The Jack Dodd Centre for Quantum Technology

The Jack Dodd Centre (JDC) is a University of Otago Research Centre, and is linked by a formal MOU to the Dan Walls Centre (University of Auckland) to form the Dodd-Walls Centre (DWC). The DWC was formed in 2006, and has worked with funding agencies and government to build its profile for the past 7 years.

Research

The Jack Dodd Centre has been extremely productive and has gained a strong international reputation on the basis of its high profile scientific research in the areas of atomic and optical physics.

The expertise embodied in the Centre encompasses a wide range of aspects of laser systems; trapping and manipulation of ultra-cold atoms; quantum information devices; biophotonic applications; theoretical expertise in laser physics, quantum optics, ultra-cold atoms, and computational physics.

These areas can broadly be grouped as Photonics, which includes all the technologies based around the use of light, and particularly lasers, and has become pervasive in modern high-tech industry.

Industry Outreach

The JDC has put much effort into building connections with New Zealand companies, with the aim of transferring expertise in photonics into local industry. Together with its New Zealand collaborators, [the DanWalls Centre, IRL, and Southern Photonics (a New Zealand company)] we have formed the Lighthouse Platform which is actively involved in engaging with industry and raising the profile of photonics.

About Jack Dodd

Jack Dodd, (John Newton Dodd) President of the Royal Society from 1989-1993, was a man of great charisma and personal charm, and one of the first generation of New Zealand physicists to establish an international reputation for research work done in New Zealand. His research area was the interaction of light and atoms, and his discovery and explanation of the phenomenon of quantum beats, helped establish the foundations for the important field of laser spectroscopy.

Jack became a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1964, and was appointed Beverly Professor of Physics at Otago in 1965, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. He was awarded the Hector medal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1976 in recognition of his research achievements. The connections he pioneered with Oxford and JILA have been fruitful and enduring ones for Otago that have benefited many staff and students, and have led to reciprocal visits from colleagues at JILA and Oxford.

Jack led the Physics department for alternating periods between 1968 and 1987, deftly securing resources and opportunities for his staff, while cementing in a culture of excellence. He was Dean of Science for a term, and served on many high level committees within the University.

John Newton Dodd