Dr. Joel Strand Gives the Next Spring 2014 Physics Careers Seminar on April 11

The Spring 2014 Physics Careers seminar series continues on Friday, April 11, 2014 with Dr. Joel Strand, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Time: 11 a.m. on Friday, April 11, 2014 (refreshments served at 10:30 a.m.)

Location: 204 Loomis Laboratory (Interaction Room)

Title:  Academic Research on an Industrial Scale: Working in an R&D Lab at a Defense Contractor

Speaker: Dr. Joel Strand, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Abstract:  Working for a government contractor can be a great way to work on exciting large-scale projects that are still definitely cutting-edge research.  I will talk about my research in the superconducting electronics group at Northrop Grumman, how I got there, what it’s like to work at a large defense corporation, and whatever advice I can give to current students.

Bio: Dr. Strand earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois in 2010, and was the recipient of the Bardeen award that year.  He performed his thesis work on determining the order parameters of unconventional superconductors in Dale Van Harlingen’s lab.  He then took a postdoctoral position in Britton Plourde’s lab at Syracuse University studying superconducting qubits as part of a collaboration with IBM.  After two years, he accepted a position at Northrop Grumman in the superconducting electronics group, which is part of the advanced concepts and technologies division.  His research focuses on using digital superconducting logic to control superconducting qubits to develop a scalable platform for quantum computing.

Note: While he's in Urbana, Dr. Strand is willing to meet students interested in discussing industrial research or Northrop Grumman in particular. If you would like to meet with Joel on Friday, April 11, please send me an e-mail, slcooper@illinois.edu, and I'll try to arrange a meeting.

You can see the rest of the Spring 2014 Physics Careers Seminar series here: http://physics.illinois.edu/events/seminars.asp?cal=4014