Yossef Efraim Panfil believes we are at the beginning of a quantum revolution which will change our lives dramatically—potentially solving problems of climate change, disease, food insecurity, and more using computational power.

His PhD research at Hebrew University’s Institute of Chemistry & the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology used a new approach to fabricating semiconductor quantum dot molecules, a topic at the frontier of nano- and quantum technologies. Using his expertise in both chemistry and semiconductor photo-physics, he essentially extended the concept of quantum dots as “artificial atoms” to coupled dots as “artificial molecules.”

Along the way, he co-founded a startup that develops a new family of quantum materials for more efficient and higher resolution LCD displays that also conserve battery life. He applied for a patent for this technology.

In the Quantum Engineering Laboratory, part of the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Panfil explores colloidal QD’s defects and atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials as a light source for quantum information networks. The high brightness of these materials and their ability to operate at room temperature could help accelerate the pace toward arrays of on-chip single-photon sources that could be integrated with a wide range of electronic and photonic platforms.

As an ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) physicist, Dr. Panfil volunteered with Beliba Homa (A Wall in Its Midst), an organization that aims to break down barriers between the Haredi and non-Haredi public in Israel, assisting Haredi students in academic by matching them with secular, traditional and religious students.

Research:

• Quantum materials for quantum sensing, quantum communication, and quantum computation
• Synthesis and characterization of novel colloidal quantum dots and semiconductor nanocrystals
• Optically active spin defects in nanomaterials for quantum applications
• Single-emitter photoluminescence spectroscopy
• Single-photon sources based on semiconductor nanostructures
• ODMR spectroscopy and quantum optics
• Carrier dynamics and exciton–spin interactions in semiconductor quantum dots
• Nanocrystal superstructures and collective quantum phenomena in coupled systems