Kaufman Group

Brendan investigates many-body quantum physics with ultracold atoms and photons to realize novel quantum systems and harness them for practical or computational benefit. Before joining JILA as a post-doctoral researcher with Prof. Adam Kaufman and Prof. Cindy Regal, he completed his Ph.D. with Prof. Benjamin Lev at Stanford in the area of multimode cavity QED.

Nikhil completed his undergraduate degree in intensive physics at Yale, where he worked with Peter Schiffer and Michel Devoret on projects studying emergent order in artificial spin ice systems and fundamental paradigms of quantum mechanics (in addition to a brief foray into COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic). After working on projects implementing digital quantum simulations at IBM, Nikhil started his PhD at UChicago under Hannes Bernien, where he worked on a second generation dual-species tweezer array before transferring to JILA.

Owen is an undergraduate student studying physics and computer science at CU Boulder. He is interested in quantum information science and using computational tools to advance our understanding of fundamental processes. He likes applying problem solving techniques from these subjects to design challenges in areas such as robotics. He joined the Kaufman lab as an intern on the Lithium quantum gas microscope experiment. Through this opportunity he has enjoyed learning about atomic physics, quantum simulation, and experimental design.

Alex joined the Kaufman group as a postdoctoral researcher after completing his PhD in the group of Prof. Tilman Esslinger at ETH Zurich, where he explored topological and dissipative phenomena in a degenerate rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to ultrahigh-finesse cavity modes. His passion for tabletop AMO experiments began during his undergraduate studies at the University of Heidelberg, where he worked in the lab of Prof.

Jamie joined the group after completing undergraduate degrees in Physics and French at the University of Oklahoma. As an undergrad, she explored several areas of research, from particle physics to accelerator design to plasma physics, before discovering atomic physics, which captured her interest. Her love for atomic physics grew while working in the group of Prof. Grant Biedermann at OU building a cesium optical tweezer experiment. After graduation, she interned for a year at the Institut d’Optique in Paris in the group of Prof.