Professor Paul Griffin
Physics
Personal statement
Paul Griffin is a Professor in the Experimental Quantum Optics and Photonics group at the University of Strathclyde, where he holds the Judith and Harold Rosenberg Chair in Quantum Sensing. At Strathclyde he leads research activities in atomic clocks, atom interferometry, optically-pumped magnetometers, studies of laser-cooled atoms and atomic Bose–Einstein condensates, cold atom platforms as an enabling technology, and the development of space quantum technologies.
Paul has been active throughout the UK’s quantum technology programme, and and was funded through the QT Hub in Sensors and Measurement/Timing through the first two phases of the UKNQTP. In the third phase he is a partner in two hubs: QuSIT - the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging, and Timing, and QEPNT – the UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation, and Timing. Within QEPNT he is co-lead for the workpackage on atomic clocks. He is also a work package leader in the EPSRC programme grant “Chip-scale Atomic Systems for a Quantum Navigator,” and is co-lead of the EPSRC International Network on Space Quantum Technologies. He has extensive experience of knowledge exchange and technology transfer.
Paul Griffin received a BSc in Applied Physics from the University of Limerick in 2001, a PhD from Durham University in 2005 for investigations of atoms trapped in far-off-resonant dipole traps, and subsequently held a postdoctoral research position at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, working on coherent control of atomic system before joining the University of Strathclyde in 2008. He has held a Royal Society of Edinburgh Personal Research Fellowship and a year-long position, funded by a fellowship from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, as a Guest Researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In 2015 he was awarded a Chancellor's Fellowship at Strathclyde and appointed a lecturer.
Prize And Awards
- Chancellor's Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2015
- Royal Society of Edinburgh/Scottish Government Personal Research Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2009
- Marie Curie CO-FUND Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2009
Publications
- Accurate and precise quantum sensing for space weather monitoring
- Hunter Dominic, Mrozowski Marcin, Cannon Rachel, Beggan Ciarán, Turbitt Christopher, Lyon Robert, Martyn Thomas, Griffin Paul, Riis Erling, Ingleby Stuart
- Emerging Technologies and Materials for Security and Defence 2025 Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering Vol 13678 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3069575
- Flying optically pumped magnetometers for navigation and sensing
- Scholes Stirling, Hunter Dominic, Dyer Courtney, Mrozowski Marcin, Griffin Paul, Ingleby Stuart
- Proceedings of SPIE: The International Society for Optical Engineering Vol 13674 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3069292
- Heterogeneous integration of MEMS and photonic integrated circuits for chip-scale atomic spectrometers
- Januszewicz J, McWilliams A P, Dyer S, McGilligan J P, Griffin P F, Riis E, Di Gaetano E, Sorel M, Gallacher K, Paul D J
- 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals Meeting Series (SUM) 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals Meeting Series (SUM) 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals Meeting Series (SUM), pp. 1-3 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1109/sum65312.2025.11121774
- A rubidium frequency-standard based on a MEMS vapour cell
- Johnson Steven, McWillian Allan, MacLennan Eilidh, Riis Erling, McGilligan James, Griffin Paul
- 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC) 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Europe 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC) (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1109/cleo/europe-eqec65582.2025.11110643
- A quantum-classical cold atom system for inertial navigation
- Rowley Maxwell, Webber-Date Alex, Osborn Paul F, Shah Robert, Krastev Teodor, Cannon Rachel, Griffin Paul, Riis Erling, Cotter Joeseph, Burrow Oliver, Boughton Edward
- 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC) 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Europe 2025 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC) (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1109/cleo/europe-eqec65582.2025.11109285
- Chip-scale atomic spectrometer with silicon nitride optical phased array
- Januszewicz J, McWilliam A P, Dyer S, McGilligan J P, Griffin P F, Riis E, Di Gaetano E, Sorel M, Paul D J, Gallacher K
- APL Photonics Vol 10 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0273108
Teaching
I teach the course PH385: Communicating Physics. The motivation behind this course is to develop students’ ability to communicate complex information effectively and concisely. In recent years, working with the Institute of Physics, students on the course have worked in groups to produce short videos that look to explain everyday physical phenomena. These can be viewed on the at these links
Pop Physics 2023
Pop Physics 2024
I am always keen to have research project interns. If you are interested in working in my labs then please email me to start an informal discussion about how we can make it happen.
Research Interests
My research is broadly in the areas of atomic physics and quantum technologies, using lasers and atoms as probes for precision measurement and for investigating atom-light interactions. A large area of work is focussed on developing next generation devices based on quantum technologies.
The main strands of my research looks at
- Atomic Clocks
- Atom interferometry
- Optically-pumped magnetometry
- Ultra-cold atoms
- Bose-Einstein condensates
- Quantum technologies
- Space applications of quantum tech
- Developing components and sub-systems for translating lab research to application-read devices.
I am part of the Experimental Quantum Optics & Photonics group. Further details can be found in our research group webpages -> https://eqop.phys.strath.ac.uk/
Professional Activities
- 2024 IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Joint Symposium
- Invited speaker
- 24/9/2024
- Quantum Technology School 2024
- Host
- 12/9/2024
- Compact Platforms for Cold-Atom Clocks
- Speaker
- 18/7/2024
- Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress
- Invited speaker
- 16/7/2024
- Quantum for science workshop
- Speaker
- 18/6/2024
- Science on the Streets: Science Walking Tours
- Presenter
- 7/6/2024
Projects
- DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | McHugh, Eamonn
- McGilligan, James Patrick (Principal Investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) McHugh, Eamonn (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2028
- AWE QT Centre of Excellence - initial 8 months
- Riis, Erling (Principal Investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) Pritchard, Jonathan (Co-investigator) Ward, Jeremy Stuart (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
- Optical magnetometer productisation M2 prototype devices
- Ingleby, Stuart (Principal Investigator) Anderson, Heather (Co-investigator) Dyer, Terry (Co-investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) Riis, Erling (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
- HARLEQUIN-ST
- Griffin, Paul (Principal Investigator) Burrow, Oliver (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2027
- ITT ESA BEC
- Arnold, Aidan (Principal Investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator)
- 13-Jan-2025 - 12-Jan-2027
- QEPNT A UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing - Full Stage
- Hastie, Jennifer (Principal Investigator) Arnold, Aidan (Co-investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) Ingleby, Stuart (Co-investigator) McGilligan, James Patrick (Co-investigator) Riis, Erling (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2029