- Email: rbudakian@uwaterloo.ca
- Office: RAC 2111
- QNC: 519-888-4567 ext. 31991
- RAC: 519-888-4567 ext. 31058
- Admin Support: Sarah Wang
After earning his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, Raffi Budakian was a visiting scientist at the IBM Almaden Research Centre.
The World Technology Network awarded him the World Technology Award in 2005 for his work in the detection and manipulation of electron spins. That same year Budakian joined the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Budakian joined the Institute of Quantum Computing (IQC) as the University of Waterloo Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology in Waterloo’s Physics and Astronomy Department.
His work in the past decade has focused on developing the experimental tools for ultra sensitive detection of electron and nuclear spins. At IQC, he will explore applying these tools to address fundamental questions ranging from biology to quantum information.
Research expertise
- Coupling spins and nanomechanical oscillators
- Nanometer scale magnetic resonance imaging
- Exploring nanometer scale quantum phenomena in condensed matter systems
Degrees
- PhD Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 2000
- MS Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1995
- BS Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, summa cum laude, 1994
Awards & Honours
- John Bardeen Faculty Scholar, 2013
- University of Illinois Center for Advanced Study Fellow, 2010
- World Technology Award in materials presented for Single Spin Detection by Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy by the World Technology Network, 2005
- IBM Research Division Award for Single Spin Detection by Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy, 2004
Major Positions
| Title | Location | When |
|---|---|---|
| University of Waterloo Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology | Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Waterloo | 2014- Present |
| Associate Professor | Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Member of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory | 2011-2014 |
| Assistant Professor | Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Member of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory | 2005-2011 |
| Visiting Scientist | IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, California | 2001-2005 |
| Postdoctoral Fellow | Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles | 1999-2001 |