Rate My Professor Denis Karaiskaj

Denis Karaiskaj is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of South Florida, conducting research in the Atomic Molecular & Optical Physics group. He earned a Diploma in Physics from Philipps-University Marburg, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada, in 2002. Following his Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and as a research associate at JILA, the joint institute between the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At the University of South Florida, Karaiskaj leads a laboratory dedicated to advanced spectroscopic investigations, mentoring graduate students who have earned degrees in Physics and Applied Physics.

His research focuses on optical and laser spectroscopy techniques, including time-resolved and nonlinear two-dimensional spectroscopy, two-dimensional spectroscopy at extreme magnetic fields, magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements, and silicon-based atomic clocks. Karaiskaj explores light-matter interactions in condensed matter systems such as monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, quantum wells, layered GaSe, and InSe crystals. Key publications include "Biexcitons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides tuned by magnetic fields" (Nature Communications, 2018), "Strong quantum coherence between Fermi liquid Mahan excitons" (Physical Review Letters, 2016), "Optical coherence in atomic-monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides limited by electron-phonon interactions" (Physical Review Letters, 2016), "Superradiant coupling effects in transition-metal dichalcogenides" (Optica, 2018), and "Two-Quantum Many-Body Coherences in Two-Dimensional Fourier-Transform Spectra of Exciton Resonances in Semiconductor Quantum Wells" (Physical Review Letters, 2010). He holds U.S. patents for "Silicon-based atomic clocks" (8,816,784 B1, 2014), "Atomic clock using a photodetector" (9,052,698 B1, 2015), and "Silicon-based magnetometer" (9,753,102 B1, 2017). In June 2025, Karaiskaj received a BRAG grant of up to $25,000 from the University of South Florida Foundation and USF Research Foundation for developing a smaller, cheaper, and more energy-efficient silicon-based atomic clock for applications in navigation, GPS, and precision timing devices. His scholarly work has accumulated over 2,500 citations, reflecting its impact in the field of Physics.