Atatüre leads the ~30-person QOMS group at the Cavendish. Three main thrusts: (1) Spin-based quantum networks — demonstrating distant entanglement generation and photonic cluster states using semiconductor quantum dots (InGaAs, GaAs) and diamond spin defects (NV, SiV, SnV), including a many-body nuclear-spin quantum register demonstrated in 2025 (Nature Physics); (2) Quantum-enhanced nanoscale sensing — scanning NV diamond magnetometry of emergent magnetism in novel 2D/layered materials and quantum transport in nanocircuits, plus nanodiamond-based in-cell sensing (nanoMRI, thermometry, diffusion in C. elegans); (3) Novel quantum materials — hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) optically-active spin defects at room temperature, and moiré physics in TMD heterostructures. He is co-founder and CSO of Nu Quantum Ltd.

The de Leon lab engineers nitrogen-vacancy and other color centers in diamond and wide-bandgap materials as solid-state quantum sensors and qubits, spanning materials growth and surface chemistry, nanophotonic integration, and magnetic-field/thermal sensing of quantum materials, alongside a parallel effort on superconducting qubit noise and loss. This builds on the broader tradition of ensemble NV magnetometry (DEER, NMR, T1 relaxometry) that has reached pT/sqrt(Hz)-class sensitivities, which de Leon's group extends toward single- and few-spin scanning-probe magnetometry of correlated electron materials.

Degen leads the Spin Physics and Imaging group, one of the world's leading NV-center magnetometry labs. Research directions (as of 2025): (1) Scanning NV magnetometry of quantum materials — NV-tipped cantilevers image current flow (≲50 nm resolution) in graphene heterostructures and resolve domain walls in antiferromagnets/ferroelectrics; cryogenic scanning down to 350 mK in dilution refrigerator (published Appl. Phys. Lett. 2022). (2) Single-molecule NMR — shallow NV centers detect nuclear spins from surface-adsorbed molecules with sub-nanometer 3D resolution; 2022 Nano Lett. on amine-functionalized diamond surfaces; exploring chirality-induced spin selectivity at few-molecule level. (3) NV magnetometry protocols — reconstruction-free waveform sensing (1.1 ns time resolution, Nature 2025), gradiometric detection, spectrum demodulation for rapid scanning, multi-NV addressing. (4) Diamond nanoengineering — multicone pillar waveguides, surface engineering, scanning probe fabrication. ERC Proof-of-Concept 2025 for photonic IC single-photon NV excitation/detection for commercial quantum sensing.

Feldman's group uses scanning NV-diamond magnetometry -- imaging local magnetic fields with a single spin at the tip of a scanning probe -- to visualize currents, magnetism, and correlated-electron order in moire and other quantum materials at the nanoscale, extending the sensitivity/resolution tradeoff of ensemble NV-diamond sensing (DEER/T1 protocols at pT/√Hz) down to single-spin, single-defect imaging.

Jacques is a pioneer of scanning NV magnetometry, using single nitrogen-vacancy spins in scanning-probe diamond tips to image magnetic textures at the nanoscale under ambient conditions. His team applies this to condensed-matter systems including antiferromagnetic domain walls and chiral spin textures, non-collinear antiferromagnetic order via single-spin relaxometry, and current-driven skyrmion motion in synthetic antiferromagnets, work carried out in close collaboration with materials-physics groups.

Knowles leads the Coherent Quantum Lab at the Cavendish Laboratory. Her research focuses on using NV centers in diamond as quantum sensors to probe matter at the nanoscale in two main thrusts: (1) nanoscale NMR / spin imaging — scanning-probe NV magnetometry of topological and unconventional magnets, Hamiltonian engineering in dense spin ensembles using global dynamical decoupling, and error-correction-enhanced sensor readout; (2) quantum biosensing in living systems — employing diamond nanocrystals functionalized for intracellular delivery to perform simultaneous nanothermometry and nanorheometry in single HeLa cells and C. elegans, using the Q-BiC integrated biocompatible chip platform. She co-leads CANSIS. The lab has a second new instrument running since mid-2025 for biosensing experiments.

Kolkowitz's group builds ultra-precise strontium optical lattice clocks for differential clock comparisons and fundamental-physics tests, and separately pioneered scanning single-NV magnetometry for imaging nanoscale current and spin transport in quantum materials. This combination of atomic-clock and solid-state defect-spin sensing places the group's diamond work squarely alongside the broader NV ensemble sensing literature (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry) that has achieved pT/sqrt(Hz)-class field sensitivities; the lab is actively recruiting postdocs in both directions.

Jakob Reichel (Professor, LKB Atom Chips) leads work on fiber Fabry-Perot microcavities for atom-light quantum interfaces and miniaturised sensors. Research: (1) fiber Fabry-Perot microcavities — sub-micron mirrors on fibre tips enabling strong single-atom coupling; integrated directly into atom chips; (2) TACC (Trapped Atom Clock on a Chip) — Rb atom clock with 5.8×10⁻¹³/√τ stability; ERC Advanced grant EQUEMI; (3) Sr optical-lattice cavity QED with quantum metrology; (4) MIREGA spinout — miniature portable greenhouse gas analyser combining FFP microcavities with telecom fibre optics for drone mounting; ERC Proof-of-Concept grant; (5) Rubidium CQED 'Sarocema' — individually addressable atom-tweezer array in fibre cavity for quantum simulation with long-range cavity-mediated interactions.

Jean-François Roch (Professor at ENS Paris-Saclay, LuMIn) is a world leader in NV-center diamond quantum sensors. Research: (1) NV center magnetometry — scalar and vector magnetic field sensing with ensembles and single NV spins; (2) NV centers in diamond anvil cells for high-pressure magnetometry (world record 240 GPa); (3) joint laboratory (JRL) with Thales R&T on industrial NV quantum sensors; (4) color centres in hBN. IUF Senior Member 2021; Jaffé Prize + Berthelot Medal 2024.

Peter Smith (Professor, ORC Southampton) develops integrated photonic devices for quantum technologies and sensing. Research: (1) direct UV laser writing — waveguides and Bragg gratings in silica/glass for atom-trap integrated optics; (2) quantum photonic circuits — integrated waveguides for quantum computing and communication; (3) PPLN and nonlinear optics — electrical poling of LiNbO₃ for wavelength conversion (Covesion spinout); (4) integrated sensing — chemical/biological sensors and optofluidic microfluidic chips; (5) applications to cold atom systems — 'Integrated optical elements for miniaturised atom traps'. Spin-outs: Covesion, Stratophase.