Peter Maurer
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5640 S. Ellis Ave.
ERC Rm. 295
Chicago, IL 60637
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Peter Maurer is an Associate Professor of Molecular Engineering in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
Maurer was named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow and is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award. His work on encoding a spin qubit in a fluorescent protein was named by IOP’s Physics World as one of the top 10 breakthroughs of 2025.
Maurer received his postdoctoral training in Steven Chu’s group at Stanford University, where he focused on the development of novel nanoscale imaging technologies. Prior to joining the Chu Lab, Prof. Maurer received his PhD in physics from Harvard University, where he worked with Mikhail Lukin.
During his graduate work, Peter utilized tools from quantum optics to coherently control individual spins in diamond for applications in quantum information science and bio-sensing. Before moving to Harvard, Maurer obtained his undergraduate degree in physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).
The Maurer Lab explores the intersection of quantum engineering and biophysics, using tools from quantum science and biophotonics to engineer, control, and process quantum information in biological systems. The team seeks both to understand the fundamental physics of controlling quantum systems in this regime and to translate the resulting quantum technologies into practical tools for probing the physical properties of biological systems.
The successful development of such novel single-molecule techniques will provide powerful tools to investigate fundamental biological questions and form the basis for a new generation of diagnostic devices. Likewise, the development of novel quantum sensing protocols will extend our understanding of quantum systems at ambient conditions, and establish quantum information technology as a potent resource in biological research.