My research group strives to make conceptual advances to the field of quantum many-body physics. We pursue two research themes using the experimental tools of ultracold atomic physics and condensed matter physics: 1) Exploring new regimes of beyond mean-field physics wherein quantum fluctuations play a non-trivial role in system organization; and 2) Advancing the state-of-the-art in scanning probe microscopy of strongly correlated and topologically non-trivial materials. The former exploits quantum gases of the most magnetic element, dysprosium and the photon-mediated atomic interactions available in multimode cavity QED. The latter employs our novel Scanning Quantum Cryogenic Atom Microscope (SQCRAMscope). Future research directions include the study of quantum thermalization through the controlled breakdown of quantum integrability, the study of (quantum) spin glass order, and the efficacy of quantum neural network computing in driven-dissipative quantum systems.


Awards and Achievements

  • DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) ( 2012)
  • Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (ONR YIP) ( 2012)
  • Terman Fellowships ( 2011, 2014)
  • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from NSF ( 2010)
  • Packard Fellowship ( 2010)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award ( 2008)
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award (AFOSR YIP) ( 2008)