Timothy McKenna

Tim designs nanoscale systems for quantum technologies. He enjoys waves and particles of all kinds but focuses on light and microwaves.  His research focuses on building chip-scale systems to increase the performance and scale of quantum technologies.  He currently works on integrated nonlinear optics for quantum light generation and efficient wavelength conversion which have applications in computing and sensing.  He also works on building cryogenic microwave-to-optical converters to network superconducting-based microwave quantum processors over traditional optical fiber networks.

Before joining the group as a Ph.D. candidate in 2016, he worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory where he used photonics to increase the performance and functionality of millimeter-wave systems. He also developed wideband analog-to-digital converters based on photonic sampling.  Tim grew up in Maryland and attended the Landon School in Bethesda, MD.