Team

I am a physicist with broad interests in quantum optics, atomic physics, statistical physics and nano-sciences. After my undergraduate education in India, I obtained my PhD from Heidelberg, where I worked on ultra cold atomic systems. Our focus was on creating and studying exotic phases of fermionic atoms cooled to extremely low temperatures. After my PhD, I changed my research direction for my postdoc at ETH, where I worked on 2D materials, particularly on the optics of van der Waals semiconductors. Since September 2023, I am leading the Nanoquo research group as an Assistant Professor of Photonics at ETH Zurich.

Manuela Weber

After some years as an administration specialist for an insurance general agency, a travel tour operator and a voice communications provider, I joined ETH Zurich in 2007. I have been working as an administrative assistant for D-​ITET ISG and within the Physics department. I have been working with the NanoQuO group since September 2023.

Office: HPT G10, phone: +41 44 633 76 17, email:

Elie Vandoolaeghe

I have been a PHD student in the NanoQuO group since October 2023. I got my masters degree in an engineering school in Paris : ESPCI Paris PSL. During an internship at NTT Research Inc., California, about ultrafast light-matter interaction in TMDCs semiconductors and their integration inside cavities, I met with Prof. Dr. Puneet A. Murthy and I decided to join him on this adventure at ETH Zurich. I am passionate about mountain sports and activities, but also by music, cinema and culture in general. 

Anna Herrmann

I completed my bachelor’s degree in Physics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology before pursuing a master’s in Applied and Engineering Physics at the Technical University of Munich. Originally aiming to specialize in biomedical physics, I shifted my focus to materials physics during a semester abroad at NTNU in Norway. For my master's thesis back at TUM, I studied defect emitters induced by helium ion irradiation in TMDCs. Fascinated by quantum emitters and wanting to further explore experimental quantum optics, I had the opportunity to join the NanoQuO group in May 2024, where I am now working on arrays of optical cavities.

Iñigo Lasheras López-Cerón

I completed my Bacherlor's degree in Physics in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and eager to move to another city, to grow both as a physicist and as a person, I enrolled in the Quantum Science and Technologies Master's degree in Munich, at LMU and TUM. For my Master's thesis I joined the Quantum Many-Body Division at MPQ, where I worked in developing a cryogenic neutral atom quantum computer. However, I shifted from ultra-cold gases to 2D materials for my PhD, joining the NanoQuO group in March of 2025, to also study quantum optics but from a solid-state perspective. On a more personal note, I love music, reading and mountains!

Francesco Fortuna

I’m a Quantum Engineering master student at ETH Zurich, passionate about exploring the rapidly evolving world of quantum technologies, with a deep interest in light-matter interaction and quantum computing. I’m constantly motivated by both the fascinating physics of these fields and their real-world applications, approaching my work with a curious, exploratory mindset while remaining focused on practical solutions. I joined NanoQuO for my master thesis to explore quantum confinement of excitons in a TMD lateral heterostructure. In my free time I practice mountain sports and I like discovering swiss local cultures.