Associate JILA Fellow Cindy Regal has been awarded a prestigious David and Lucille Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Regal, who is also assistant professor of physics at the University of Colorado, will receive $875,000 over five years to support her work in experimental atomic physics. She is currently developing laser-based techniques for controlling single neutral atoms and exploring the creation of tiny quantum gases whose atoms can be individually manipulated. Both techniques are expected to be useful in quantum information science and in modeling the fundamental physics of complex materials such as liquids and solids. The new fellowship will provide resources for attacking challenging problems like these.
The David and Lucille Packard Foundation establisheded the science and engineering fellowship "to allow the nation's most promising professors to pursue science and engineering research early in their careers with few funding restrictions and limited paperwork requirements." Regal plans to enjoy the flexibility that comes with the new grant. She is one of 16 fellows selected this year from 100 applicants from 50 universities.