Michael Holynski obtained his PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2012, on the creation of an experiment for the study of low dimensional systems using Bose-Einstein condensates. Michael then spent two years at the Instituto de Física de São Carlos of the Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil, as a FAPESP post-doctoral fellow working with cold strontium.
In 2014, Michael returned to the University of Birmingham to lead the atom interferometry team within the Cold Atoms group. He has led the development of several atom interferometer and gravity gradiometer instruments, and his work currently focuses on bringing these to applications within civil engineering, space, defence and fundamental physics. This includes leading the cold atom gravity gradiometry work of the UK Quantum Hub for Sensing and Timing, where he is also the co-lead of Geophysics.
He is actively engaged in translation to industry, including as the academic lead of the ISCF project Gravity Pioneer and in several past and present Innovate UK projects. He is also active in dissemination to the wider community and public, and has presented and exhibited at numerous events.