Ian Durham
Saint Anselm College
About
Biography
Ian Durham received his PhD in Mathematics in 2005 from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Since then, he has taught at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where his research has covered everything from the foundations of quantum mechanics to the history of mathematics and the nature of consciousness and time. While primarily a theorist, he has developed a quantum optics lab to support his theoretical work. He is one of the co-founders and organizers of the Models of Consciousness series of conferences sponsored by the Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science.
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PressRelease: Precision experiment puts pressure on quantum collapse theories
Quantum mechanics, the theory governing the microscopic world, is famously counterintuitive. A particle can exist in a superposition of multiple states, such as different positions, until a measurement is performed. At that point, the wavefunction describing that particle appears to ‘collapse’ to a single outcome. This puzzle lies at the heart of the measurement problem, famously illustrated by Schrödinger’s cat, suspended between life and death until observed. The XENONnT detector, which was designed to be sensitive to rare physics events, has tightened constraints on one family of possible solutions to the measurement problem, known as ‘collapse theories.’ The work, which was partially funded by FQxI, was reported in Physical Review Letters in March 2026. Image credit: XENON Collaboration.