# John M. Doyle Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics; Co-Director of the Quantum Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program ![Prof. John Doyle headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6476/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2026-03/Doyle_2022.jpg?itok=9wyCRiCo) location\_on Lyman Lab 326 smartphone [617-495-3201](tel:617-495-3201) email laptop\_windows [Doyle Research Group](https://ultracoldmolecules.com/) laptop\_windows [Center for Ultracold Atoms](https://cua.mit.edu/) John Doyle's research centers on using cold molecules for fields ranging from particle physics to quantum information. His group also studies fundamental collisional processes in atoms and molecules and develops tools to achieve full quantum control over increasingly complex molecular systems. In addition, he is currently using ultracold polyatomic molecules to search for physics beyond the Standard Model and to develop new quantum computation platforms. The Doyle group has pioneered a general technique for cooling and loading atoms and molecules into traps and was the first to laser-cool a polyatomic molecule. The group is currently working to put these complex quantum objects into an optical array in order to pursue quantum simulation protocols. Additionally, he developed a new technique for producing heavy, polar radical molecules in an intense beam and, with several collaborators, launched a new search for Time-reversal-violating physics beyond the Standard Model in the mass range >10 TeV. Prof. Doyle obtained his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a founding co-director of both the Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms and the Harvard Quantum Initiative. He has published papers in the areas of ultracold atoms, molecules, spectroscopy, precision measurement, neutrons, particle physics, trace analysis and chiral detection, SARS-CoV-2 transmission mitigation, and dark matter detection. Over his Harvard career, he supervised over thirty PhD students. Prof. Doyle is a Humboldt, Fulbright, and American Physical Society Fellow. He served on the presidential line of the American Physical Society from 2023 to 2026, being President in 2025. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and winner of the Broida, Meggers, and Ramsey Prizes. > **Faculty Assistant:** [Erica Mantone](/people/erica-mantone) - ## Role [Faculty](/faculty)