Personnel

Dr. Krishna Rupavatharam

Director

Ph.D Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
M.Sc Physics, SSS Institute of Higher Learning, Prashanti Nilayam, India

(406) 994-7675

krishna.rupavatharam@montana.edu

Tamara Moe

Research Program & Grants Manager

J.D. Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College
B.A. Montana State University

(406) 994-7596

tamara.moe@montana.edu

Trent Jackson

Senior Research Engineer

• Free-space optical communications
• Sensing & communications with airborne platforms

M.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Montana State University

(406) 994-5756

trent.jackson2@montana.edu

Dr. Dennis Dempsey

Senior Research Engineer

• Free space optical links
• Sensing & communications with airborne platforms
• Photonic integrated circuit testing
• Chaos theory

Binghamton University
SUNY Adirondack

dennis.dempsey@montana.edu

Dr. Owen Wolfe

Research Scientist

• Rare earth ion quantum devices
• Quantum networking hardware

Ph.D. Physics, Montana State University
M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.A. Physics, William and Mary 

owen.wolfe@montana.edu

Dr. Joshua Dugre

Research Scientist

• Rare earth ion quantum devices
• Quantum networking hardware

• Quantum & classical hybrid fiber communications

joshuadugre@montana.edu

Dr. Richard Escalante

Research Scientist

• Quantum defects in wide band gap materials
• Quantum sensing
• 2D materials

Ph.D. Physics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
M.Sc. Physics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
B.Sc. Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz

406-994-9776

richard.escalante@montana.edu

Dr. Matthew Goodman

Research Scientist

• Coherent lidar and 3D imaging
• Free-space millimeter wave communications
• RF sensing

Ph.D. Physics, Montana State University
M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University

matthewgoodman2@montana.edu

Dr. Cole Hammond

Research Engineer

• Lidar and range-selective holographic imaging
• Hologram encryption and stabilization

Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Montana State University
M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.A. Physics & Astronomy, Whitman College

colehammond2@montana.edu

Dr. Corey Pearson

Research Engineer

• Coherent lidar & 3D imaging
• Photonic integrated circuit testing
• Micro-optics fabrication

Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Montana State University
M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.Sc. Physics, New Mexico Insititute of Mining and Technology

coreypearson@montana.edu

Zachery Lakin

Research Associate

• Coherent lidar & 3D imaging
• Free-space optical communications
• Feed-forward adapted optical systems

M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.Sc. Physics, University of Northern Colorado

(406) 994-7550

zacherylakin@montan.edu

Nathan Kuehl

Research Associate

• Quantum & classical hybrid fiber communications
• Rare earth ion quantum devices
• Quantum networking hardware

B.Sc. Physics, Montana State University

nathan.kuehl2@montana.edu

Caleb Rohn

Research Associate

• Free-space optical communications

M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.Sc. Mathematics, Montana State University

caleb.rohn@montana.edu

Ector Ayala Diego

Research Associate

• Entanglement transportation
• Quantum networking
• Quantum entanglement sources
• Quantum & classical hybrid fiber communications

M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University
B.Sc. Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

ectorayala@montana.edu

Samuel Fritsch

Research Associate

• Micro-optics fabrication
• Quantum & classical hybrid fiber communications
• Quantum networking hardware

M.Sc. Optics & Photonics, Montana State University

samuelfritsch@montana.edu

Kevin Gates

Research Associate

• Embedded systems
• FPGAs
• control systems

M.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
B.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology

kevin.gates@montana.edu

Christopher Balas

Research Associate

• Opto-mechanical designs

B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Montana State University

christopher.balas@montana.edu

Dr. Christopher Ebbers

Senior Research Scientist 
(Applied Research Lab)

Ph.D. Applied Science-Engineering, University of California, Davis
B.A. in Physics, Northwestern University

(406) 994-5925

christopher.ebbers@montana.edu

Dr. Tom Rust

Senior Research Scientist
(QCORE)

thomas.rust1@montana.edu

Dr. Randy Babbitt  

Research Professor - Dept. of Physics

(406) 994-6156

rbabbitt@montana.edu

Dr. Brian D'Urso

Associate Professor - Dept. of Physics

(406) 994-3456

durso@montana.edu

Dr. Brad Whitaker

Associate Professor - Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering

(406) 994-6942

bradley.whitaker1@montana.edu

Dr. Erik Grumstrup

Professor - Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry

(406) 994-2988

erik.grumstrup@montana.edu

Dr. Eric Sproles

Associate Professor - Dept. of Earth Sciences

(406) 994-6917

eric.sproles@montana.edu