Dr Robert Bennett he/him
Senior Lecturer
Mission Priority Areas
My research passion is harmonising the fundamental ideas of quantum mechanics with the practical realities of experiments. For example, my own PhD was about often-overlooked corrections to one of the most precisely measured quantities in all of physics (the magnetic moment of the electron) in the presence of realistic experimental apparatus. My team and I are part of the larger Quantum Theory group which has diverse interests ranging from quantum information to cosmology. Our particular focus is atom-light interactions in all their various forms and in complex environments, as these underpin a huge variety of seemingly disparate physical processes. In parallel, we also focus on computational optimisation of the shapes of optical components such that light-matter interactions are enhanced.
I would like to form collaborations with colleagues in the School of Engineering in order to test and measure some of the theoretical predictions we have made in recent years, and with colleagues in Computer Science to improve our approaches to numerical modelling. Some of my recent interdisciplinary work was actually with colleagues in various Chemistry departments across Europe (Paris, Vienna), who work on various aspects of intra-atomic relaxation processes. I would like to supervise a project with engineering, ideally with colleagues in microwave engineering, who can build and test devices that simulate the nanophotonic components my research aims to design.
While I always choose the best candidate for the work, regardless of any characteristics, my team so far is quite diverse. Of the seven team members I have had since joining UofG, three are female, three are international researchers. I have had fruitful collaborations with colleagues in Iran, as well as taken part in the organisation of seminars for refugee scientists in Germany during the crisis in 2016.
My continuing commitment to EDI arises from embedding its general principles into my recruitment, doctoral/post-doctoral supervision, teaching and my role as an Academic Advisor.
