Jon Simon

Jon Simon is the Joan Reinhart Professor and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University. He leads the Simon Lab, which explores the convergence of condensed matter physics, quantum optics, and quantum information science, focusing on creating synthetic materials from light and investigating topological and strongly correlated quantum systems.

His research spans constructing photonic materials in quantum circuits, studying small quantum systems with strong correlations, and applying Hamiltonian engineering to realize exotic states of matter. The lab has achieved milestones like the first Mott insulator of photons and topologically insulating circuits. Collaborative projects with the Schuster Lab leverage superconducting quantum circuits for synthetic matter studies.

Jon's students include

• Adam Shaw (PhD, now at Stony Brook)
• Lavanya Taneja (PhD, now at Atom Computing)
• Ruichao Ma (Postdoc, now faculty at Purdue)

among others. The lab's recent publications focus on cavity arrays, hybrid quantum systems, and topological photonics. Research is supported by grants and affiliations with Stanford's Department of Applied Physics and interdisciplinary institutes.