ir. Ruth M.C. Verbroekken is a doctoral candidate in prof. dr. Albert Schenning’s Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and Devices (SFD) group, in collaboration with the Biosensors and Devices Lab (BDL) group of dr. Burcu Gumuscu-Sefunc. Her research focuses on developing light-responsive surfaces for cell-material interaction, enabling precise and controllable manipulation of cells on demand. Ruth’s primary objective is the fabrication of light-responsive liquid crystal polymer coatings. With these materials, she aims to create light-triggered actuating polymer network platforms for implementation into microfluidic systems. The goal of this project is to establish a dynamic patterned substrate, enabling research into the influence of dynamic biophysical cues on cell behavior.