Francesca Ferlaino

Francesca Ferlaino is a Professor and Research Director at the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Academy of Sciences' IQOQI. She leads the Ferlaino Lab - Dipolar Quantum Gases, focusing on ultracold dipolar quantum gases of erbium and dysprosium atoms. Her work explores phases like supersolids, quantum simulations, and exotic phenomena in strongly interacting systems.

Her research group operates three labs: the Erbium Lab (first Bose-Einstein condensation of erbium), the Er-Dy Lab (quantum mixtures under microscopy), and the T-REQs Lab (optical tweezer arrays for Rydberg physics), supported by a Theory Group predicting dipolar phenomena.

Key achievements include observing vortices in dipolar supersolids, which were highlighted in Quanta Magazine, and receiving the 'Austrian of the Year 2024' award in research. Her team studies quantum fluctuations, phase transitions, and applications to quantum simulation, with recent focus on optical tweezer arrays and light-assisted collisions in lanthanides.

• Awards: Austrian of the Year 2024 (Research)
• Advising: PhD students (e.g., Eva Casotti, Daniel Schneider Grün) and postdocs (e.g., Arina Tashchilina)
• Grants: Part of the Cluster of Excellence for Quantum Sciences in Innsbruck

Labs/Teams: Ferlaino Lab (Institute of Experimental Physics & IQOQI), part of the Innsbruck Center for Ultracold Atoms and Quantum Gases. Collaborations include theoretical groups and international conferences organized (e.g., ECAMP 2025).