An Interview with Jonathan Ellis

The Amp Hour · 23 Jan 2016 · 1h 40m · Episode 283

What this episode covers

Jonathan Ellis, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester, discusses the realities of the tenure track, including the heavy burden of grant writing and the opaque criteria for promotion. He details his work in precision instrumentation, specifically using laser interferometry to measure semiconductor wafer stages with sub-nanometer accuracy. Ellis also explains his involvement with NIST in redefining the kilogram via the watt balance and the challenges of measuring the refractive index of air.

Mentioned

Companies
University of Rochester, NIST, IBM, National Science Foundation
Tools
watt balance, laser interferometer, iodine stabilized laser, Avogadro sphere
Also
arXiv

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