About Me
Hi, I’m James! I’m a physics postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. I completed my undergraduate and PhD at the Australian National University and spent a few years visiting Caltech as part of my PhD research with LIGO.
My research interests include quantum metrology, quantum computation, gravitational waves, and quantum gravity. I enjoy discovering a simple understanding of physical phenomena from intuitive analytic models. My full CV is available upon request and I include highlights below.
My current office is Room 289, William Eckhardt Research Center (ERC) at UChicago. Do drop in!
Employment
University of Chicago
Postdoctoral Fellow
2025 - present
I currently hold the Chicago Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship in Theoretical Quantum Science at UChicago. I started this position in September 2025. My research is at the interface between quantum sensing and quantum computation.
Australian National University
Research Officer Grade 5/6
2022
I worked as a research assistant at CGA on benchmarking future gravitational-wave detector networks to assess the science case for a detector in Australia. The associated paper is available here.
Australian National University
Summer Research Intern
2020, 2021
Over two summers at CGA, I worked on analytic and numerical modelling of quantum optics configurations for squeezing in LIGO and experimental optics work in the CGA GW Laboratory into tilt-locking.
Education
Australian National University
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
2022 - 2025
I completed a Physics PhD at ANU from June 2022 to August 2025. I was supervised by Joe Hope and Simon Haine at ANU and by Yanbei Chen on an three-year visit to Caltech as a Visiting Special Student. My research involved theoretical work in precision metrology for gravitational-wave detectors. My PhD thesis is available here.
Australian National University
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) in Science with First Class Honours in Physics
2018 - 2021
The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) in Science is an advanced science degree offered at ANU which includes undergraduate research and a great freedom in course selection. During my undergraduate time at ANU, I enjoyed learning through asking many fruitful questions and found good company and help from my peers.
In my final Honours year, I explored a different way to use quantum squeezing to improve the sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors (called Nondegenerate Internal Squeezing). The associated paper is available here. My First Class Honours thesis is available here.
Publications
- JWG, Federico Belliardo, Jacques Ding, Su Direkci, Hudson Loughlin, Tuvia Gefen, Aashish A. Clerk, and Liang Jiang, 2026, Waveform estimation at the fundamental quantum limit of coherent control. In preparation.
- Federico Belliardo, JWG, Liang Jiang, and Aashish A. Clerk, 2026, Global Precision Bounds and Success-Probability Guarantees in Quantum Parameter Learning. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.15528
- JWG, Tuvia Gefen, and Matteo Fadel, 2026, Stochastic signal sensing with finite energy and dead time at the fundamental quantum limit. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.18133
- Jacques Ding, JWG, Tuvia Gefen, and Yanbei Chen, 2026, Gaussian Quantum Metrology with Realistic Linear Sensors. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.29616
- JWG, Federico Belliardo, Gideon Lee, Tuvia Gefen, and Liang Jiang, 2026, Quantum superresolution and noise spectroscopy with quantum computing. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.17862
- JWG, Tuvia Gefen, Ethan Payne, Su Direkci, Sander M. Vermeulen, Simon A. Haine, Joseph J. Hope, Lee McCuller, and Yanbei Chen, 2025, Bayesian frequency estimation at the fundamental quantum limit. Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.02811
- Yohei Nishino, JWG, Yanbei Chen, and Kentaro Somiya, 2025, Quantum backaction evasion with reservoir engineering. Phys. Rev. A 112, 023512. https://doi.org/10.1103/bv8m-fpv9
- Yohei Nishino, JWG, Yanbei Chen, and Kentaro Somiya, 2025, Teleportation-based speed meter for precision measurement. npj Quantum Information 11, 168. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01107-9
- JWG, Simon A. Haine, Joseph J. Hope, Yanbei Chen, and Tuvia Gefen, 2025, Lindblad estimation with fast and precise quantum control. Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 044055. https://doi.org/10.1103/6yzb-43rs
- JWG, Tuvia Gefen, Simon A. Haine, Joseph J. Hope, John Preskill, Yanbei Chen, and Lee McCuller, 2025, Stochastic waveform estimation at the fundamental quantum limit. PRX Quantum 6, 030311. https://doi.org/10.1103/h91r-4ws9
- JWG, Tuvia Gefen, Simon A. Haine, Joseph J. Hope, and Yanbei Chen, 2024, Achieving the Fundamental Quantum Limit of Linear Waveform Estimation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 130801. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.130801
- JWG, Ling Sun, Ssohrab Borhanian, Paul D. Lasky, Eric Thrane, David E. McClelland, and Bram J. J. Slagmolen, 2023, Multi-messenger astronomy with a Southern-Hemisphere gravitational-wave observatory, Phys. Rev. D 108, 123026. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.108.123026
- JWG, Min Jet Yap, Vaishali Adya, Sheon Chua, Bram J. J. Slagmolen, and David E. McClelland, 2022, Nondegenerate internal squeezing: an all-optical, loss-resistant quantum technique for gravitational-wave detection, Phys. Rev. D 106, L041101. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.106.L041101
- JWG, Hannah Middleton, Changrong Liu, Andrew Melatos, Robin Evans, William Moran, et al., 2022, Continuous gravitational waves in the lab: recovering audio signals with a table-top optical microphone, American Journal of Physics 90, 286 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0009409
Awards
- Invited visit with reimbursement to Berkeley, Carney group - 2026
- Invited visit with reimbursement to Caltech, Adhikari group - 2026
- Invited visit with reimbursement to Louvain, Goodwin-Jones group - 2026
- Invited visit with reimbursement to MIT, Sudhir group - 2025
- Invited visit with reimbursement to Tokyo Institute of Technology, Somiya group - 2024
- GWADW2024 - First Prize, Poster Presentation with Best Sparkler Talk - 2024
- Invited visit with reimbursement to Northwestern University, Shahriar group - 2023
- Partial travel stipend from the USA NSF under Award No. PHY-2011968 - 2022–2025
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) Travel Grant - 2022
- ANU HDR Supplementary Scholarship - 2022–2025
- Australian Government Research Training Program Domestic Scholarship - 2022–2025
- Yale University Physics PhD offer - 2022
- The John Carver Physics Prize - 2022. Rewards academic excellence in the ANU Physics Honours Specialisation 2021.
- ANU Chancellor’s Letters of Commendation - 2020–2022. For outstanding academic achievement in 2019–21.
- ANU First Class Honours - 2021
- ANU Achievement Prize for Third Year Physics - 2020
- ANU Dean’s Science Education Commendation Award - 2020
- ANU National University Scholarship - 2018–2021
Membership
- The American Physical Society (APS) - 2024–present
- The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) - 2022–present
- The Cosmic Explorer Consortium (ANU group) - 2022–2025
- The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC - OzGrav - ANU group) - 2022–2025
- The Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics - ANU - 2020–2025
- The Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav, ANU Node) - 2020–2025
Recreation
When I’m not lost in the quantum realm, I enjoy playing games and making music with friends. I love storytelling and Dungeons & Dragons. I play the trombone (jazz) and piano accordion (folk) and adore Don Ellis’s Autumn. When the weather is fine, you may also find me climbing or resting by the lake.