{{short description|American physicist}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Monika Schleier-Smith | fields = {{plainlist| * Atomic, molecular, and optical physics * Quantum optics * Quantum technology }} | awards = {{plainlist| * MacArthur Fellowship * Sloan Research Fellow * NSF CAREER Award * NSF Graduate Research Fellow }} | known_for = {{plainlist| * Quantum systems of interacting atoms, photons and phonons * Hybrid quantum systems * Quantum simulation * Driven-dissipative dynamics }} | alma_mater = {{plainlist| *Harvard University<ref name=stanford /> *MIT }} | doctoral_advisor = Vladan Vuletić | workplaces = Stanford University }} '''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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=jmontefusco |date=2023-01-18 |title=Monika Schleier-Smith {{!}} The Franklin Institute |url=https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/monika-schleiersmith |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=fi.edu |language=en}}</ref> These atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) engineered systems have applications in quantum sensing, coherent control, and quantum computing.<ref name=aps>{{cite web|title=Author Profile, American Physical Society|url=https://physics.aps.org/authors/monika_schleier_smith|website=American Physical Society|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> Schleier-Smith is an associate professor of physics at Stanford University,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://profiles.stanford.edu/monika-schleier-smith|title=Monika Schleier-Smith's Profile {{!}} Stanford Profiles|website=profiles.stanford.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> a MacArthur Fellow,<ref name=JacobsJNYT/> a Sloan Research Fellow,<ref name="stanford">{{cite web|url=https://profiles.stanford.edu/monika-schleier-smith|title=Stanford Faculty Profile|website=Stanford University|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient.<ref name=nsf>{{cite web|title=NSF QIS Activities, 2018 Profile|url=https://science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/hepap/pdf/201811/ACronin_HEPAP_talk_on_NSF_QIS-activities_201811.pdf|website=National Science Foundation|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> Schleier-Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Hertz Foundation<ref name=hertz>{{cite web|title=Leadership, Hertz Foundation|url=https://hertzfoundation.org/about/leadership/board|website=Hertz Foundation|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> and also works to improve education through speaking and serving on panels.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monika Schleier-Smith |url=https://www.hertzfoundation.org/person/monika-schleier-smith/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=Fannie and John Hertz Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Early life ==
Schleier-Smith grew up in the Alexandria, Virginia area. Her mother holds a Ph.D. in linguistics. She has an older brother.<ref name="SfS"/> Schleier-Smith attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology,<ref name="SfS">{{cite web |date=22 January 2021 |title=Conversations with Maya: Monika Schleier-Smith |url=https://www.societyforscience.org/blog/conversations-with-maya-monika-schleier-smith/ |access-date=19 April 2021 |website=Society for Science & the Public}}</ref> where she had an opportunity to conduct nanotechnology research at the MITRE Corporation.<ref name="SfS"/>
Schleier-Smith completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where she received a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics and (secondarily) Mathematics in 2005.<ref name=stanford /><ref name=Mac2020/>
Schleier-Smith pursued graduate studies at MIT on a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and under the supervision of Vladan Vuletić.<ref name=stanford /> At MIT, she earned a Ph.D. in physics in 2011,<ref name=Mac2020/> and her doctoral thesis introduced a quantum-enhanced atomic clock<ref name=thesis>{{cite thesis|title=Schleier-Smith Ph.D. Thesis, MIT|url=https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/68878|website=MIT|year=2011|hdl=1721.1/68878|access-date=7 March 2019|type=Thesis|last1=Schleier-Smith|first1=Monika Helene}}</ref> and was recognized by the Hertz Foundation with a Doctoral Thesis Prize.<ref name=hertz /> She also received the Stroock-Hertz Fellowship, named in honor of mathematician and MIT professor Daniel W. Stroock.<ref>MIT News (October 26, 2005). [https://news.mit.edu/2005/hertz-1026 Stroock meets Stroock fellow].</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prize Recipient |url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=www.aps.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Mac2020/>
==Career== In the fall of 2013, Schleier-Smith joined the Stanford faculty, where she is currently an associate professor in the Department of Physics.<ref name=Mac2020/> The [https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/sslab 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".<ref name="PRL">{{cite journal |last1=Schleier-Smith |first1=M. |year=2016 |title=Hybridizing Quantum Physics and Engineering |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=117 |issue=10 |article-number=100001 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.100001 |pmid=27636456 |bibcode=2016PhRvL.117j0001S |doi-access=free}}</ref> An important regime under investigation is the entanglement frontier.<ref name=":0">{{cite arXiv |eprint=1203.5813 |class=quant-ph |first=John |last=Preskill |author-link1=John Preskill |title=Quantum computing and the entanglement frontier |date=2012-03-26}}</ref>
In 2020, Schleier-Smith was named a MacArthur Fellow, for her quantum technology research, and received an unrestricted stipend of $625,000.<ref name=JacobsJNYT/><ref name=MjosethJ>Mjoseth, Jeannine (December 8, 2020). [https://www.hertzfoundation.org/news/quantum-physicist-schleier-smith-on-winning-2020-macarthur-fellowship/ Quantum Physicist Schleier-Smith on Winning 2020 MacArthur Fellowship.] The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation.</ref><ref name=Mac2020>[https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2020/monika-schleier-smith Monika Schleier-Smith. Experimental Physicist. Class of 2020.] John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.</ref><ref>[https://qfarm.stanford.edu/prof-monika-schleier-smith-awarded-macarthur-genius-grant Prof. Monika Schleier-Smith awarded MacArthur ‘genius’ grant.] Q-FARM - Quantum Science and Engineering. Stanford University.</ref>
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.<ref>Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (August 21, 2024). [https://www.moore.org/article-detail?newsUrlName=propelling-science-and-discovery-2024-experimental-physics-investigators Propelling science and discovery: 2024 Experimental Physics Investigators.]</ref><ref>Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences (August 2024). [https://humsci.stanford.edu/news-post/monika-schleier-smith-named-2024-moore-foundation-experimental-physics-investigator Monika Schleier-Smith named 2024 Moore Foundation Experimental Physics Investigator.]</ref>
==Personal==
During her years at Harvard and MIT, Schleier-Smith completed the Boston Marathon six times.<ref name=MjosethJ/><ref name=marathon>{{cite web|title=Good Timing|url=https://web.stanford.edu/~schleier/publications/good_timing.pdf|website=MIT|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref>
== 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)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Wendy |date=2021-01-22 |title=Conversations with Maya: Monika Schleier-Smith |url=https://www.societyforscience.org/blog/conversations-with-maya-monika-schleier-smith/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Society for Science |language=en-US}}</ref> * Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), Department of Defense (2019)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-02 |title=President Donald J. Trump Announces Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-announces-recipients-presidential-early-career-award-scientists-engineers/ |access-date=2019-08-03 |work=whitehouse.gov |language=en |via=National Archives}}</ref> *MacArthur Fellowship, MacArthur Foundation (2020)<ref name=JacobsJNYT>{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Julia |date=2020-10-06 |title=MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Winners for 2020: The Full List |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/arts/macarthur-genius-grant-winners-list.html |access-date=2020-10-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> * I.I Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, American Physical Society (2021)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spring 2021 APS Prizes & Awards Recipients |url=http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/spring2021.cfm |access-date=2021-03-25 |website=www.aps.org |language=en}}</ref> *Fellow of the American Physical Society (2021)<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Fellow Archive |url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm |access-date=2021-10-15 |website=www.aps.org |language=en}}</ref> *Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Franklin Medalist Citation |url=https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/monika-schleiersmith |access-date=2025-01-10}}</ref>
== Publications == Her recent publications include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monika Schleier-Smith - Publications |url=https://academictree.org/physics/publications.php?pid=94216}}</ref>
* Rudelis A, Hu B, Sinclair J, Bytyqi E, Schwartzman A, Brenes R, Kadosh Zhitomirsky T, '''Schleier-Smith M''', Vuletić V. Degradation of TaO / SiO dielectric cavity mirrors in ultra-high vacuum. ''Optics Express''. 31: 39670–39680. PMID 38041283 DOI: 10.1364/OE.504858 * Hines JA, Rajagopal SV, Moreau GL, Wahrman MD, Lewis NA, Marković O, '''Schleier-Smith M'''. Spin Squeezing by Rydberg Dressing in an Array of Atomic Ensembles. ''Physical Review Letters''. 131: 063401. PMID 37625064 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.063401 * '''Schleier-Smith M'''. Solving a puzzle with atomic qubits. ''Science''. 376: 1155–1156. PMID 35679424 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq3754 * Davis EJ, Periwal A, Cooper ES, Bentsen G, Evered SJ, Van Kirk K, '''Schleier-Smith MH'''. Protecting Spin Coherence in a Tunable Heisenberg Model. ''Physical Review Letters''. 125: 060402. PMID 32845652 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.060402 * Borish V, Marković O, Hines JA, Rajagopal SV, '''Schleier-Smith M'''. Transverse-Field Ising Dynamics in a Rydberg-Dressed Atomic Gas. ''Physical Review Letters''. 124: 063601. PMID 32109106 DOI: 10.1103/Physrevlett.124.063601 * Bentsen G, Hashizume T, Buyskikh AS, Davis EJ, Daley AJ, Gubser SS, '''Schleier-Smith M'''. Treelike Interactions and Fast Scrambling with Cold Atoms. ''Physical Review Letters''. 123: 130601. PMID 31697527 DOI: 10.1103/Physrevlett.123.130601 * Davis EJ, Bentsen G, Homeier L, Li T, '''Schleier-Smith MH'''. Photon-Mediated Spin-Exchange Dynamics of Spin-1 Atoms. ''Physical Review Letters''. 122: 010405. PMID 31012698 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.010405 * Bentsen G, Potirniche I, Bulchandani VB, Scaffidi T, Cao X, Qi X, '''Schleier-Smith M''', Altman E. Integrable and Chaotic Dynamics of Spins Coupled to an Optical Cavity ''Physical Review X''. 9. DOI: 10.1103/Physrevx.9.041011 * Marino J, Shchadilova YE, '''Schleier-Smith M''', Demler EA. Spectrum, Landau–Zener theory and driven-dissipative dynamics of a staircase of photons ''New Journal of Physics''. 21: 013009. DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/Aaf825
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{GoogleScholar|P9DoZBoAAAAJ}} *[https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/sslab/ Schleier-Smith Lab, Stanford]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schleier-Smith, Monika}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century American physicists Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:MIT School of Science alumni Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society Category:Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Category:Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology alumni Category:Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates Category:21st-century American women physicists