Thomas Bilitewski, PhD

About me

I am an Assistant Professor of Physics at Oklahoma State University, leading a Theoretical Quantum Science group. My group works at the intersection of atomic-molecular-optical (AMO) and condensed matter theory, broadly investigating quantum many-body physics, quantum simulation, and entanglement generation.

A driving motivation of our theoretical work is to provide insightful explanations for experimental results and actionable proposals for the exploration of fundamental physics. We maintain close collaborations with leading experimental groups, and our work is guided by novel experimental capabilities in ultracold atomic and molecular platforms. Current research focuses on squeezing phase transitions and quantum metrology, quantum many-body scars and ergodicity breaking, topological phenomena in dipolar systems, and spatio-temporal control of quantum dynamics.

Before joining OSU, I held postdoctoral positions at JILA (CU Boulder) in the group of Ana Maria Rey, and at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Dresden) working with Roderich Moessner. I received my PhD from the University of Cambridge (Trinity College) under the supervision of Nigel Cooper, and did my Bachelors and Masters at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany.

Our group is currently funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), including an NSF CAREER Award, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the Department of Energy under the Genesis mission.

Funding

• NSF CAREER Award (2026–2031) — "Quantum Many-Body Dynamics and Entanglement Generation in Spatially and Temporally Controlled Spin Systems." PI: T. Bilitewski (OSU). $504,481. National Science Foundation, Division of Physics.
• DOE Genesis Mission Grant (2026–2027) — "AI-Driven Control and Optimization of QuDit Platforms in Rydberg Arrays." PI: G. Biedermann (OU), Co-PIs: T. Bilitewski (OSU), M. Martin (LANL). $651,891 (Phase I). Department of Energy.
• AFOSR DEPSCoR Grant (2025–2028) — "Spatio-Temporal Control for Quantum Simulation, Entanglement Generation and State Preparation of Bosonic States in Long-Range Interacting Spin Models." PI: T. Bilitewski (OSU), Co-PI: G. Biedermann (OU). $599,551. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
• NSF NRT Award (2025–2030) — "Accelerating Transdisciplinary Training of an Oklahoma Workforce for the Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Revolution (ATTAQ)." Co-PI. $2,999,630. National Science Foundation.