have been obtained by collaborations with very talented researchers and students throughout his career. “Working with them was refreshing and enlightening, and it allows us to reach further. So I’m happy to have had the privilege of working with some very bright minds.”

Making a difference as a driving force

When Pol is asked about his passion, he replies adamantly, “I come to work every day to make a difference. Making a difference can mean something completely different in various projects or interactions. It can be making an impact on somebody’s life or guiding a student to a higher level, or even inventing a new device. That’s what truly drives me.”

Influenced by greats

Like Pol mentioned earlier: it is impossible to work independently during a PhD, not to mention a whole career. When Pol is asked who influenced his work, three people come to mind. “I think different people have impacted different aspects of my career, but during my PhD I was greatly impacted by my mentors Jo De Boeck and Staf Borghs. Staf also set a great example as to how he dealt with research and teaching.” Growing in the organization, Pol was influenced differently, “I think there, in the second half of my career, I was mostly influenced by people like Peter Peumans in terms of the more innovative engineering aspects and Paru Deshpande in terms of leading research teams.”

A message to junior researchers

Being an experienced researcher himself, Pol has learned quite a few important lessons he likes to share with those who want to follow in his footsteps. “When you’re obtaining a PhD, you can become a world expert in a very narrowly defined field. It’s an opportunity you need to take with both hands. Dive deep into a topic and it will allow you to make a difference.”

However, Pol stresses that obtaining a PhD is impossible to do completely in isolation. “You need to be open for collaborations, both in and out of your group, but also broadly study literature and attend conferences. It’s important to take a step further. I also experienced that, whenever you get the chance, it’s crucial to go out. Visit another university, another company. Get out of your comfort zone, focus on other research topics. It will broaden your scope, you will see different approaches, meet smart people and it will really make a difference in your life or the research that you will be doing.”