Michelle L. J. Lollie

Michelle L. J. Lollie (born 1982) is an American quantum optics and laser systems physicist.

She was the first African American woman to graduate with PhD in physics from the Louisiana State University in 2016. Her thesis focused on investigating classical and quantum optics in communication protocols. Lollie is now an advanced laser scientist at Quantinuum and her work contributes to the development of quantum computers.

Education Lollie initially obtained a bachelor degree in finance at Clark Atlanta University to pursue banking, and later obtained a bachelors degree in physics at Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology as non-traditional student. She became the first black woman to obtain a PhD in physics from Louisiana State University, completing her thesis on fiber-based quantum cryptography and communication protocols in 2016. She continues to advocate for equity and diversity at APS and in physics. Lollie now works at Quantinuum as an optical physicist to develop the foundations for the development of quantum computers.

Selected publications