Monika Schleier-Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Quantum systems of interacting atoms, photons and phonons
- Hybrid quantum systems
- Quantum simulation
- Driven-dissipative dynamics
- MacArthur Fellowship
- Sloan Research Fellow
- NSF CAREER Award
- NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Monika Schleier-Smith | |
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| Institutions | Stanford University |
| Doctoral advisor | Vladan Vuletić |
Monika Schleier-Smith is an American experimental physicist studying many-body quantum physics by precisely assembling systems of ultracold atoms. Her research helps connect the world of theoretical and experimental physics.[2] These atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) engineered systems have applications in quantum sensing, coherent control, and quantum computing.[3] Schleier-Smith is an associate professor of physics at Stanford University,[4] a MacArthur Fellow,[5] a Sloan Research Fellow,[1] and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient.[6] Schleier-Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Hertz Foundation[7] and also works to improve education through speaking and serving on panels.[8]
Schleier-Smith grew up in the Alexandria, Virginia area. Her mother holds a Ph.D. in linguistics. She has an older brother.[9] Schleier-Smith attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology,[9] where she had an opportunity to conduct nanotechnology research at the MITRE Corporation.[9]
Schleier-Smith completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where she received a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics and (secondarily) Mathematics in 2005.[1][10]
Schleier-Smith pursued graduate studies at MIT on a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and under the supervision of Vladan Vuletić.[1] At MIT, she earned a Ph.D. in physics in 2011,[10] and her doctoral thesis introduced a quantum-enhanced atomic clock[11] and was recognized by the Hertz Foundation with a Doctoral Thesis Prize.[7] She also received the Stroock-Hertz Fellowship, named in honor of mathematician and MIT professor Daniel W. Stroock.[12]
From 2011 to 2013, Schleier-Smith conducted postdoctoral research at LMU Munich with Professor Immanuel Bloch's group at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics.[13][10]
Career
In the fall of 2013, Schleier-Smith joined the Stanford faculty, where she is currently an associate professor in the Department of Physics.[10] The Schleier-Smith Lab exploits precise hybrid light–matter interactions to demonstrate engineered dynamics in cold atom systems. According to Schleier-Smith, "Hybrid systems are likely to harbor surprises that will fuel quantum science for decades to come".[14] An important regime under investigation is the entanglement frontier.[15]
In 2020, Schleier-Smith was named a MacArthur Fellow, for her quantum technology research, and received an unrestricted stipend of $625,000.[5][16][10][17]
In 2024, she was named one of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Experimental Physics Investigators, and received a five-year, $1.25 million grant for her research at Stanford.[18][19]
Personal
During her years at Harvard and MIT, Schleier-Smith completed the Boston Marathon six times.[16][20]
Recognition and awards
- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2014)
- AFOSR Young Investigator Award, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (2014)
- Hellman Fellowship, Hellman Fellows Fund (2015)
- Cottrell Scholar Award, Research Corporation (2017)
- NSF Career Award, National Science Foundation (2018)
- Listed as top 10 scientists to watch by Science News Journal (2019)[21]
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), Department of Defense (2019)[22]
- MacArthur Fellowship, MacArthur Foundation (2020)[5]
- I.I Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, American Physical Society (2021)[23]
- Fellow of the American Physical Society (2021)[24]
- Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award (2024)[25]
