Experimental AMO physicist focused on precision measurement for fundamental physics. Primary directions: (1) ACME experiment measuring electron electric dipole moment to unprecedented precision using ThO molecular beam — tests for new CP-violating physics beyond the Standard Model; (2) ultracold polar molecule quantum simulation and quantum information in optical tweezers. Atomic coherence techniques underpin SERF/OPM magnetometry. Joined UChicago from Yale 2022.
Demsar's group studies non-equilibrium dynamics in quantum materials with ultrafast optical and terahertz probes: THz time-domain spectroscopy, optical pump-probe and time-resolved photoemission applied to superconductors, charge-density-wave systems and magnetic materials, including light-induced phase transitions and the dynamics of collective modes. Relative to the established NV-ensemble quantum-sensing playbook (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry at pT/sqrt(Hz) ensemble sensitivity), this is a borderline inclusion -- it is not quantum sensing per se -- but it is kept because the group's core competence is pushing temporal resolution (fs) and coherent THz detection to their limits, which is a legitimate adjacent skill set and a plausible pivot for someone with lock-in/pulsed-measurement expertise.
DePoy heads the Munnerlyn Astronomical Instrumentation Lab, building high-throughput spectrographs and precision photometric-calibration systems (DECam/DECal for the Dark Energy Survey, VIRUS for HETDEX, GMACS for the Giant Magellan Telescope). A strong astronomy pivot where detector/spectrograph sensitivity is the enabling technology.
Devlin is a Royal Society URF at the Centre for Cold Matter building a new experiment to detect axion and dark matter particles. His prior work at CERN's BASE collaboration (Penning trap antiproton experiment) used the ultra-sensitive superconducting detection circuit of a cryogenic Penning trap to set new constraints on axion-like particle couplings to photons (~2.79 neV/c² range; PRL 2021). At Imperial he is developing a Penning trap single-photon counter concept using a single trapped electron to detect 30–60 GHz photons from axion-photon conversion in a strong magnetic field (arXiv 2601.05472, March 2026), targeting axion masses of 124–248 μeV. This approach could overcome the standard quantum noise limit that hampers conventional haloscope searches at high mass. Active PDRA posting open May 2025.
Dhiman holds the professorship for Physical Chemistry of Supramolecular Systems at JGU and is affiliated with the Max Planck Graduate Center. Her group uses single-molecule and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SMLM/PAINT-type methods) to watch synthetic supramolecular polymers assemble, exchange monomers and age in real time -- i.e. applying the biological super-resolution toolkit to non-biological self-assembling matter, and toward bioinspired/adaptive systems that behave like living materials. Relative to the established NV-ensemble quantum-sensing playbook (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry at pT/sqrt(Hz) ensemble sensitivity), this is a technique-driven inclusion: the emphasis is squarely on pushing spatial and temporal resolution of dye-based imaging past the ensemble limit, and it is a newer group where a postdoc would have room to shape the direction.
Dickinson's group develops advanced optical microscopy methods for biological and biomedical imaging. Research directions: (1) STORM super-resolution microscopy — stochastic optical reconstruction for nanoscale imaging of biological structures at ~20 nm lateral resolution; imaging cytoskeletal dynamics, cellular organelles, and pathological structures; (2) Optical coherence tomography (OCT) — depth-resolved, label-free imaging for biomedical diagnostics (retinal, cardiovascular tissues); (3) Laser speckle imaging — blood flow and perfusion measurements in tissues; (4) Multiphoton microscopy — second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon for collagen structure imaging in connective tissues and cancer. Part of the Manchester Photon Science Institute biophotonics theme.
Diddams' group develops optical frequency combs (fiber, microresonator, and mid-IR) and applies them to quantum metrology, optical clocks, precision spectroscopy from UV to THz, low-noise microwave photonics, and astronomical spectrograph calibration; he directs CU's Quantum Engineering Initiative. For context, this complements the established paradigm of NV-diamond ensemble magnetometry (Hahn-echo/DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/√Hz sensitivity.
Digonnet's group develops high-sensitivity fiber-optic sensors, especially resonant and interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes engineered to approach fundamental (shot-noise/quantum) rotation-sensing limits, alongside specialty fiber lasers and amplifiers.
Doeleman founded and directs the Event Horizon Telescope, assembling a global mm-wavelength VLBI network to image the immediate environments of supermassive black holes at horizon-scale resolution — an astronomy pivot whose entire scientific case rests on pushing angular resolution to its fundamental (diffraction/baseline) limit via a globally distributed, highly complex sensor array.
Marileen Dogterom (Full Professor, BioNanoscience) studies cytoskeleton dynamics and synthetic cell construction. Research: (1) microtubule dynamics — force generation, catastrophe control, and mitotic spindle assembly reconstituted in vitro; (2) cell division reconstitution — building minimal synthetic cells with controlled division; (3) optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy for force measurement on single cytoskeletal elements. Co-founded BioNanoscience department.