W. Carl Lineberger /jila/ en Life After JILA: Tanya Ramond /jila/2024/05/20/life-after-jila-tanya-ramond <span>Life After JILA: Tanya Ramond</span> <span><span>Steven Burrows</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-05-20T11:17:16-06:00" title="Monday, May 20, 2024 - 11:17">Mon, 05/20/2024 - 11:17</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-11/1597096196261.jpg?h=00a5d78c&amp;itok=NX-r-Kh6" width="1200" height="800" alt="Tanya Ramond, the Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/24"> Precision Measurement </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/25"> Quantum Information Science &amp; Technology </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/128" hreflang="en">JILA News</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/133" hreflang="en">JILA-PFC</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/93" hreflang="en">W. Carl Lineberger</a> </div> <span>Kenna Hughes-Castleberry / JILA Science Communicator</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-11/1597096196261.jpg?itok=zoiLlQj5" width="375" height="375" alt="Tanya Ramond, the Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Tanya Ramond, the Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting</p> </span> </div> <p>While industry and academia tend to be the two main job trajectories after graduating with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree, some individuals, like <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyaramond/" rel="nofollow">Tanya Ramond</a>, combine aspects of these careers in her role as Founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.sapienneconsulting.com/" rel="nofollow">Sapienne Consulting</a>.</p><p>“As an independent consultant, I am driven by a deep passion for commercialization and product strategy in deep tech areas,” Ramond elaborates. “These areas of technology are particularly challenging, often hardware-based, and heavily reliant on intellectual property. My expertise and enthusiasm extend to fields like quantum physics, optics, aerospace, and clean tech, inspiring those around me to push the boundaries of what is possible.”</p><p>Ramond’s journey towards Sapienne Consulting began when she graduated with her Ph.D. from JILA and the University of Colorado Boulder, studying under the late JILA Fellow Carl Lineberger. Ramond then transitioned to doing a postdoctoral degree at NIST. “I stayed in academia,” Ramond remarks about that time. “But then decided that wasn't for me in the long term. So I then went into aerospace and worked at Ball Aerospace for 10 years.”</p><p>After her time at Ball, Ramond spent several years working at smaller companies and start-ups, learning more about the business development side of the tech industry. Ramond explains “Up to that point, I've been very much in more engineering, technical roles. But the pain point I saw was more around getting technologies into the market correctly, in ways that actually address problems, and where people will buy them.”</p><p>Observing these issues inspired Ramond to use her scientific background, MBA, and more recently acquired business skills to encourage small companies and start-ups to develop effective use cases for their products. “I learned I could speak both scientific/engineering and business, which few people can do. So, this was what I was driven to do. This is where I wanted to help and make a difference,” she adds.</p><p>Ramond’s passions and ideas culminated in Sapienne Consulting in 2015, which offers innovation and commercialization services to small companies and start-ups, from identifying target markets and market roadmaps to defining use cases and customer personas. While a lot of Ramond’s consulting is business-focused, she does find herself leaning on the skills she learned during her time at JILA.</p><p>“The level of scientific excellence that you are exposed to at JILA establishes a high bar for your career expectations and doing a postdoc at NIST was no different,” Ramond elaborates. “It set the stage for an ability to spot amazing technology and amazing scientific talent. &nbsp;I carried this through to my current mission that world-class technology deserves to make a world-class impact in the marketplace and in society, and I want to make that happen for a range of customers across industries from aerospace to renewable energy."</p><p>Ramond’s interest in the Colorado tech start-up industry has inspired her to advise various companies, including Aphelion Aerospace and other startups she mentors through the University of Colorado Research to Market program or TechStars accelerators. &nbsp; She also works as a consultant for the Boulder Small Business Development Center and is the Treasurer of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association.</p><p>“When I was at JILA, ‘quantum’ was not spelled with an upper-case ‘Q’ like it is now,” Ramond states. “Today, the word is starting to spread about the world-class Quantum ecosystem we have here in Colorado—and have always had here in Colorado—and that also applies to other Colorado deep tech prowess such as aerospace and cleantech. &nbsp;It is exciting to start seeing the momentum finally build.”</p><p>Ramond also reflected on her time at JILA and considered what advice she would pass on to the next generation of graduate students and postdocs. “You will leave JILA with not simply your scientific and technical skills, but also with a key to a world of career possibilities,” she says. “Many of these opportunities have not been well-defined for you. &nbsp;Take the enthusiasm and thirst for scientific discovery and apply that to discover your path beyond JILA. “</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>While industry and academia tend to be the two main job trajectories after graduating with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree, some individuals, like Tanya Ramond, combine aspects of these careers in her role as Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting. <br> <br> “As an independent consultant, I am driven by a deep passion for commercialization and product strategy in deep tech areas,” Ramond elaborates. “These areas of technology are particularly challenging, often hardware-based, and heavily reliant on intellectual property. My expertise and enthusiasm extend to fields like quantum physics, optics, aerospace, and clean tech, inspiring those around me to push the boundaries of what is possible.” </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 20 May 2024 17:17:16 +0000 Steven Burrows 419 at /jila Remembering JILA Fellow W. Carl Lineberger /jila/2023/10/18/remembering-jila-fellow-w-carl-lineberger <span>Remembering JILA Fellow W. Carl Lineberger</span> <span><span>Steven Burrows</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-10-18T15:24:30-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 18, 2023 - 15:24">Wed, 10/18/2023 - 15:24</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-02/carl_lineberger_collage.png?h=8c118b5c&amp;itok=X2_zBvet" width="1200" height="800" alt="Collage of JILA Fellow William Carl Lineberger "> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/20"> Chemical Physics </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/128" hreflang="en">JILA News</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/133" hreflang="en">JILA-PFC</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/93" hreflang="en">W. Carl Lineberger</a> </div> <span>Kenna Hughes-Castleberry / JILA Science Communicator</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/carl_lineberger_collage.png?itok=d-uUweVD" width="750" height="750" alt="Collage of JILA Fellow William Carl Lineberger "> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Collage of JILA Fellow William Carl Lineberger&nbsp;</p> </span> </div> <p>William Carl Lineberger, 83, loving husband, died on October 17, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. Born in 1939, in Hamlet, North Carolina, Carl was the only child of Evelyn Pilot Cooper and Caleb Henry Lineberger. He is survived by his wife, Kitty Edwards, and his beloved dog, Jude.</p><p>Carl received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology and served in the Army Ordnance Corps during the Vietnam War. He was a teacher, mentor, and research scientist in the Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, for 52 years. He was appointed by President Obama to the National Science Board in 2010 and served in that capacity until 2022. The American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society, both of which he was a member, granted him their top awards. In 1983, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences; in 2015, he received their NAS Award in the Chemical Sciences, given for both scientific achievement and benefit to humanity.</p><p>Carl Lineberger’s incredibly productive approach to scientific research derived from his unusual combination of expertise in chemistry and physics, together with his mastery of engineering. These complementary skills allowed him to attack new classes of chemical problems with his signature blend of elegance and precision. His unique perspective also enabled him to see connections in nature that could be overlooked by his contemporaries. Carl’s colleagues knew to listen especially carefully when he shared a seeming child-like view regarding some aspect of science, as it was then in fact that they might gain the deepest insights into nature’s inner workings.</p><p>Carl Lineberger’s enduring impact on the scientific community is broader than the important paradigms he contributed from his laboratory. He was described by a colleague as having been instrumental in creating the “magic” of JILA, a joint institute between the National Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Colorado devoted to research into the frontier interface between chemistry and physics. He molded a style of collaborative research starting in the 1970s that continues today.</p><p>Carl was not only brilliant, but kind. It was known that, however close he was to a proposal or other deadline, if a troubled student, staff member, or colleague knocked on his door, he would drop everything to listen and try to help.</p><p>His sense of humor was present to the end. In his final days he was asked if he had any regrets. He smiled and quipped, “Maybe I should have spent more time hang gliding.”</p><p>Carl will be remembered not just for the heights of his science, but for the depth of his humanity.<br>A Celebration of Life for Carl Lineberger will be held on January 6, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. For information, contact Krista Beck kristab@jila.colorado.edu</p><p>If you wish to honor Carl, you may make a donation to the University of Colorado Foundation and designate it for JILA at&nbsp;<a href="https://giving.cu.edu/fund/jila-fund" rel="nofollow">https://giving.cu.edu/fund/jila-fund</a></p><p>Please contribute any memories or photos of Carl to <a href="https://jila.colorado.edu/memorial/w-carl-lineberger" rel="nofollow">this memorial page.</a>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>William Carl Lineberger, 83, loving husband, died on October 17, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. Born in 1939, in Hamlet, North Carolina, Carl was the only child of Evelyn Pilot Cooper and Caleb Henry Lineberger. He is survived by his wife, Kitty Edwards, and his beloved dog, Jude.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 18 Oct 2023 21:24:30 +0000 Steven Burrows 472 at /jila JILA’s Physics Frontiers (PFC) is Awarded a $25 Million Grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) /jila/2023/09/12/jilas-physics-frontiers-pfc-awarded-25-million-grant-national-science-foundation-nsf <span>JILA’s Physics Frontiers (PFC) is Awarded a $25 Million Grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF)</span> <span><span>Steven Burrows</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-09-12T15:31:40-06:00" title="Tuesday, September 12, 2023 - 15:31">Tue, 09/12/2023 - 15:31</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-02/slide1.png?h=c673cd1c&amp;itok=druAenOv" width="1200" height="800" alt="A compilation of researchers and the research/outreach led by JILA's PFC "> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/23"> Physics Education </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/24"> Precision Measurement </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/25"> Quantum Information Science &amp; Technology </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/109" hreflang="en">Ana Maria Rey</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/4" hreflang="en">Andreas Becker</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/62" hreflang="en">Eric Cornell</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/128" hreflang="en">JILA News</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/133" hreflang="en">JILA-PFC</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/93" hreflang="en">W. Carl Lineberger</a> </div> <span>Kenna Hughes-Castleberry / JILA Science Communicator</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/slide1.png?itok=2_pl9tkc" width="750" height="422" alt="A compilation of researchers and the research/outreach led by JILA's PFC "> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>A compilation of researchers and the research/outreach led by JILA's PFC&nbsp;</p> </span> </div> <p>The JILA Physics Frontiers Center (PFC), an NSF-funded science center within JILA (a world-leading physics research institute), has recently been awarded a <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/news/4-physics-research-centers-set-their-sights" rel="nofollow">$25 million grant</a> after a re-competition process.</p><p>This science center brings together 20 researchers across JILA to collaborate to realize precise measurements and cutting-edge manipulations to harness increasingly complex quantum systems. Since its establishment in 2006, the JILA PFC’s dedication to advancing quantum research and educating the next generation of scientists has helped it to stand out as the heart of JILA’s excellence.</p><h2>Origins and Foundation:</h2><p>It was JILA Fellow Carl Lineberger who initially conceived the PFC. Arriving at JILA in 1968 as a postdoctoral researcher for JILA Fellow and founder Lewis Branscomb, Lineberger witnessed many changes happen at JILA throughout its decades of science. In the early 1970s, as Branscomb was looking to leave JILA, Lineberger realized that Branscomb’s departure could lead to funding constraints for JILA.</p><p>“It was really only Lou and me who knew how to get money for JILA at that time, as we both were the only ones with the strongest links to the Department of Defense (DoD),” Lineberger stated, referring to his own service in the military before arriving at JILA. “We figured that the DoD was the best place to look, as this was during the Vietnam War. The state of Colorado was in severe financial trouble, and they could not help JILA, so we had to get money outside of the university. And I knew all the people in defense and the National Science Foundation who were important for funding where no one else did.”</p><p>In the wake of Branscomb’s departure in 1972, Lineberger began thinking about leveraging his network to secure JILA funding.</p><p>It wasn’t until the mid-1970s when Lineberger led the effort to draft the first group grant for many quantum researchers within JILA, as JILA’s astrophysicists had already secured funding. This grant began a new era in research at JILA, allowing scientists to push the boundaries of knowledge and explore uncharted territories in physics.</p><p>After proposing an extensive collaboration between several JILA scientists, the team submitted their application. Then they waited nervously, as group grants were highly unusual during the 1970s, and the scientists weren’t sure if the NSF would accept it. In fact, the NSF funded this initial group grant and would continue to renew JILA’s funding till the early 2000s when the NSF decided to restructure the group grant altogether.</p><p>“It’s tough for the NSF to compare a group grant to an individual scientist’s work,” explained JILA and NIST Fellow Eric Cornell, a Nobel Laureate who served as the PFC Director for over a decade. “You can’t really compare the two applications.”</p><p>The NSF decided to institute a new grant type to overcome this challenge, as other institutes also submitted group applications. In 2001, several PFCs were established with the NSF’s new grant structure. However, it wouldn’t be until 2006 that JILA’s group grant was transformed into an official PFC. “It was 50% luck and 50% opportunity,” added Lineberger.</p><p>The vision behind the PFC was to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds to collaborate on projects that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. “Carl Lineberger took very seriously the idea that JILA should always be renewing itself,” Cornell added. “What that meant is it shouldn’t always be the same people always running the show.”</p><p>To implement this thought, Lineberger transitioned out of the role as the first PFC Director and passed the torch to Cornell, who became the next director in the mid-2000s.</p><p>Furthering in this spirit, Cornell just recently handed over the torch to current co-directors Ana Maria Rey and Andreas Becker. The co-directors, together with, JILA Fellows &nbsp;Eric Cornell, Cindy Regal, Jun Ye, and Heather Lewandowski form the executive committee that will lead and manage the Center for the next six years.</p><h2>The Structure of the PFC:</h2><p>While the PFC includes about 20 JILA researchers, it is led by a much smaller executive committee. “We sometimes call it an oligarchy,” stated Cornell. “As the executive committee decides things by consensus, the Director is not especially important. However, the NSF does need a point of contact for the grant, so the Director does play a role in government relations.”</p><h2>Interdisciplinary Collaboration:</h2><p>One of the distinguishing features of the PFC is its commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together physicists, chemists, biologists, and other scientific experts, the PFC enables a unique environment for innovation and cross-pollination of ideas. The center encourages researchers to step outside their comfort zones and tackle complex scientific challenges from multiple perspectives, leading to breakthrough discoveries that would be difficult to achieve in isolation.</p><p>“The JILA PFC, in my point of view, is the spinal cord of JILA,” explained Rey. “The reason is that the Center serves as a connecting tissue among JILA investigators with different but complementary research interests. &nbsp;We all understand the added value of the Center and are excited about the scientific barriers we can overcome as a team. We are willing to take risks and commit to very challenging problems that have long-term horizons which are only possible by the joint and synergistic capabilities of the investigators.”</p><h2>Milestones and Breakthroughs:</h2><p>Over the years, the PFC and JILA’s group grant before it, have embarked on numerous research projects that have pushed the boundaries of physics. From exploring the properties of ultracold molecules to developing advanced precision measurement techniques, the PFC has consistently been at the forefront of pioneering research. Researchers at the center have significantly contributed to areas such as quantum information science, atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, ultrafast science, and condensed matter physics.</p><p>The PFC has achieved several significant milestones and breakthroughs throughout its history. In ultracold physics, JILA Fellows, including Cornell and Carl Wieman, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for creating the first Bose-Einstein Condensate—a remarkable state of matter with extraordinary properties. This groundbreaking achievement opened up new avenues for exploring quantum phenomena and laid the foundation for subsequent research in ultracold physics.</p><p>Another notable milestone came in 2008 when the PFC researchers developed an atomic clock that was accurate to within one second every 300 million years. This achievement revolutionized timekeeping technology and led to advancements in global positioning systems (GPS), telecommunication networks, and fundamental tests of the laws of physics.</p><p>That same year PFC investigators Deborah Jin, Jun Ye, and John Bohn, with input from David Nesbitt, prepared the first high-space-density KRb molecular gas, by combining trapping and cooling methods with frequency comb spectroscopy. This development set the stage for impressive investigations on quantum chemistry and many-body physics which are currently generating even richer and faster worldwide developments.</p><p>The PFC has also made significant strides in quantum information science. In 2017, JILA scientists successfully created a long-lived quantum memory for photons, a crucial step towards developing quantum computers and secure quantum communication networks. These advancements have the potential to revolutionize computing and information processing, opening up a new era of technology.</p><p>Furthermore, the PFC helped to push forward many new ideas in the development of ultrafast lasers, a technology used collaboratively in many PFC labs. Most recently, the path towards polarization control of ultrashort laser light pulses over a broad wavelength regime, led by PFC investigators Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, was supported using PFC funds.</p><p>“As the years passed,” Cornell explained, “the amount of money given by the NSF for the PFC got smaller and smaller due to inflation.” However, the slack in funding was taken up by individual grants for each scientist. While this group grant once was a more significant source of JILA’s funding, it has now become less so as other organizations, such as the Department of Energy, fund JILA.</p><p>“While the money is useful, the PFC has become greater than the sum of its parts,” Cornell stated. “It’s much more of a way to keep us thinking about research collaborations and to wish each other well in our projects. It’s about making it a place that good students want to come to and good staff wants to stay at.” &nbsp;</p><p>For Rey and Becker, the feeling is similar. “We are nevertheless excited and proud to report that in this re-competition, in contrast to prior ones, NSF provides an increase of the JILA PFC budget,” said Rey. “This is exciting and will allow us to attract an even &nbsp;larger poll of fantastic and productive students and postdocs and undertake broader outreach activities that will benefit our community.” &nbsp;</p><h2>The PFC’s Influence on the JILA Community</h2><p>When examining how the PFC has impacted JILA’s community and culture, JILA’s Chief Operations Officer Beth Kroger agreed with Cornell. “The NSF PFC funding enables JILA to provide critical infrastructure in support of the transformational research done at JILA,” she stated. “A key component of JILA’s infrastructure is the JILA Shops which include Scientific Instrument Design/Fabrication, Electronics Design/Fabrication and Computing, as well user facilities such as our Metrology Lab, Clean Room, and student workshops. &nbsp;The JILA Shops are instrumental in advancing research and providing mentoring and hands-on applied learning for scientists-in-training. &nbsp;This is just one example of the impact of the PFC.”</p><h2>Educating Future Leaders</h2><p>The PFC's contributions to the field of physics extend beyond groundbreaking discoveries. It has nurtured generations of scientists, providing an environment fostering creativity, collaboration, and scientific excellence. The center has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to make a lasting impact in their respective fields.</p><p>“During the next PFC grant period we plan to initiate new training and mentoring programs at JILA which should further help our graduate students and postdocs in preparing them for their future careers in academia and industry”, said Becker.</p><p>Furthermore, a key part of the PFC has been its outreach program, PISEC, or “Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community”. A semester-long afterschool program where CU volunteers work with K-12 students on inquiry-based physics experiments. It is mainly targeted to students from underrepresented groups in STEM: primarily Hispanic/Latinx with low income. The goal is to cultivate in the students involved an interest in science, and facilitate pathways into STEM degrees.</p><p>PISEC is a very important part of the JILA-PFC. &nbsp;Jessica Hoehn is the current full-time PFC director for public engagement. She in collaboration with executive member Heather Lewandowski and Eric Cornell are envisioning exciting new directions in which the PISEC can further expand and become even better during this funding period. &nbsp;</p><p>Thanks to the <a href="/today/2023/09/12/pioneering-physics-center-gets-25-million" rel="nofollow">$25 million grant</a> awarded to JILA’s PFC, its vision and ongoing projects can continue to push the boundaries of quantum science and influence JILA’s culture, community, students, and postdoctoral researchers.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The JILA Physics Frontiers Center (PFC), an NSF-funded science center within JILA (a world-leading physics research institute), has recently been awarded a $25 million grant after a re-competition process. <br> <br> This science center brings together 20 researchers across JILA to collaborate to realize precise measurements and cutting-edge manipulations to harness increasingly complex quantum systems. Since its establishment in 2006, the JILA PFC’s dedication to advancing quantum research and educating the next generation of scientists has helped it to stand out as the heart of JILA’s excellence.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:31:40 +0000 Steven Burrows 475 at /jila Celebrating 60 Years of JILA /jila/2022/07/12/celebrating-60-years-jila <span>Celebrating 60 Years of JILA</span> <span><span>Steven Burrows</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-07-12T13:46:03-06:00" title="Tuesday, July 12, 2022 - 13:46">Tue, 07/12/2022 - 13:46</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-02/jila_60th_artwork_purple.png?h=ecba8153&amp;itok=DLSW_7gp" width="1200" height="800" alt="JILA's custom logo commemorating its 60th anniversary"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/7"> Astrophysics </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/18"> Atomic &amp; Molecular Physics </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/19"> Biophysics </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/20"> Chemical Physics </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/21"> Laser Physics </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/22"> Nanoscience </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/23"> Physics Education </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/24"> Precision Measurement </a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/25"> Quantum Information Science &amp; Technology </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/135" hreflang="en">CTQM</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/132" hreflang="en">CUbit</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/62" hreflang="en">Eric Cornell</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/86" hreflang="en">Henry Kapteyn</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/128" hreflang="en">JILA News</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/133" hreflang="en">JILA-PFC</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/77" hreflang="en">John Hall</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/91" hreflang="en">Judah Levine</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/120" hreflang="en">Jun Ye</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/136" hreflang="en">MURI</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/97" hreflang="en">Margaret Murnane</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/137" hreflang="en">PEAQS</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/131" hreflang="en">Q-SEnSE</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/138" hreflang="en">STROBE</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/103" hreflang="en">Thomas Perkins</a> <a href="/jila/taxonomy/term/93" hreflang="en">W. Carl Lineberger</a> </div> <span>Kenna Hughes-Castleberry / JILA Science Communicator</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/1965%20building%20groundbreaking.jpg?itok=gKj8vI7n" width="750" height="589" alt="Groundbreaking ceremony for the new JILA laboratory wing and the 10-story office tower, February 25, 1965 (l-r) Lewis Branscomb, Chair of JILA; Donald Hornig, Science Advisor to President Lyndon Johnson; Joseph Smiley, CU President, and Robert Huntoon, Director of the Institute for Basic Standards at NBS. Credit: University of Colorado Publications Service"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Groundbreaking ceremony for the new JILA laboratory wing &nbsp;and the 10-story office tower, February 25, 1965 (l-r) Lewis &nbsp;Branscomb, Chair of JILA; Donald Hornig, Science Advisor to &nbsp;President Lyndon Johnson; Joseph Smiley, CU President, and &nbsp;Robert Huntoon, Director of the Institute for Basic Standards &nbsp;at NBS. Credit: University of Colorado Publications Service</p> </span> </div> <p>This year, JILA celebrates its 60th anniversary. Officially established on April 13, 1962, as a joint institution between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), JILA has become a world leader in physics research. Its rich history includes three Nobel laureates, groundbreaking work in laser development, atomic clocks, underlying dedication to precision measurement, and even competitive sports leagues. The process of creating this science goliath was not always straightforward and took the dedication and hard work of many individuals.</p><p>The idea for JILA came from a 1958 meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Moscow. Dr. Lewis Branscombe, a founding member and the head of the atomic physics department of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, which would later become NIST) proposed an institution for laboratory astrophysics to co-founder, and professor of astrophysics at Ҵýƽ, Dr. Richard Thomas. As Branscombe was directly funded by the government, and Thomas by the university, they realized that the best option for such an institution would be a joint establishment between the two entities. &nbsp;Together with the third founding member, Dr. Michael Seaton, a theorist at University College London, they toured nine universities in 1960 and 1961 to find a suitable home for the institution. Finally, the trio settled on Ҵýƽ as the location for their new institution. This was in part due to the President of the university at the time, Quigg Newton, who was supportive of their cause.</p><p>In April of 1962, JILA was founded, standing for the Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics. Laboratory astrophysics was of particular interest to the International Astronomical Union as it focused on topics ranging from studying the Sun’s visible light spectrum to developing retroreflecting mirrors.</p> <div class="align-left image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/JILA%20Campus-1967.jpg?itok=adCrF8rS" width="750" height="572" alt="Aerial view of the newly completed JILA tower situated on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, 1967. Credit: University of Colorado Publications Service"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Aerial view of the newly completed JILA tower situated on &nbsp;the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, 1967. Credit: &nbsp;University of Colorado Publications Service</p> </span> </div> <p>Trying to find a building on the campus to house JILA, Ҵýƽ's Chief Financial Officer Leo Hill worked with both the NBS and National Science Foundation to pay rent for two floors of the old State Armory building. The NBS also provided funds for laboratory equipment. JILA began construction for its own building shortly after, with the first part, the B-wing, completed in 1966, and the JILA tower finished in 1967. JILA added two more wings to its building, the S-wing (dedicated in 1988), and the X-wing in 2011. There are plans for further expansion with a Y-wing to be built, but nothing is currently in process.</p><p>Setting up in the Old Armory building, the JILA scientists (by the early 1960s there were seven scientists at JILA) established several rules that would help JILA function properly. These rules centered around leadership, funding, and fellowships. It was negotiated that with JILA's creation, the NBS would provide instruments and laboratories, while Ҵýƽ would provide researchers and land for the institution. With its unique agreements and roles, JILA’s institute was relatively free to make its own way scientifically. In 1961, Ҵýƽ's Board of Regents approved the title of professor adjoint for any NBS faculty who taught classes at the University. This further solidified the connection between the university and the NBS and made it easier for JILA to attract new scientists.</p><p>One of these scientists was Dr. John “Jan” Hall, who was an expert in laser systems and who had previously worked at the NBS location in Washington DC. Though JILA was created during the height of the space race, with the idea being to help the U.S. win this race, Hall helped move JILA in a new direction with laser development. JILA still had ties to astrophysics and astronomy, such as developing lunar lasers for the space race, but the times were changing, and JILA was shifting its research focus to other topics.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/JILA-original%20ols%20state%20armory%20building.jpg?itok=khdPL1hG" width="750" height="785" alt="Close up of entrance to the old State Armory Building, JILA’s first home on the University of Colorado campus. Credit: JILA"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Close up of entrance to the old State Armory Building, &nbsp;JILA’s first home on the University of Colorado campus. &nbsp;Credit: JILA</p> </span> </div> <p>By the late 1960s into the 1970s, JILA's fields were expanding to include laser physics, atomic physics, and others. Hall, at the helm of this shift, helped develop the first high-precision lasers at JILA. His work on these systems would later garner him a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005.</p><p>The 1970s brought a deeper sense of community within JILA, as it was described as a “fun, fast, and free-spirited place.” It was during this time that, along with rafting or ski trips, JILAns also created their own sports leagues, including softball and volleyball. In 1974, JILA elected its first female chair, Katharine Gebbie. Gebbie would later move over to NIST and become their Chief of Quantum Physics Division in 1988, but before she did, she helped recruit and support other female JILA Fellows in JILA. &nbsp;The fields of study within the institution also diversified, as in 1977, the NBS changed the name of their JILA division to the “Quantum Physics Division,” predicting the role that quantum physics would play in JILA'S future.</p><p>In the 1980s, JILA was beginning to modernize with the help of the early internet. Thanks to JILA fellow Judah Levine and colleagues the Automated Computer Time Service was brought online, accessible through dial-up modems. This was a monumental first step in modernizing time transfer, as users had access to atomic clock time. By 1988, JILA’s population consisted of more than 200 people, including 23 Fellows. It was also the year that the National Bureau of Standards (NBS)became the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), changing its infrastructure and goals.</p><p>More breakthroughs occurred in the 1990s, as JILA once more shifted its mission to reflect NIST's mandate for developing precision measurement, and educating graduate students in future technology. In 1994, JILA had become more than its previous name implied, and dropped the definition of its acronym as the Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics in acknowledgement of the broader scope of science conducted there. In 1995, Nobel-prize winning research was performed by JILA Fellows Carl Weiman and Eric Cornell, as they discovered the Bose-Einstein-Condensate (BEC), a special state of matter helpful for studying quantum dynamics. Nineteen ninety-six brought the 500th Fellows’ meeting, as well as diversity initiatives to make the community more inclusive.</p> <div class="align-left image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/library%20on%20the%2010th%20floor%20of%20tower.jpg?itok=3Mlf7qCd" width="750" height="559" alt="JILA scientists studying in the library on the 10th floor of the JILA tower. Credit: JILA"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>JILA scientists studying in the library on the 10th floor of the &nbsp;JILA tower. Credit: JILA</p> </span> </div> <p>The 1990s was also an important decade for laser physics at JILA. By 1997, JILA identified seven fields of physics that researchers were studying: atomic physics, chemical physics, materials physics, optical physics, molecular physics, precision measurement, and astrophysics. Laser physics was an underlying study in many of these fields. In 1999, JILA Fellows Margaret Murnane and her husband Henry Kapteyn created what was then the fastest tabletop laser system. That same year, Fellows Jan Hall and Jun Ye developed the first optical frequency comb laser, a tool used by researchers to study optical physics. With these important developments, JILA was quickly establishing a reputation as a world leader in physics research. This reputation boosted JILA's success, as, by the late 1990s, the institution was producing 5–10% of the nation's new Ph.D. graduates in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics.</p><p>The success continued into the 2000s, as the decade brought three Nobel Prizes to JILA. In 2001, Eric Cornell and Carl Weiman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in 1995 on the BEC. The State of Colorado established March 6th as “Carl Weinman and Eric Cornell day” to honor the scientists. A few years later in 2005, Jan Hall also received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on laser systems and for developing the first optical frequency comb. JILA also added biophysics as a new field of study, which was helped by the addition of JILA Fellow Thomas Perkins, who worked in this area.</p><p>Three JILA Fellows were honored during the 2010s by being selected by then-President Obama to fill important leadership positions within scientific governing groups, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. These Fellows included Carl Weinman, Margaret Murnane, and Carl Lineberger. JILA also celebrated its 50th birthday on April 13th, 2012.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/jila/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-02/JILA%20tower.jpg?itok=LP4Ztal4" width="750" height="588" alt="JILA tower (circa 1966) under construction in front of the recently completed laboratory wing, now known as the B-wing of the Duane Physical Laboratories complex. Credit: JILA"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>JILA tower (circa 1966) under construction in front of the &nbsp;recently completed laboratory wing, now known as the &nbsp;B-wing of the Duane Physical Laboratories complex. Credit: &nbsp;JILA</p> </span> </div> <p>Since then, JILA Fellows have received many prestigious scientific awards and grants. The decades of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have worked at the institution have gone on to lead successful careers and scientific efforts for other institutions around the world. JILA has also helped spawn many spin-off companies, including 12 companies based in Colorado. These companies range in their products and technology and include companies such as ColdQuanta, Hall Stable Lasers, High Precision Devices, KM Labs, Vescent, to name a few.</p><p>With 60 years of scientific research and groundbreaking discoveries, and many successful scientific careers launched, hundreds of lives impacted, it is no surprise that JILA continues to be a global leader in physics research and a pillar within the scientific community. As JILA celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, we look not only to past accomplishments but also to the future, excited to be carrying on such a rich and fulfilling legacy.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>This year, JILA celebrates its 60th anniversary. Officially established on April 13, 1962, as a joint institution between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), JILA has become a world leader in physics research. Its rich history includes three Nobel laureates, groundbreaking work in laser development, atomic clocks, underlying dedication to precision measurement, and even competitive sports leagues. The process of creating this science goliath was not always straightforward and took the dedication and hard work of many individuals.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 12 Jul 2022 19:46:03 +0000 Steven Burrows 510 at /jila