Raymond Ooi
Universiti Malaya, MalaysiaFor the development of a quantum (Heisenberg-Langevin) theoretical framework for the study of nonclassical photon correlations in Raman and quantum plasmonic systems.
It was a long and challenging journey for Raymond Ooi to establish the first Quantum Optics courses for undergraduates and the first Quantum Technology master’s coursework in Malaysia. This daunting feat required Raymond to be creative, patient, and persistent. He had to convince not only his school’s administration but also potential students and government officials. During the campaign to approve the new courses, he had to teach subjects outside his expertise while continuing his research with limited access to resources to stay informed and relevant in the field, which added to the challenge. To strengthen his proposal, he promoted quantum optics through seminars and outreach activities. Raymond reflects, “There were several attempts to establish the new courses, especially during the curriculum reviews, which took place every few years. Besides having new faculty members, the rising trend and awareness towards quantum technology have helped the academics and the management to be more receptive.”
Raymond started his career as an engineer in the multinational optoelectronic industry. He quickly learned this was not a good fit for him and started down a different path. For Raymond, this meant pursuing research, and he began a Master’s degree program at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He became interested in quantum optics and quantum electrodynamics while researching photonic bandgap structures, a relatively new topic at the time, and decided to pursue a PhD in that area. He moved to the University of Konstanz, Germany, to work with Peter Marzlin and Juergen Audretsch, and later to the United States to study with Marlan O. Scully at Texas A&M University for his postdoc. It was a wonderful experience, and he learned a lot while working with Scully, with opportunities to meet many luminaries and unforgettable annual research visits at Princeton University and the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics.
From there, Raymond was still curious about research in other parts of the world, so he joined the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) and later Korea University. While there, he had the opportunity to study intense laser physics and plasmonics with experts and at conferences. He also learned about Sang Soo Lee, who laid the groundwork for optical research and engineering in Korea. Raymond was inspired by Lee’s accomplishments and the spirit of Korean researchers to bring the field of quantum optics and photonics to his own home country, Malaysia.
Raymond’s research interests are constantly evolving as new areas emerge and he continues to learn. Currently, he leads a quantum communication research program funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, and focuses on finding a high-performance quantum memory for long-distance quantum communications and is both theoretical and experimental. In his capacity as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, he has been pushing for Malaysia to develop quantum optical science and technology, from theory and experiment to product. It is an exciting time, with optics- and quantum-related technologies rapidly developing. He comments, “The field of optics and photonics has become very important and attractive, with many discoveries and breakthroughs impacting almost every industry. Tiny sensors in automation and robotics and integrated nanoelectronics-photonics will soon make AI very powerful and autonomous, changing how we do research.”
Raymond was instilled with the importance of education from an early age and continues to be an active learner. There are many opportunities for new research in quantum physics, especially in subtle phenomena that still baffle scientists. He is also interested in how quantum physics can be applied to understanding the mind and consciousness, and their subtle interactions with matter, unifying traditional knowledge such as traditional medicine and practices with modern science. Raymond suggests that the answers could be quantum-based, and the potential of quantum biology is vast and could have far-reaching and impactful results.
Photo courtesy of Raymond Ooi
Profile written by Samantha Hornback
