Haocun Yu is an experimental physicist working on quantum techniques and their various applications in quantum sensing, information, and fundamental physics. Her research group focuses on creating novel quantum states, developing new quantum technologies, and addressing fundamental questions about our world.

Prior to joining UT, Haocun was a Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Vienna, where she conducted experiments on photon interferometry with entangled states to explore the interface between quantum mechanics and general relativity. She earned her PhD in physics from MIT, where she worked in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) group on quantum techniques and phenomena in gravitational-wave detectors. Her contribution to quantum squeezing significantly enhanced the sensitivity of the Advanced LIGO detectors—the largest quantum metrology experiment in the world. She also led the first demonstration of quantum correlations in the 4-km detectors, showcasing 40kg human-scale macroscopic quantum phenomena. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Boeing Quantum Creators Prize, MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35, Rising Stars in Physics, the APS Carl E. Anderson Dissertation Award, and the MIT Martin Deutsch Award.