Boubacar Kanté, Ph.D. is a Chaired Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a 2020 Moore Inventor Fellow, and the Moore Foundation partnered with him in support of research to develop a quantum light source and detector that is compact and robust against manufacturing imperfections.
In this installment of Beyond the Lab, Boubacar talks about his sources of inspiration, goals for the future, and passes on some advice to young researchers.
What made you want to become a researcher in the first place?
I have been lucky to have parents who really value education. My dad is originally from Mali in northwest Africa and was a high school physics teacher, while my mom is an accountant. From a young age, no matter what grade I was in, I was naturally immersed in understanding nature and pushing the boundaries of what I could understand. We were always asking questions about nature, why this is working this way, why something else is working the other way, and so on. I have always been willing to learn more.
The overall thing that motivates me is helping my peers and humanity push the frontiers around saving the planet and improving people’s lives.
What are some other sources of inspiration in your career?
For someone like me, coming from one of the poorest countries in the world, becoming a faculty member at UC Berkeley is amazing. Along that journey, even if it started with my parents who are among my biggest motivators, there have been a lot of people that motivated me to keep that initial desire alive. I did my undergrad and graduate studies in France and met great professors. My postdoc advisor here at Berkeley was also a great scientist and motivator.
My wife is a mathematician and a computer scientist, and she's a huge motivator too. We try to pass on the passion that my parents conveyed to me to our three young kids today.
I also give credit to the students I’ve worked with. Many of them contributed to the success we are having because they work hard and believe in the projects, solving some of the outstanding questions the field has had for a long time.
What are the types of scientific problems that you and your colleagues most interested in solving at the moment?
There are many things. I would say my group is really known for the invention of topological lasers. We solved a six-decade old challenge in wave physics and optics by developing a new laser that we called the Berkeley Surface Emitting Laser, or BerkSEL. I'm particularly happy and feel fortunate to be at Berkeley because lasers were invented by a former Berkeley faculty member, Charles Townes. That is my group’s most important achievement.
If I can make high-powered fibers, those could lead to less energy use for communication. We can use them in data centers, and that means in the future, huge companies may not have to use as much power. We can use this laser for medical purposes such as making a tiny laser for surgery, for imaging, for autonomous vehicles, etcetera. Light sources have a huge number of applications.
I want to add that the specialty of my group evolves with time. We have a diverse group working on materials, optics, applied physics, mathematics and so on. It is the combination of all this expertise that gives us an edge on addressing some of these questions.
IMAGE: Boubacar Kanté in the lab. Credit: Boubacar Kanté
I have also been working to push these light sources to the quantum domain. It is expected that in the future, we will have a quantum Internet. The protocols used to communicate will be more complicated, and can potentially lead to more secure communication. We are trying to develop new sources that can emit those types of quantum photons.
What kind of advice do you give young researchers?
I teach classes and interact with students from various departments. I tell the students that there is so much research going on campus and really advise that they try to overlap with some of these research groups during their stay and try to take advantage of the unique resources that are available to them here. Sometimes as young students, we don't necessarily realize that we should use these resources because they will not be here forever.
I also want them to be aware of issues beyond the projects they are working on. The more you are exposed to problems, the easier it becomes for you to make choices. It helps to put your projects into context, into the bigger picture, and see how you can contribute to a better environment for all of us. Doing science to improve the lives of other people is more fulfilling in the long run because as human beings, we are usually happier when our achievements help other people.
Where do you see yourself in five years, personally or professionally?
There are only 24 hours in a day and there are so many things I want to do!
First, I want to spend as much time as I can with my young kids, because I was fortunate to benefit from the unique education that my parents gave to me and my sisters – I have three younger sisters, who also benefited from the values our parents conveyed to us. I also hope that I can help my students be as successful as they can.
The ultimate goal for me as an engineer is to solve outstanding problems and transform some of our ideas into companies and startups so that we really go from theoretical ideas to real-world impacts. I think this is something unique about engineering – I want to do physics for the real world.
So that’s my hope – benefiting my students as much as I can, being with my family as much as I can, and creating companies while being a professor. I don't know if I can achieve all of those, but I will do my best. Of course, we are never alone on this journey. When you think of the workload and you think of yourself, you say, “Oh, I cannot achieve all of this. No, I don't have time.”
But we are not alone. I have fantastic students and postdocs happy to take some of these challenges and run with them. I have a fantastic wife helping me every day with some of these questions. So, as a group, I'm sure we can push the frontier in many areas.
What are your hobbies or interests when you're not working?
A lot of my fun happens with my family. We like hiking and we are lucky that we are in California where the weather is usually good. Since we spend a lot of time in front of screens, it's a great way to get out and exercise. I actually used to dance before and do salsa quite a bit, but of course, this became more challenging with kids.
Contact information
You can find Boubacar and learn more about his projects by visiting his lab website, Kanté Lab, and reaching out via email (bkante@berkeley.edu) or LinkedIn, where he is happy to chat with anyone interested in his work.
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