Dirk Englund

Dirk Robert Englund
Born
Germany
Alma materCalifornia Institute of Technology, Stanford University
AwardsOptica Fellow, Humboldt Professorship, Adolph Lomb Medal, IBM Faculty Award
Scientific career
FieldsPhotonics, Quantum information, Optical computing
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University
ThesisPhotonic crystals for quantum and classical information processing (2008)
Doctoral advisorsJelena Vuckovic
Websitehttps://www.rle.mit.edu/qp/

Dirk Robert Englund is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is known for his research in quantum photonics and optical computing.

Biography and education

Dirk Robert Englund grew up in Germany and California.[1] He attended the California Institute of Technology, where he majored in physics and received his B.S. in 2002.[2][3] After spending one year at the Technical University of Eindhoven on a Fulbright scholarship, he returned to the United States to earn his M.S. in electrical engineering and Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University in 2008 under the supervision of Jelena Vuckovic.[2] He then completed postdoctoral research in the group of Mikhail Lukin at Harvard University.[2] Dirk Englund is the son of American Assyriologist, Robert Keith Englund.[4]

Career and research

From 2010 to 2013, Englund was an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and of Applied Physics at Columbia University.[2] In 2013, he moved to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.[5]

Englund’s research focuses on photonic devices and systems for quantum information technologies and machine learning acceleration.[6][7] He has contributed to a wide range of topics in photonics including quantum dot light emission in photonic crystals,[8] solid-state quantum memories in nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond,[9][10] graphene integration for photodetectors,[11][12] optical accelerators for machine learning,[13] and programmable photonic circuits for cryogenic environments.[14] In 2022, he and his team demonstrated power-efficient neural network inference on network edge devices using a fiber optic link and telecommunication components.[15][16][17]

His work has led to several spin-off companies: DUST Identity is developing diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers for authentication;[18] Lightmatter is developing photonic computing platforms;[19] QuEra Computing is building quantum computers using neutral atoms;[20] and Quantum Network Technologies is developing quantum repeaters for networks.[21]

Awards

Englund has received numerous awards in recognition of his research, including a Humboldt Professorship,[22][23] the Optica Adolph Lomb Medal,[24] and an IBM Faculty Award.[25] He is an Optica Fellow.[26]

References

  1. ^ Sharfstein, Eric. "Engineering Professor Works to Make Data Transmission Secure". Columbia University. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dirk Robert Englund | Living History | Optica".
  3. ^ Sutherland, Stephani. "Four Caltech Physics Students Take the Ride of Their Lives". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  4. ^ Watson, Emma (June 5, 2020). "Tributes: Bob Englund". Near Eastern Languages & Cultures - UCLA.
  5. ^ "Dirk Englund – MIT EECS". www.eecs.mit.edu.
  6. ^ "Homepage". MIT Quantum Photonics Laboratory. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018". Photonics Media. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  8. ^ Englund, D., Fattal, D., Waks, E., et al. Controlling the spontaneous emission rate of single quantum dots in a two-dimensional photonic crystal. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 013904 (2005) https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.013904
  9. ^ Wan, N.H., Lu, TJ., Chen, K.C. et al. Large-scale integration of artificial atoms in hybrid photonic circuits. Nature 583, 226–231 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2441-3
  10. ^ Young, Chris. "MIT's New Diamond-Based Quantum Chip Is the Largest Yet". Interesting Engineering. Interesting Engineering, Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ Gan, X., Shiue, RJ., Gao, Y. et al. Chip-integrated ultrafast graphene photodetector with high responsivity. Nature Photon 7, 883–887 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.253
  12. ^ Hardesty, Larry. "Graphene could yield cheaper optical chips". Phys.org. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  13. ^ Shen, Y., Harris, N., Skirlo, S. et al. Deep learning with coherent nanophotonic circuits. Nature Photon 11, 441–446 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2017.93
  14. ^ Dong, M., Clark, G., Leenheer, A. J. et al. High-speed programmable photonic circuits in a cryogenically compatible, visible–near-infrared 200 mm CMOS architecture. Nature Photonics 16, 59-65 (2022),https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-021-00903-x
  15. ^ Sludds, A., Bandyopadhyay, S., Cai, Z., et al. Delocalized photonic deep learning on the internet’s edge. Science 378, 270-276 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq8271
  16. ^ "Optics Accelerates Deep Learning Computations on Smart Devices". Photonics.com. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Deep learning with light". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Who is DUST Identity". Retrieved 29 Jan 2023.
  19. ^ "People". Retrieved 29 Jan 2023.
  20. ^ "About Us". Retrieved 29 Jan 2023.
  21. ^ "Quantum Research Engineer". Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Humboldt Professorships 2009-2023". Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Ninth Humboldt Professorship for FAU". Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Adolph Lomb Medal". Optica. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  25. ^ "2012 Faculty Award recipients" (PDF). IBM Research. IBM. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Optica Announces Its 2022 Fellows Class". Optica. Retrieved 25 October 2023.