BNP is a comparatively young division operating at the crossroads between optics and nanoscience, and with a particular emphasis on life science applications. We were born out of work on single protein surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) at the end of the last century, but the scope is now much broader than that — running projects target nanoplasmonic biosensors, quantitative fluorescence microscopy, nanoscale optical forces, functional metamaterials, and much more. Although many of our projects are based in advanced optical spectroscopy and microscopy, we also do a fair amount of electromagnetics theory, nanofabrication and biophysics. PhD students and post docs are recruited internationally and have diverse backgrounds ranging from theoretical physics to molecular biology. Funding comes from national and EU sources and we have active collaborations with research groups across Europe, the US and China. We are of course always open to talented and highly motivated students at all levels!