I’m a journalist, writer, educator and scientist from Croatia, currently based in New York. My work focuses on quantum physics and technology, condensed matter physics and materials science. 

My hybrid memoir Entangled States: A Life According to Quantum Physics will be published by Beacon Press in May, 2026. 

Currently, I am a staff writer at New Scientists where I cover everything from the rise of the quantum computing industry to metaphysical arguments about the nature of physical reality. You can pitch me at k.padaviccallaghan@newscientist.com 

My reporting has been featured in WIRED, Slate, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review, Aeon, Quanta Magazine, and Physics World. 

I also write the newsletter, Ultracold, which features weekly essays on the intersection of physics, writing and queerness, alongside an occasional foray into media criticism and vegan food writing.

I hold a PhD in theoretical condensed matter and atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Chicago. I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Science at Bard High School Early College Manhattan.

I am available for speaking engagements and guest teaching on topics related to physics, science writing and intersections between science and queerness.