Varun Vaidya is a physicist currently employed at Xanadu since July 2018. Prior to this role, Varun served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Stanford University from January 2016 to July 2018, focusing on light-matter interactions in multimode optical cavities. Varun gained substantial experience as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, from September 2009 to December 2015, where the design and construction of ultracold atoms experiments were primary responsibilities. Earlier academic contributions include work as a Teaching Assistant and Undergraduate Researcher at the University of Michigan's Physics Department from February 2006 to June 2009. Varun holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics from the University of Maryland (2009-2015) and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Physics from the University of Michigan (2005-2009).