Dylan Yost

Dylan Yost is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Colorado State University (CSU), within the College of Natural Sciences. His research focuses on precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen and fundamental physics tests, including quantum electrodynamics (QED) and photon-photon interactions. He leads the Yost Research Group, which develops ultra-stable lasers and advanced experimental techniques to achieve extreme measurement precision. Yost has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the 2024 APS Fellow and a $1.25M Moore Foundation grant for his work on photon interactions. He also received an NSF CAREER Award to advance laser cooling methods for hydrogen atoms.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder and postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics. Yost actively mentors students, including undergraduates Michael Weiss and Scott Johnson, and graduate student Zak Burkley.

• Key Research Areas: Precision Spectroscopy, Laser Cooling, Fundamental Constants, Quantum Optics
• Funding: NSF CAREER Award, Moore Foundation Grant, NIST Precision Measurement Grant

Yost’s lab group collaborates with CSU’s Little Shop of Physics for outreach, creating hands-on experiments to engage students in physics education.