Question: What sparked your interest in quantum?
Quantum was always there. We have benefited from the first ‘Quantum 1.0’ technologies like lasers and transistors. But now we can actually access much deeper quantum regimes and start harnessing them in ways that translate into real, foreseeable technologies. That synergy between science and engineering is what really drew me in.
What was your journey to UF?
I earned my Ph.D. at Caltech and postdoc at MIT, then started my faculty career at UCLA. I moved to UF in 2024, and it’s been a great place to grow my quantum research program.
Ultimately, what will this research do?
Ultimately, this research will allow us to build quantum magnetic field sensors that operate at room temperature rather than in cryogenic environments. That means we can study biological samples, chemicals and devices under their natural conditions and place the sensors extremely close to the magnetic sources we are trying to measure.
In our sensors, the spins — basically tiny magnets inside atoms — are the sensing elements, and they communicate with us through light. We are designing devices that strengthen this spin-to-photon link so we can capture much more of what these tiny sensors are picking up from their environment, giving us a stronger signal, better sensitivity and the ability to use significantly lower optical power and much shorter interrogation times.
It is a very special tool because it lets us tackle problems that no existing sensors can address. My students are excited about applications in integrated chips, batteries, and even biological systems like neurons, essentially anything that generates tiny stray magnetic fields.
In the long term, it could become a truly non-invasive way to diagnose devices without taking them apart, letting us ‘see’ what is happening inside a chip or system without destroying it.