Denitsa Baykusheva (Principal investigator)
Denitsa started my faculty appointment at ISTA in January 2024. Previously, she was a post-doctoral researcher at Harvard University. She completed her PhD at the ETH Zurich in 2018.
Dr. Rafael Winkler (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Rafael Winkler did his master and PhD at ETH and PSI in Switzerland with the focus on ultra-fast dynamics in condensed matter systems close or across phase transitions. Aside of performing table top optical pump probe experiments he participated in about 20 beamtimes at various free electron laser facilities all over the world. Two of these beamtimes were dedicated to investigating the dynamics of the charge density wave (CDW) in blue bronze (K0.3MoO3) after a strong ultra-short above bandgap excitation. The results of these beamtimes reveal a destruction of the CDW within 600 fs leading to a highly disordered configuration, which in particular indicates the infeasibility of a coherent control of the CDW phase on ultra-short time scales.
Dr. Phuong Le Hoang (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Phuong obtained his B.Sc. in Physics from KAIST, followed by an M.Sc. in the joint program of the University of Stuttgart and Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. He completed his Ph.D. at the European XFEL, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, and University of Kiel, where he studied ultrafast X-ray and optical dynamics in quantum materials, focusing on disentangling coupled electronic, lattice, and polarization processes. In Baykusheva group, his research develops quantum-based ultrafast spectroscopic tools that merge femtosecond laser techniques with solid-state quantum sensors to explore emergent many-body phenomena in solids. Outside of academia, he enjoys weight training at the gym and collecting models of prehistoric animals.
Nikolai Semenov (PhD Student)
Nikolai received his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics and Mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), where he worked on the growth and characterization of topological insulator crystals. Later, he completed a double Master’s degree in Photonics and Quantum Materials at MIPT and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, focusing on thin-film growth and STM characterization. Afterward, he continued his research at the Institute of Solid State Physics in Chernogolovka, studying plasmonic effects in two-dimensional electron systems. He also gained experience in quantum cryptography (QRate), THz imaging (Terasense), and 2D materials assembly during a short internship in Manchester. Before starting his PhD here, he worked at ISTA, where he was involved in two projects: interdisciplinary one in the Danzl group, developing active stabilization systems for high-resolution microscopy in biology, and another in the Alpichshev group, building and optimizing ultrafast optics setups for transient grating spectroscopy. Now, Nikolai is continuing his PhD journey in the Baykusheva group, exploring ultrafast spectroscopy and strongly correlated electron systems.
Piyush Priya (Intern)
Piyush is interested in ultrafast optics and currently pursuing a dual degree in physics and electronics and communication (ECE) from BITS Pilani.
Theo Stölzl (Intern)
Theo holds a master’s degree in Chemical Physics from the University of Edinburgh (2025) and wrote his thesis on computational studies of quantum spin systems.