Monika Schleier-Smith
Monika Schleier-Smith is an American experimental physicist studying many-body quantum physics by precisely assembling systems of ultracold atoms. These atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) engineered systems have applications in quantum sensing, coherent control, and quantum computing. Schleier-Smith is an Associate Professor of Physics at Stanford University, a Sloan Research Fellow, and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient. Schleier-Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Hertz Foundation. Life and career. Schleier-Smith's research career began an opportunity to do nanotechnology research at the MITRE Corporation while she was  a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. She went on to attend Harvard University as an undergraduate, receiving a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics and (secondarily) Mathematics in 2005. Afterwards, Schleier-Smith pursued graduate studies with the supervision of Vladan Vuletić at MIT on a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her Ph.D. thesis introduced a quantum-enhanced atomic clock and was recognized by the Hertz Foundation with a Doctoral Thesis Prize. During her time in Boston, Schleier-Smith also completed the Boston Marathon six times. Subsequently, Schleier-Smith conducted postdoctoral research at  LMU Munich and Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics. In the fall of 2013, Schleier-Smith joined the Stanford faculty as an Assistant Professor of Physics. 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". An important regime under investigation is the entanglement frontier. She is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In 2020, Schleier was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of her  work. In 2021, Schleier received the I.I Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics for her work in quantum optics. In 2021, Schleier was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society.