R.J. Thompson

Dr. Rob Thompson is the Cold Atom Lab Project Scientist, managing the scientific aspects of the mission. He developed the original mission concept for CAL, along with the facility’s high level design. Rob joined JPL in 1997 and established the laser cooling and ultra-cold atom program at the Laboratory. He has over thirty years of research experience in atomic and molecular physics, with much of it spent developing technology for future space-based cold atom missions. His current research interests include studies of degenerate quantum gases in microgravity; space-based quantum sensors; cavity quantum dynamics; and optical clocks. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin under thesis advisor Jeff Kimble, and was a post-doc for two years with Bill Phillips (Nobel Laurate, 1997) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In addition to his work at JPL, Dr. Thompson teaches courses on the future of science and technology and on sustainability at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.