Associate Professor Taras Plakhotnik is a faculty member at the School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland. His research integrates atomic/molecular physics, quantum optics, and nanomaterials, with emphasis on nanodiamond-based sensors for biological and quantum applications. He teaches undergraduate courses in quantum physics, electronics, and statistical mechanics. Research interests span: Quantum Technologies : Development of rubyene platforms and nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds for quantum sensing. Optical Nanosensing : Ultrasensitive thermometry, intracellular thermal conductivity mapping, and photothermal applications using hybrid diamond nanosensors. Spectroscopy : Advanced techniques for single-molecule detection, Raman scattering in atmospheric science, and low-light spectroscopy with sCMOS cameras. Recent publications (2021–2025) predominantly explore: Nanodiamond sensors for intracellular thermal monitoring. Metamaterials for subwavelength imaging. Rubyene nanoparticles for quantum-enhanced imaging. High-precision atmospheric water-content measurements using Raman lidar. No scientific awards are documented. He has supervised three PhD students to completion, focusing on NV-center applications in thermometry/magnetometry, and holds grants from international agencies like the Human Frontier Science Program.
