Professor Sonja Franke-Arnold she/her

Since over 25 years I am interested in shaping light into optical vortices and other structured light fields, and their interaction with atoms cooled close to absolute zero. Together with my team of PhD students our research ranges from fundamental studies of light atom interaction and topological structures to industry-led investigations of quantum-enhanced magnetometry, phase-engineering, spectroscopy and polarimetry.

I already collaborate widely with physicists worldwide, but would be interested to create collaborations with scientists from bio-medicine to engineering to arts – light joins a huge range of disciplines. Almost all PhD projects in my group are designed around experiments with structured light and structured atoms, and their investigation and applications. Individual topics are chosen based on the interest and specific talents of the PhD student. Students in my team work on overlapping projects, and we discuss progress during weekly meetings and chats in the lab, over coffee and during lunch. All my graduated students found employment, and work now in laser companies, research institutions, banks, as postdocs or lecturers.

Equity, diversity and inclusion are part of our life as a research group, and my team includes students of various genders, nationalities, backgrounds – at a recent pot-luck dinner we counted 8 different nationalities. It is important to me that everyone feels respected and that they belong to the team. I am currently vice head of our EDI committee and attend whenever I can the various EDI meetings in Physics and Astronomy (Women in Physics, JEDI). I am occasionally asked to talk about diversity during panel meetings.

There are not enough hours in the day for all the activities I like to do: reading, cycling, playing piano, baking, various craft projects, … I have also raised three children while working as a scientist and enjoy time with my family on hikes, playing boardgames, or simply having a meal together.