Prof. Folland is part of the Condensed Matter and Materials Physics research area at the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy, focusing on mid- and far-infrared nanophotonics and quantum materials research, from fundamental properties to device applications.

He started his faculty position at the University of Iowa in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Fall 2020. At Iowa, Prof. Folland is working on developing infrared detectors and light sources leveraging nanophotonics, with the goal of coupling long wavelength light to quantum systems. His research interests are highly interdisciplinary, encompassing elements of physics, materials science, electrical engineering, and chemistry.

His graduate work involved the development of frequency tunable terahertz lasers, implemented using graphene plasmonics. After his doctoral work, he took a postdoc position in the lab of Prof. Joshua Caldwell in the school of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, he led the setup of the Caldwell lab and developed new approaches to infrared spectroscopy for the study of nanophotonics systems, including 2D materials and semiconductors.