Robert Niffenegger PhD
Assistant Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Adjunct Professor Physics Dept.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Office: Marcus 215B
Lab: PSB 027
rniffenegger@umass.edu

Prior to becoming faculty at UMass Amherst, Professor Robert Niffenegger completed his post-doc at MIT Lincoln Laboratory working on trapped ions and integrated photonics and demonstrated full photonic control of a trapped ion qubit. Before that he worked at Intel as a 7nm Integration and Yield Engineer and patented a new metal gate process. He received his PhD in Physics from Purdue University where he performed quantum simulations with Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs). His undergraduate degree was from Michigan Technological University in Physics.

Chris Caron
Graduate Research Assistant

Chris is a PhD student in Physics, and recently completed his Master’s degree in the lab studying electrical engineering. As an undergraduate at UMass, Chris majored in EE and physics, and is drawn to research where the two meet. His long-term goal is a career in academic research and teaching. Before starting as a graduate student, Chris was a staff member for the UMass Amherst M5 ECE makerspace and was a graduate TA for the nanofabrication and senior design project course.

Zhenyu Wei
Graduate Research Assistant

Zhenyu is pursuing his Ph.D. degree at UMass. His work mainly focuses on scalable quantum information processor. He aspires to perpetuate his endeavors within the realm of quantum. He loves playing Go after work.

Nishat Mahzabin
Graduate Research Assistant

Nishat graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Bangladesh University of Technology (BUET). Prior to joining UMass, she was a Lecturer at BRAC University and a recipient of a Vice chancellor research fellowship. Her long-term ambition is to begin her career in industry and then transition to teaching and research. She is currently a teaching assistant for the Introduction to Quantum Computing course. Outside lab, she loves to hike, and karate.

Zack Gotobed
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Zack is a senior physics and math major who is interested in applications of quantum information and photonics to wider questions in AMO physics. He wishes to pursue a PhD in AMO starting next year. When not in the lab he enjoys hiking and rock climbing.

Ethan Downey
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ethan is a sophomore majoring in computer engineering with a minor in astronomy. As a new member, he is learning a lot about physics and quantum mechanics. He plans to absorb as much as possible in hopes of a career in the field. Outside of college, he likes to play guitar, draw, and golf.

Jacob Myers
Research Assistant Emeritus

Jacob recently graduated with degrees in electrical engineering and physics. With a strong passion for both, he finds quantum computing research to to be the perfect meeting point of his interests. He is a proud advocate for open-source development and has other interests including robotics, programming, 3d printing, and 3D modeling. His long term goal is a career in the quantum computing field.

Contact us if you’re interested in joining the lab.
We are seeking students to help build a state-of-the-art trapped ion quantum computer.