Ron Folman is professor of physics specializing in quantum mechanics and futuristic technologies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where he is head of the Atom Chip Lab and the founder of both the Center for Quantum Science and Technology and the Nano-Fabrication Center where quantum chips are designed and produced for R&D labs around the world. He received his PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science and CERN. He has been awarded the Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics, a Miller Visiting Professor fellowship at the University of California Berkeley, and the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Award in Physical Sciences. In 2023, Folman was one of a few researchers selected to receive an award from the Gordon and Betty Moore, Simons, John Templeton and Alfred P. Sloan Foundations for tabletop physics that could transform our understanding of the universe. He has authored or coauthored hundreds of papers in journals such as Physical Review Letters and Science, and his work has been featured in QuantaMagazine, PhysicsWorld, and PhysicsToday, among others. In addition to his work in science and technology, Folman is a human rights, peace, and environmental activist.
