Group Members

Irfan Siddiqi received his AB (1997) in chemistry and physics from Harvard University. He then went on to receive a PhD (2002) in applied physics from Yale University, where he stayed as a postdoctoral researcher until 2005. Irfan joined the physics department at the University of California, Berkeley in the summer of 2006. In 2006, Irfan was awarded the George E. Valley, Jr. prize by the American Physical Society for the development of the Josephson bifurcation amplifier. In 2007, he was awarded the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the Hellman Family Faculty Fund, and the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Partnership Faculty Fund.

Kater received his B.A. in physics from Reed College in 2002. After that, he spent a long year slacking off, working as a bee keeper and honing his guitar skills before finally starting his Ph.D. work at UC Berkeley with Prof. Dan Stamper-Kurn. After some time studying Bose-Einstein condensation in multiply connected geometries, Kater focused his interests on general problems in quantum measurement, and performed some of the first studies of position measurement quantum backaction. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2008, Kater continued work in the Stamper-Kurn group studying a possible super-solid phase of matter which occurs in spinor-Bose-Einsten condensates, and constructing a state of the art BEC apparatus. Kater joined the QNL group in August of 2009.

Andy received his B.S. in physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2002. Saying goodbye to the quirky culture that laid the foundations for his academic thought, he left for graduate studies at Cornell University where received his doctorate in physics working in the laboratories of Prof. J.C. Seamus Davis in 2009. In the Davis Group he used spectroscopic imaging - scanning tunneling microscope experiments to elucidate the atomic scale electronic structure in both the cuprates and heavy fermion materials. He joined the Quantum Nanoelectronics Laboratory in May 2010, and is working with graduate student Ned Henry to extend the microwave resonator architecture to semiconductor quantum dot qubits. In his spare time he soaks up the California sun however he can get it.

Natania graduated from MIT in 2009 with a S.B. in physics. She is working on coupling spin ensembles to superconducting devices, for ultimate use as a quantum memory. She is also working on using a nanobridge SQUID as a magnetometer to read out small numbers of spins. While she admits that she sometimes dances in lab, she also likes dancing outside of lab, along with rock climbing and hanging upside down from trapezes

Ned graduated from Harvard University in 2007 with an A.B. in Physics, and is currently working toward a Ph.D. at Berkeley. He is investigating coupling a solid state qubit to an electromagnetic resonator, hoping to facilitate coherent communication of quantum information over macroscopic length scales. He enjoys melted cheese.

Eli graduated from Harvard University in 2008 with an A.B. in physics. He is working to characterize variable-thickness microbridge junctions and to make nonlinear devices from them. When not in lab, Eli plays copious amounts of ultimate.

Chris received his B.A. in physics from Cornell University in 2009. He is working on near-quantum-limited continuous measurement and quantum feedback control of superconducting qubits, and developing quantum-limited microwave amplifiers without resonant structures. Otherwise Chris divides his free time between event lighting, DJing, and interactive fire art. Chris is also presently the QNL webmaster.

Steve graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009, with an A.B. in Physics. He is currently studying loss mechanisms in superconducting microwave resonators which contribute to decoherence in superconducting qubits. When not in the lab, he likes to play saxophone and to eat popcorn.