Bean's group designed, built, and operates MAROON-X, a fiber-fed, high-dispersion precision radial-velocity spectrograph on the 8m Gemini-North telescope, achieving sub-m/s-class radial-velocity precision to detect and mass-characterize small planets around nearby M dwarfs and to identify/refine targets for JWST atmospheric spectroscopy. This is an astronomy pivot from quantum sensing in the sense the filter intends: a purpose-built, cutting-edge-sensitivity spectrograph (rather than a quantum sensor per se) enabling detection at the edge of instrumental precision.

Marshall builds astronomical spectrographs and calibration systems in the Munnerlyn Lab; co-PI of GMACS (Giant Magellan Telescope) and project scientist for the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, leading instrumentation for DES and HETDEX. Astronomy pivot driven by high-precision spectral/photometric instrumentation.

Szentgyorgyi builds high-dispersion optical spectrographs for precision radial-velocity exoplanet detection and stellar spectroscopy, having worked across neutrino, gamma-ray, and X-ray astronomy before focusing the last two decades on next-generation precision spectrograph instrumentation.

Tinney is an exoplanet hunter who builds the spectrographs he uses. He leads Veloce, the high-resolution, ultra-stable echelle spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope, whose entire purpose is to measure stellar radial velocities at the ~1 m/s level — a fractional wavelength shift of order 10^-9 — which requires obsessive control of thermal, mechanical and illumination systematics plus laser-comb or etalon wavelength calibration. He also works on brown dwarfs and on disentangling stellar activity from planetary signals. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — precision radial velocity is a frequency-metrology problem dressed as astronomy: like a pT/sqrt(Hz) magnetometer, the instrument's raw sensitivity was solved years ago and all remaining progress is in systematics and calibration. Good pivot target for a metrology-trained candidate.