Prior to joining St John’s physics department, Dr. Xu has been a
postdoctoral associate and research associate in the Webb group at
Cornell University investigating advanced biological imaging
techniques with nano-optics. His current research interests, which
can be found on his website, focus
on the study of novel optical phenomena in nanostructures of
various materials and the development of advanced imaging and
spectroscopy techniques to facilitate solving biophysical problems
beyond the reach of current technologies. Current projects include
nano-optics with subwavelength apertures, nano-photonics with
optical nanoparticles, development of nanoaperture-based single
molecule spectroscopy techniques and super-resolution biomedical
imaging devices.
His other research interests include investigation of quantum
phenomena on the macroscopic scale and the use of superconducting
circuits for quantum computing. He and his colleagues demonstrated
first evidence for entangled macroscopic quantum states; and
observed first spectroscopic evidence for entanglement of three
macroscopic objects.
He was recently the
recipient of a $400,000 Faculty Early Career Development grant
from the National Science Foundation for his cutting-edge research
which also provides an opportunity for undergraduate research
experience.