Associate Professor John McFerran is affiliated with the Physics discipline in the School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing at the University of Western Australia. He holds a BSc, BE, GradDipSc, and PhD from the University of Western Australia, with his doctorate completed in 2003. After obtaining his PhD, McFerran undertook several international research positions, including Guest Researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, in the Time and Frequency Division and Optoelectronics Division; Chercheur Postdoctoral at LNE-SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, France; Chercheur Postdoctoral at XLIM Institute, Université de Limoges, France; and Guest Researcher at Durham University, United Kingdom.

McFerran's research focuses on optical frequency synthesis with fibre-laser and solid-state laser-based frequency combs, optical atomic clocks, laser spectroscopy, and atomic spectroscopy. He leads the Atomic Clock Lab at UWA, established in 2013, where his team conducts precision measurements using optical atomic clocks to investigate fundamental physics, including the constancy of fundamental constants, spatial isotropy, general relativistic effects, and dark matter transients. This involves computational atomic structure calculations and experimental developments in laser frequency control, atom manipulation, and optoelectronic systems. He has received the ARC Future Fellowship (2012-2016), funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS, 2018-2019), and a French Scientific Mobility travel award (2013). Key publications include "Intercombination line frequencies in ¹⁷¹Yb validated with the clock transition" (Applied Optics, 2023), "Multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations for Hg and Cd with estimates for unknown clock-transition frequencies" (Physical Review A, 2022), "Fourier transform detection of weak optical transitions in atoms undergoing cyclic routines" (Applied Physics Letters, 2021, Editor's Pick), and "Simulation of optical lattice trap loading from a cold atomic ensemble" (Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 2021). McFerran teaches courses such as PHYS3006 Atomic and Nuclear Physics, PHYS3012 Contemporary Physics, PHYS2001 Electromagnetism, and PHYS1030 Physics Bridging Unit, and supervises Masters and PhD students. His contributions include developing a cold atom optical clock with ytterbium atoms, with current projects encompassing optical lattice clocks, ytterbium isotope shifts, nuclear parameters, and King plot analyses for Standard Model tests. His work has appeared in media on atomic clocks and GPS accuracy.

Professional Email: john.mcferran@uwa.edu.au