Meet Ana Maria Rey, Atomic Physicist & 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellows Recipient
What does it take to receive a 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellows “genius grant”? Recipients have to “show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future.” And it helps if you’re actually a genius.
This year’s recipients included Ana Maria Rey, “a theoretical physicist working across the interfaces of atomic, molecular, optical, and condensed matter physics with the goal of using mathematical models to describe the complex behavior of nature. Rey is tackling this challenge through her research on ultracold optical-lattice systems, which will facilitate progress in areas such as quantum simulation and quantum information and enable the preparation of large-scale entanglement between atoms.”
Rey, 36, earned her B.S. (1999) from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá (Colombia) and a Ph.D. (2004) from the University of Maryland. She is currently a fellow at JILA (University of Colorado at Boulder) and a research assistant professor in the Department of Physics.
In addition to being one of the highest awards available, it also comes with a financial benefit. Each fellowship comes with a stipend of $625,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years.
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NOTES:
- More about Ana Maria Rey.
- The complete list of 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellows recipients.
- More information on the history and purpose of the MacArthur Fellows Program and how the recipients are chosen.
- The Wikipedia page, with an overview on the MacArthur Fellows Program.
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.