Past Winner
2013 NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships

Kevin Resch

Physics and Astronomy

University of Waterloo

Kevin Resch

Technologies which harness the capabilities of quantum mechanical systems promise to transform the way we process and share information and measure the world around us.  These quantum technologies are based on phenomena such as entanglement, what Einstein famously referred to as “spooky action at a distance,” and interference. 

For many applications, particles of light called photons are an ideal platform upon which to base these exciting applications. Kevin Resch, an experimental physicist at the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, is turning the concepts from quantum information science into reality. Together with his students and international collaborators, Dr. Resch has made several highly regarded contributions to quantum information science.

He was a major contributor to the famous “Danube” experiment where entangled photons were distributed through the air over Vienna’s landmark river as a first step toward very long distance quantum cryptography. In a separate project, he clarified the role of quantum entanglement for making the best interferometric sensors nature allows.

Dr. Resch is a 2013 recipient of an NSERC Steacie Fellowship.  His research is based on ground-breaking applications of chirped laser pulses, carefully stretched pulses of light, in single-photon nonlinear optics and medical imaging. Nonlinear interactions between shaped light pulses promise a coherent time-to-frequency interface for single photons. Drawing insights from quantum interference experiments, Dr. Resch developed the chirped-pulse interferometry technique which holds promise for noninvasive 3D imaging of biological tissue for medical applications.