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UNM launches quantum partnership with June 26 virtual event

June 23, 2020 - by Kim Delker

The University of New Mexico, which recently became the first university partner of the North Carolina State IBM Q Hub, will officially kick off that partnership with a virtual event on June 26.

The NC State IBM Q Hub is a cloud-based quantum global computing hub that links national laboratories, tech startups, Fortune 500 companies, and research universities, providing access to IBM’s largest quantum computing systems. It is one of six worldwide and the first in North America to be part of the global IBM Q Network. Additionally, it is one of three established university-based quantum computer hubs in the world.

The invitation-only online program will feature overviews and research presentations from Q Hub partners, including NC State, IBM, Anthem Inc., Delta Airlines, as well as researchers from various areas at UNM. The group will also discuss a path forward for collaborative work.

Representing UNM will be Gabriel Lopez, vice president for research at UNM; Edl Schamiloglu, associate dean for research and innovation in the School of Engineering; Michael Devetsikiotis, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Susan Atlas, research professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Ivan Deutsch, director of UNM’s Center for Quantum Information and Control (CQuIC).

“UNM’s membership in Q Hub greatly strengthens and broadens our scope in our emerging signature area of quantum information,” Devetsikiotis said. “We are excited about the possibilities of this partnership.”

UNM will focus on a mixture of research and educational efforts, emphasizing how crucial high-performance computing and computation are to building a robust quantum strategic initiative, as well as how the university is training and preparing the quantum engineer of the future.

“Q Hub will of course be a major boost to research and education, but it’s also an important effort for the economic development of New Mexico,” Devetsikiotis said. “Quantum information science will be vital in building a strong workforce of the future. We are optimistic this partnership can attract not just students and research activity to UNM, but will lead to the creation of new businesses and jobs in the state.”

Thus far, two faculty at UNM have been hired specifically for strategic area of quantum information, both in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In fall 2019, Tameem Albash joined UNM as an assistant professor. His research and teaching interests are in quantum computing, computational methods and open quantum systems. And in fall 2020, Milad Marvian, now at MIT, will join as UNM’s second faculty member in quantum information science. He is joining as an NSF Quantum Computing & Information Science Faculty Fellow.

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