JILA News

JILA and the University of Colorado Boulder Physics Department are excited to co-host the upcoming CU*IP conference in January 2025. This three-day event focuses on talks, workshops, and community building for undergraduate women and gender minorities in physics. As part of the American Physical Society's Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*IP), the conference aims to support and inspire students to continue in the field.

JILA postdoctoral researcher Simon Scheidegger has received the prestigious METAS 2024 Award from the Swiss Physical Society (SPS). Scheidegger, who is part of JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye's laboratory group, was awarded for his pioneering research on precise measurements of hydrogen energy levels during his PhD at ETH Zurich. 

The second installment of the JILA JAGS (JILA Association of Graduate Students) Seminar series recently took place, featuring an exciting lineup of talks by graduate students pushing the boundaries of scientific research. 

The event highlighted the work of Bejan Ghomashi from the Becker Group, Trevor Kieft from the Lewandowski Group, and Emma Nelson from the Kapteyn/Murnane Group, who each presented their cutting-edge research to an engaged audience.

Adam Kaufman, a JILA Fellow, NIST Physicist, and CU Boulder Physics Professor, has been awarded part of a $1.25 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as part of its third annual cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators.

JILA and University of Colorado Boulder Physics graduate student Emma Nelson achieved notable recognition by securing 3rd place at the CU Boulder 2024 Innovation in Materials Symposium on August 15, 2024. Held at CU Boulder, this symposium is a significant platform for the materials research community, bringing together faculty, students, and industry professionals from CU Boulder and beyond. The event is dedicated to supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and furthering discussions in the field of materials science.

CU Boulder senior Luke Coffman has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Astronaut Scholarship, recognizing his exceptional achievements and potential in the field of STEM. Double-majoring in physics and math with a minor in quantum engineering, Coffman’s research looks at quantum information theory, focusing particularly on quantum entanglement.

Dr. Matthew Norcia, a member of JILA’s extensive alumni network, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Early Career Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. The IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize honors early career physicists for their exceptional contributions within specific subfields, offering recognition through a certificate, medal, and monetary award.

JILA graduate student Tatsuya Akiba, a Ph.D. candidate in the Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences department at the University of Colorado Boulder, has received the prestigious 2024 Richard Nelson Thomas Award. This honor is bestowed annually to an outstanding APS graduate student at JILA and recognizes excellence in research and academic achievements.

The JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS) proudly hosted its inaugural Graduate Student Seminar, marking the beginning of a promising seminar series to foster academic exchange, collaboration, and community within JILA. The event showcased the cutting-edge research conducted by three JILA graduate students, drawing an audience of over 70 graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff members.

JILA postdoctoral researcher Jake Higgins, part of JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder physics professor Jun Ye’s research group, has been awarded a coveted spot at the 2024 MIT Chemistry Future Faculty Symposium. This prestigious event will be held on August 12 and 13 on the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA, featuring some of the brightest early-career scientists poised to pursue academic careers.

JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted its inaugural workshop on recent technological and research advancements in quantum light from July 17 to 19, 2024. The conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded JILA Physics Frontier Center (PFC), the CUbit Quantum Initiative, and laser company Toptica. 

The event invited speakers from various prestigious institutions, including Texas A&M University, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Columbia University, Wake Forest University, Livermore National Lab, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Caltech, Oak Ridge National Lab, Cornell University, William & Mary, University College London, the University of Oregon, the University of Toronto, and the University of Virginia, along with multiple representatives from NIST.

On July 3, 2024, Colorado Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo delved into the quantum realm during her first official visit to ]JILA, a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. 

On June 20, 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded JILA and the University of Colorado Boulder a $20 million grant to create the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN), a cutting-edge facility poised to revolutionize quantum technology. 

JILA Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder physics professor Cindy Regal remarked, "The NQN will be a unique facility for quantum discoveries and technology. I look forward to seeing the NQN as a national resource in quantum and interfacing with a wide range of JILA research.”

Anya Grafov, a graduate student at JILA, has been awarded the Best Poster Award at the IEEE Magnetics Society Summer School 2024. Studying under JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, Grafov's poster titled “Probing Ultrafast Spin Dynamics with Extreme Ultraviolet High Harmonics” was one of only nine to receive this prestigious recognition. 

Yunzhe “Oliver” Shao, a graduate student at JILA in the group led by JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computational Imaging Using Synthetic Apertures. 

JILA Fellow, NIST Physicist, and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor Adam Kaufman has been honored with a prestigious 2024 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 

Aaron Young, a recently graduated Ph.D. student in the lab of JILA Fellow, NIST Physicist, and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor Adam Kaufman, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Deborah Jin Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Atomic, Molecular, or Optical Physics by the American Physical Society (APS) for his work done at JILA. The award was announced in Fort Worth, Texas, at the 2024 55th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP).

On Tuesday, May 28th, Governor Jared Polis made a historic visit to JILA, a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder, to sign the recently passed Quantum Tax Credit Bill. This legislation aims to incentivize the adoption and development of quantum technology within Colorado, solidifying the state's position as a leader in this cutting-edge field.

While industry and academia tend to be the two main job trajectories after graduating with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree, some individuals, like Tanya Ramond, combine aspects of these careers in her role as Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting. 

“As an independent consultant, I am driven by a deep passion for commercialization and product strategy in deep tech areas,” Ramond elaborates. “These areas of technology are particularly challenging, often hardware-based, and heavily reliant on intellectual property. My expertise and enthusiasm extend to fields like quantum physics, optics, aerospace, and clean tech, inspiring those around me to push the boundaries of what is possible.” 

To highlight the pivotal role of federal funding in advancing quantum research, the National Science Foundation (NSF) hosted its inaugural Quantum Showcase on Capitol Hill two weeks ago.  The event highlighted the potential of government-funded quantum initiatives and included NSF-funded quantum researchers nationwide. JILA, a joint institute between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST, was represented at the event by JILA Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor Heather Lewandowski and JILA graduate student Qizhong Liang, a member of JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye’s research group.