Faculty Spotlight
Murray Holland:听JILA Fellow;听Professor, Department of Physics
Murray Holland joined JILA in 1994 with a Lindemann Fellowship from the English-Speaking Union. He was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1996, and became a JILA Fellow in 1999. He became an associate professor of physics in 2003 and a professor in 2010. He served as JILA Chair from 2013-2014.
Research and teaching
Holland鈥檚 research group has two primary focuses: quantum gases and quantum optics. Their work studies ultracold atoms, particularly atoms in optical lattices and strongly-interacting quantum gases, and the behavior of atoms in high-quality optical cavities. Early theory from the group demonstrated the quantum advantage of entangled photon pairs for interferometry, exposed superfluid properties in the first images of quantum degenerate Bose and Fermi gases, and suggested a framework to explore atomtronic devices. They are currently working on a theory proposal to develop a new quantum device that can produce long-lasting, extremely phase-coherent light that works on an entirely different principle than a conventional laser.
Holland has also been recognized for his teaching at CU Boulder, earning a Marinus Smith Award in 2019.
Education
Born and raised in New Zealand, Holland earned his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in physics and mathematics at the University of Auckland. He earned his D.Phil. at the University of Oxford, with the help of a prestigious Rutherford Scholarship from the Royal Society of New Zealand.听
Quotable and notable
When he鈥檚 not in JILA, Holland is also an avid sailor, chartering sailboats with his family to sail around the coasts of New Zealand, Baja California and British Columbia. He also pilots gliders, and enjoys hiking and camping in the mountains.
Murray Holland