Rate My Professor Mark Saffman

Saffman's research interests include atomic physics, quantum computing with neutral atoms, quantum optics, entanglement, nonlinear optics, solitons, and pattern formation. He leads the QPAL laboratory, which focuses on quantum information processing and atomic physics. His scholarly output encompasses 145 journal publications, 250 conference proceedings, 4 book chapters, and 6 patents, with key works such as 'Quantum information with Rydberg atoms' (Reviews of Modern Physics, 2010, cited over 3,900 times), 'Multi-qubit entanglement and algorithms on a neutral-atom quantum computer' (Nature, 2022), 'Quantum computing with neutral atoms' (National Science Review, 2016), 'Laser cooling and qubit measurements on a forbidden transition in neutral Cs atoms' (Physical Review Letters, 2025), and 'A universal neutral-atom quantum computer with individual optical addressing and non-destructive readout' (PRX Quantum, 2025). Saffman has received major awards including the 2026 American Physical Society Norman F. Ramsey Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, the 2025 Bell Prize, American Physical Society Fellowship (2008), Optical Society of America Fellowship (2013), Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2001-2003), Vilas Associate Award (2010), Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Named Professorship (2022), and APS Outstanding Referee recognition (2026).