Faculty

Peter Maurer

  • Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
  • Research and Scholarly Interests: Quantum Optics, Quantum Sensing, Solid-State Spin Systems, Single-Molecule Biophysics, Physical Chemistry
  • Websites: Maurer Lab
  • Contact: pmaurer@uchicago.edu
    773.834.3931
  • Assistant: Vanessa Fortenberry
  • Office Location:
    5640 S. Ellis Ave.
    ERC Rm. 295
    Chicago, IL 60637

Peter Maurer received his postdoctoral training in Steven Chu’s group at Stanford University, where he focused on the development of novel nanoscale imaging technologies. Prior to joining the Chu Lab, Prof. Maurer received his PhD in physics from Harvard University, where he worked with Mikhail Lukin.

During his graduate work, Peter utilized tools from quantum optics to coherently control individual spins in diamond for applications in quantum information science and bio-sensing. Before moving to Harvard, Maurer obtained his undergraduate degree in physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

Maurer Lab focuses on the development and application of novel imaging and sensing modalities that enable the investigation of biological systems that are not accessible by conventional techniques. To this end, the lab explores coherent control techniques and quantum algorithms that harness solid state spin systems of increasing complexity and combines them with state-of-the-art biophysics tools. Such novel technologies include the development of a nanoscale quantum sensor for NMR spectroscopy of individual biomolecules, a single-molecule platform for quantum sensing, and the establishment of new nanophotonics techniques for bio-imaging.

The successful development of such novel single-molecule techniques will provide powerful tools to investigate fundamental biological questions and form the basis for a new generation of diagnostic devices. Likewise, the development of novel quantum sensing protocols will extend our understanding of quantum systems at ambient conditions, and establish quantum information technology as a potent resource in biological research.

Direct-bonded diamond membranes for heterogeneous quantum and electronic technologies
X. Guo, M. Xie, A. Addhya, A. Linder, U. Zvi, T. D. Deshmukh, Y. Liu, I. N. Hammock, Z. Li, C. T. DeVault, A. Butcher, A. P. Esser-Kahn, D. D. Awschalom, N. Delegan, P. C. Maurer, F. J. Heremans, A. A. High. Direct-bonded diamond membranes for heterogeneous quantum and electronic technologies. 2023. arXiv:2306.04408.