Duncan England

Duncan England earned a BSc and MSc in physics and astronomy from the University of Durham in 2006, and a DPhil in atomic and laser physics from the University of Oxford in 2011. After focussing on ultracold atoms and molecules for his graduate and undergraduate research, he developed an interest in quantum optics during a postdoc at Oxford. In 2012, he joined the National Research Council for a two-year postdoc and liked it so much that he never left. During his decade at NRC, his research interests spanned a range of topics, including quantum random number generation, all-optical switching, quantum imaging, and, in particular, quantum memories, which will be the subject of this talk. An overarching theme in his research across this time has been the idea that intense, ultrafast pulses of light can be used to generate and manipulate the faintest possible pulses light—single photons. He believes there are few, if any, better places in the world to pursue this research than Ottawa, which is home to world-leading scientists and laboratories in both ultrafast laser science and quantum optics.