February 13, 2012

UC Santa Barbara Physicist Receives $360,000 Grant for Work with Ultracold Atoms

David Weld, assistant professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, has received a grant for $360,000 from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to continue his work with ultracold atoms.

He will receive the funds over a three-year period as part of the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program.

Weld is one of only 48 scientists and engineers –– selected from a field of 220 applicants –– to win grants totaling $18 million.

"We are delighted that Assistant Professor David Weld has been recognized with a prestigious Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "This award is a very meaningful affirmation of the creativity, significance, and exceptional promise of his research in the area of quantum simulation and quantum sensing. Our campus takes great pride in this exciting recognition for our colleague."

Meant to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, plus enhance career development of outstanding young investigators, the awards program is open to scientists and engineers at U.S. research institutions who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last five years –– and who show extraordinary aptitude for such study.

"I'm very excited to be working together with the Air Force," said Weld, who was the first recipient of, and still holds, UCSB's Richard Whited Endowed Chair in Interdisciplinary Science. "We will be pursuing a number of projects in the burgeoning field of ultracold alkaline earth atoms, including quantum simulation, quantum sensing, and a new cooling technique for Bose-Fermi mixtures."

To learn more about Weld's research, visit: http://web.physics.ucsb.edu/~weld/index.php

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.