Zaijun Chen

Zaijun Chen received his Ph.D. in Physics with the highest distinction from the Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2019, for his work on frequency-comb based precision metrology and optical sensing. Before joining USC, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Quantum Photonics Group at MIT, where he developed photonic AI accelerators and neuromorphic devices using integrated photonics and co-packaged optics.

He is a recipient of the 2023 Optica Foundation Challenge Award, the 2023 SPIE Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Award, the OECC/PSC 2022 Best Paper Award, the 2022 Sony Faculty Award, and the 2018 Rao Prize for the best student talk at the international symposium of molecular spectroscopy. He serves on the Early Career Editorial Board for Advanced Photonics. He is a principle investigator for the DARPA NaPSAC program in developing the next-generation AI processors and co-PI for DARPA INSPIRED program for on-chip quantum sensing.