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Sense of awe led alum to physics

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:40:19 +0000

Sense of awe led alum to physics Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 04/03/2025 - 12:40

Kirsten Apodaca

Ben Chapman (PhDPhys'17)

Ben Chapman (PhDPhys’17) never had a master plan to be a physicist, but now he’s a Principal Quantum Hardware Manager at Microsoft.

Chapman says what he loves most about physics is “the sense of awe that comes from connecting with length, time, and energy scales that are far from the meters, seconds, and joules of the human experience.”

He majored in math and physics at Dartmouth College because he enjoyed the coursework. Following that sense of awe, after college he got a job in a physics lab and his boss encouraged him to apply to PhD programs. He recalls it wasn’t straightforward –because he didn’t take a conventional path to graduate school.

A world-class program in Boulder

“I chose CU because it’s in Boulder and the program is world-class. He added “it was a great decision.”

Chapman thrived at CU and made a lasting impact.

He completed his thesis on superconducting quantum circuits with Professor and JILA Fellow Konrad Lehnert, which he added was an incredible opportunity. “I feel so incredibly fortunate for the chance to have worked with Konrad,” Chapman said.

Chapman was also one of the original organizers of CU-Prime, a student-led organization aimed at building community and supporting undergraduates in physics. The group was formed in 2013 and is still flourishing, offering biweekly research talks, a 1-credit hour class for first-year undergraduate students, and a mentorship program.

Building a quantum computer

After finishing his PhD, Chapman spent four years as a postdoc at Yale with Professor Rob Schoelkopf before joining Microsoft.

In his current role, he manages a small team who develop the readout hardware for Microsoft’s quantum computer. He likens it to working as a postdoc; driving multiple projects, keeping the team motivated and excited, and helping them see how their efforts are advancing longer-term goals.

With many major tech companies racing to build a quantum computer, the job is high stakes, and Chapman has his sights set on the ultimate goal. “I want to build a rocket ship that goes to the moon – not a literal one – but the quantum computing version of that.”

Trusting the process

Professor and JILA Fellow Konrad Lehnert and Ben Chapman
at his thesis defense.

Chapman said one of his biggest career lessons so far has been to trust the process of ‘doing’ physics. “Even difficult problems can yield answers with persistence. It took me a while to learn that,” he said. At early stages of his career, he wondered “how will I have an idea that no one else has had before?”

“That feeling remained for many years through college and the beginning of graduate school,” he added. “But as you keep doing it, it gets easier and things that used to seem impossible become an everyday thing. You get better at plying the craft.”

He recalled a class he took at CU from Professor Noah Finkelstein on Teaching and Learning Physics, which introduced him to concepts in education like impostor syndrome and growth mindset. “Being able to have conversations around these topics and learn the vocabulary was very useful to me.”

Throughout his education and so far into his career, Chapman has leaned in to being comfortable with uncertainty. Through each phase, he’s trusting the process and holding on to the sense of awe that first drew him in.

Ben Chapman (PhDPhys’17) never had a master plan to be a physicist, but now he’s a Principal Quantum Hardware Manager at Microsoft.

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Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:20:28 +0000

Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 03/31/2025 - 06:20

Professor Ivan Smalyukh has been recognized for scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

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Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:53:43 +0000

Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 03/27/2025 - 09:53

Mahmoud Hussein, professor of aerospace engineering and physics, is the principal investigator of a $7.5 million, five-year Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (ONR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI). Hussein is leading an effort to reshape the fundamental character of fluid-structure interactions to reduce drag on high-speed aerospace vehicles—the focus of the project.

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Alum Dave Steinmann (Phys'90) discovers a new species of pseudoscorpion

Kirsten Apodaca — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:57:45 +0000

Alum Dave Steinmann (Phys'90) discovers a new species of pseudoscorpion Kirsten Apodaca Wed, 03/26/2025 - 09:57

�� alum and experienced caver Dave Steinmann recently discovered a new species of pseudoscorpion in Mallory Cave, with a moniker honoring its namesake hometown.

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Alum Olivia Krohn (PhDPhys'23) receives the 2025 Justin Jankunas Dissertation Award

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:12:25 +0000

Alum Olivia Krohn (PhDPhys'23) receives the 2025 Justin Jankunas Dissertation Award Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 03/24/2025 - 11:12

�� Physics alum Olivia Krohn (PhDPhys'23) has been awarded the 2025 Justin Jankunas Dissertation Award in Chemical Physics. The prestigious award bestowed by the American Physical Society recognizes outstanding doctoral research in chemical physics.

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Professors Markus Raschke and Shuo Sun awarded translational quantum seed grant

Kirsten Apodaca — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:06:37 +0000

Professors Markus Raschke and Shuo Sun awarded translational quantum seed grant Kirsten Apodaca Wed, 03/19/2025 - 14:06

�� Physics Professors Markus Raschke and Shuo Sun have been awarded a 2024-2025 Translational Quantum Research Seed Grant funded by the Colorado Economic Development Commission.

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Fifty-Fourth George Gamow Memorial Lecture presented by Dr. Jennifer Doudna

Veronica R Lingo — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:07:49 +0000

Fifty-Fourth George Gamow Memorial Lecture presented by Dr. Jennifer Doudna Veronica R Lingo Wed, 03/12/2025 - 15:07

The 54th George Gamow Memorial Lecture will be presented by Dr. Jennifer Doudna, 2020 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

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An ultrafast microscope makes movies one femtosecond at a time

Kirsten Apodaca — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 19:18:59 +0000

An ultrafast microscope makes movies one femtosecond at a time Kirsten Apodaca Tue, 03/11/2025 - 13:18

New �� research harnesses the power of an ultrafast microscope to study molecular movement in space and time.

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Alum Sristy Agrawal (PhDPhys'24) leads �� startup Mesa Quantum to success

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 22:03:35 +0000

Alum Sristy Agrawal (PhDPhys'24) leads �� startup Mesa Quantum to success Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 03/10/2025 - 16:03

Mesa Quantum, a �� spinout and leader in quantum sensing, recently announced $3.7 million in seed funding and a $1.9 million grant from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force. Both investments are fueling the company’s drive toward commercializing chip-scale quantum sensors for multiple applications including next-generation position, navigation and timing solutions.

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Physics friend and donor a guiding light in Boulder

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:38:19 +0000

Physics friend and donor a guiding light in Boulder Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 03/03/2025 - 11:38

CU Physics friend and donor, Ruth Wright, is featured in the Daily Camera as a "guiding light" because of her dedication to the community and her civic leadership. Ruth and her husband Ken established the initial endowment for the Albert A. Bartlett Award in Physics.

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News

Sense of awe led alum to physics

A world-class program in Boulder

Building a quantum computer

Trusting the process

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Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Off

Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations

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Alum Dave Steinmann (Phys'90) discovers a new species of pseudoscorpion

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Alum Olivia Krohn (PhDPhys'23) receives the 2025 Justin Jankunas Dissertation Award

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Professors Markus Raschke and Shuo Sun awarded translational quantum seed grant

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Fifty-Fourth George Gamow Memorial Lecture presented by Dr. Jennifer Doudna

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An ultrafast microscope makes movies one femtosecond at a time

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Alum Sristy Agrawal (PhDPhys'24) leads ���������� startup Mesa Quantum to success

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Physics friend and donor a guiding light in Boulder

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Alum Sristy Agrawal (PhDPhys'24) leads �� startup Mesa Quantum to success