Maiken Mikkelsen

Maiken Mikkelsen is the James N. and Elizabeth H. Barton Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, promoted to Professor in 2025. She holds a secondary appointment as Associate Professor of Physics (2023–present) within Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Her research bridges Nanophotonics, Quantum Materials, and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, focusing on plasmonic nanostructures and nonlinear metasurfaces for quantum optics and optoelectronic applications.

• Education: Ph.D. in Physics (University of California, Santa Barbara, 2009), B.S. in Physics (University of Copenhagen, 2004), postdoctoral work at University of California, Berkeley.

Her work explores Plasmonics and Quantum Optics to engineer nanoscale light-matter interactions, enabling transformative technologies in Single-Photon Sources, Ultrafast Photodetectors, and Active Metasurfaces. Recent projects include real-time tunable lasing and polarization-controlled nanocavity systems. Her 2016–2025 publications highlight breakthroughs in plasmonic fluorescence enhancement, hot electron dynamics, and room-temperature quantum devices.

Grants include Nano Solutions On-Chip (Triad National Security, LLC, 2025–2029) and Meta-Imaging (Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 2021–2026). Her lab, jointly based in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics, has graduated PhD students Eunso Shin and Hengming Li, and actively engages in STEM outreach initiatives.