$500K Quantum SuperSEED Launched by ICDS Quantum Hub

ICDS Quantum Hub prizes Quantum SuperSEED funds

Quantum SuperSEED

Three cooperative research teams will receive funding from the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences’ Quantum Hub to address basic quantum physics issues.

Three faculty research teams at Penn State have received Quantum SuperSEED funding from the Quantum Hub, which is part of the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS). These faculty-led collaborative research teams at Penn State will receive assistance from the Quantum Hub of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences.

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By bringing together Penn State researchers from several departments and disciplines to take on challenging research problems, the initiative aims to advance quantum science, engineering, and computation. Over $500,000 will be allocated by the hub to the research projects. This sum is being invested by the institute’s Quantum Hub to support contributions from sixteen faculty members in three projects that are sponsored. Faculty from Eberly College of Science and Penn State College of Engineering are involved. In addition, the money will support postdoctoral scholars and graduate students, as well as the use of research equipment and computational resources from ICDS.

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According to Mahmut Kandemir, director of the Quantum Hub and a professor of computer science and engineering, the grant program is supporting three projects that together highlight Penn State’s distinctive strengths in the quantum realm and its ability to take the lead in new fields of national significance. “With this one-year seed support, we hope that participating faculty will not only launch new research directions but also establish long-lasting partnerships, boost competitiveness for significant external opportunities, and help establish Penn State as a leading hub for quantum innovation,” Kandemir said.

According to ICDS director Guido Cervone, the recently formed Quantum Hub is advancing ICDS’s objective by funding prominent quantum research spanning numerous scientific and technical fields. Three faculty teams are receiving funds from the Quantum SuperSEED grant program to address issues in materials, many-body systems, and quantum computing that may raise awareness of Penn State’s superior quantum research. The joint research initiatives will apply methods from the quantum sciences to materials science, engineering, and computer sciences, such as simulations, hybrid computing, and artificial intelligence.

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One of the chosen teams is headed by Venkatraman Gopalan, a professor of engineering science and mechanics, physics, and materials science and engineering. He emphasised the importance of promoting and advancing quantum research at the university. The effort, according to Gopalan, unites a community of multidisciplinary researchers who strive to establish Penn State as a global leader in electro-optic quantum transduction. He said the investment is timely and that it connects the dots in quantum research and education, leveraging significant strengths across multiple disciplines. He hopes this trend continues in the years to come.

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Projects and Selected Faculty:

“Open Quantum Systems Beyond Markovianity: Establishing a Multidisciplinary Community for Quantum Computing and Simulation”
- Zhen Bi, an assistant professor of physics, is the principal investigator (PI).
- Co-PIs include Xiantao Li, a physics professor; Thomas Iadecola, an associate professor of physics; Sarah Shandera, a physics professor; and Chunhao Wang, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
“Superior Cryogenic Electro-Optical Thin Films for Quantum Transduction from Microwave to Optical”
- PI: Venkatraman Gopalan, who teaches engineering science and mechanics, physics, and materials science and engineering.
- Co-PIs include Yang Yang, an assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics; Binghai Yan, a professor of physics; Yinming Shao, an assistant professor of physics; and Long-Qing Chen, a professor of mathematics, engineering science and mechanics, and materials science and engineering.
A Gateway Material Platform for Penn State Quantum Information Science Research: Coherent Rock Salt Josephson Junctions
- Principal Investigator: Jon-Paul Maria, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Dorothy Pate Enright.
- Co-PIs: Mingyo Park, assistant professor of electrical engineering; Morteza Kayyalha, assistant professor of electrical engineering; Stephanie Law, associate professor of materials science and engineering; Joan Redwing, professor of materials science and engineering; and Danielle Hickey, assistant professor of chemistry.