The Hosseini Lab (Quantum Atom Optics) investigates light–atom interactions in rare-earth crystals, room-temperature gases, and nanophotonic structures. Directions: (1) Quantum optical memories in Tm³⁺:YAG and Er³⁺-doped solids using atomic frequency comb (AFC) and gradient echo memory (GEM) protocols for telecom-wavelength quantum networking; demonstrated efficient storage of multi-dimensional telecom photons (Optica Quantum 2025, Phys. Rev. Appl. 2025); (2) Cooperative/collective light–matter interactions in periodic rare-earth ion arrays in nano/micro-photonic structures (collaboration with Oak Ridge NL, Aydin group) for enhanced quantum memory coherence; (3) Quantum squeezed light — applied to enhanced thermoreflectance sensing of electronic hotspots (Appl. Phys. Lett. 2024); (4) Coherent levitation of macroscopic sensors (DARPA YFA 2024, $500k): magnetic and optical trapping of mm-scale objects as high-Q oscillators for magnetometry, vibrational sensing, accelerometry, inertial, and force sensing. Lab actively seeking postdocs in integrated photonics, quantum memory, and levitation sensing (2024–2025). ASEE Curtis W. McGraw Research Award 2026.

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.

Designs programmable DNA nanodevices as quantitative fluorescent reporters to map second messengers in real time inside specific organelles of living cells. Research directions: (1) DNA origami ion-sensing nanodevices for pH, Cl-, Ca2+, HOCl, and membrane voltage with single-organelle addressability; (2) targeting nanodevices to endosomes, lysosomes, mitochondria, and ER to dissect organelle biology and disease mechanisms; (3) in vivo deployment in C. elegans and Drosophila. NIH Director's Pioneer Award 2022.

Develops quantum sensing platforms at the biology interface. Core NV-center work: (1) widefield NV magnetic imaging of action potentials in neurons and cardiac tissue; (2) NV-based single-molecule NMR at 14 T resolving molecular structure with single-molecule sensitivity; (3) charge-sensitive shallow NV nanoprobes monitoring real-time cellular electrophysiology; (4) biocompatible diamond surface functionalization enabling multiplexed DNA microarray biosensing; (5) fluorescent-protein spin qubits as biological alternatives to diamond NV (2025 paper, Physics World Top-10 Breakthrough). Runs full NV stack: hot implantation, widefield and confocal ODMR, T1/T2/Hahn echo/DEER/Rabi, automated fitting pipelines. 2026 Sloan Fellow. PhD Lukin/Harvard; postdoc Chu/Stanford. Argonne joint appointment.

Prof. Mohseni's group (Bio-inspired Sensors and Optoelectronics) pushes III-V semiconductor photodetector technology toward thermodynamic and quantum limits of photon sensitivity. Key directions: (1) Nanoscale IR photodetectors: shrinking pixel dimensions below the diffraction limit using quantum confinement effects (InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well and dot structures) to improve sensitivity, bandwidth, and resolution simultaneously; (2) Superlattice photomultipliers — high-gain, low-noise avalanche photodetectors at room temperature approaching quantum-limited sensitivity for mid-wave and long-wave infrared detection; (3) Quantum sensing applications including squeezed-light-enhanced thermoreflectance imaging of electronic hotspots, and photon-counting receivers for quantum communications. Co-author on 275+ papers, 33+ US patents; NAI Fellow 2023; W.M. Keck Foundation Award, DARPA YFA, NSF CAREER. Fellow of SPIE and Optica. Also Professor of Physics and Astronomy.

Pioneer of single-molecule/single-nanoparticle surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and quantum-dot bioconjugate imaging; develops nanoparticle probes for ultrasensitive molecular detection and in vivo tumor imaging.

Applies advanced single-molecule biosensing to study the cyanobacterial circadian clock — the only fully reconstitutable in vitro biochemical oscillator. Directions: (1) single-molecule FRET and fluorescence imaging to track conformational states of KaiC ATPase during clock cycles with single-protein resolution; (2) single-molecule reconstitution of the complete KaiA/KaiB/KaiC oscillator; (3) mathematical modeling of biochemical oscillation. Technique focus: single-molecule fluorescence as quantitative biosensing tool for protein conformational dynamics. Joint appointment Microbiology.

Uses single-molecule spectroscopy, optical trapping, and advanced imaging to study nanoscale systems. Directions: (1) orientation-resolved single-molecule spectroscopy using polarization-controlled excitation and detection; (2) optical trapping of individual nanoparticles and viruses to study force-dependent dynamics; (3) plasmon-enhanced single-molecule detection and imaging beyond diffraction limit; (4) ultrafast spectroscopy of nanoscale energy transfer.

Sierecki co-developed the cell-free single-molecule interaction platform with Gambin and runs a group applying it to protein interaction networks: mapping which proteins bind which, with what affinity and in what stoichiometry, at throughput high enough to screen rather than characterise one pair at a time. Recent applications include viral protein-host interactions and transcription factor complexes. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — the relevance to a quantum-sensing candidate is as a source of well-characterised, quantitatively-defined biological targets: a pT/sqrt(Hz)-class sensor is only useful in biology if someone can tell you exactly what molecular species is present and at what concentration, which is what this platform delivers. Borderline inclusion — no quantum or physics-instrumentation component — kept because single-molecule technique development is the core of the group.

Simpson runs the experimental quantum imaging and sensing laboratory at Melbourne and is the closest match at this institution to a bio-oriented NV sensing postdoc. Two active threads: (i) widefield NV magnetic and spin-relaxation imaging of living cells and tissue, including magnetic imaging of magnetotactic bacteria, cellular free radicals and paramagnetic ion transport, and quantum-probe imaging of neuronal activity; and (ii) engineering Australia's most sensitive diamond vector magnetometer with RMIT and Phasor Innovation, aimed at navigation, underground/undersea sensing and, explicitly, mapping magnetic signals of the human brain in unshielded environments. That second thread is a direct bid at bioelectromagnetism with a quantum sensor. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — Simpson's work is a continuation of exactly that lineage, pushing ensemble DEER/T1-relaxometry contrast mechanisms out of the physics lab and into cell biology and human-scale magnetoencephalography. Preferred attributes present: bioelectromagnetism, human-subject ambitions, sensitivity-limited (not fabrication-limited) programme. QUBIC investigator; recruits postdocs regularly.