Frederique Vanholsbeeck

Frédérique Vanholsbeeck (also Frederique Vanholsbeeck) is a New Zealand physicist, and is a full professor at the University of Auckland, specialising in optics and biophotonics, the physics of light.

Academic career

Vanholsbeeck initially trained as an architect before studying physics. She won the 2001 prize for the best Master's thesis from the Belgian Physical Society. She completed a PhD at the Université libre de Bruxelles, working on non-linear optical phenomena of light. When she was appointed at Auckland, Vanholsbeeck was the only woman academic in the department. She subsequently promoted the use of new processes for hiring staff, and selecting award recipients and speakers to reduce bias, and chaired the equity committee. As a result of these efforts, the Physics Department was awarded Bronze Level Pleiades certification by the Inclusions, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy initiative of the Astronomical Society of Australia, and has subsequently achieved Silver Level.

Vanholsbeeck's has investigated the use of quantitative fluorescence spectroscopy to monitor bacterial viability and thus the efficiency of antibiotics. She developed the "optrode", a portable, cheap and real time fluorometer for use in food safety.

She was named as a 2025 Fellow of Optica.

Selected works