Christine Muschik

Investigating interactions between light and matter

Christine Muschik, an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, received a Sloan Fellowship in recognition for her research in quantum physics, which could eventually lead to greater understanding of high-energy physics – including the physics of the early universe.

Through the development of novel tools, Dr. Muschik explores and engineers interactions between light and matter. The tools, which focus on quantum networks and quantum simulations of models from high-energy physics, have applications in the field of quantum information science. Ultimately, she hopes to tackle problems related to heavy ion collisions in particle indicators, matter at extreme densities and the physics of the early universe.

Dr. Muschik completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany, earning a PhD in 2011. Her theoretical research in quantum optics led to a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, followed by further research at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Austria. In 2017, Dr. Muschik joined the Institute for Quantum Computing and the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Waterloo. She is also an Emmy Noether Fellow and affiliate at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Learn more about the Sloan Research Fellowships

*The Sloan Research Fellowships are given annually to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars and influential leaders. They are one of the oldest awards conferred by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic, not-for-profit grant-making institution based in New York City. The foundation makes grants in support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance. In 2019, the amount of the award was $70,000.