QCIS-FF: Quantum Computing & Information Science Faculty Fellow at North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Computers have revolutionized almost every area of our lives, but there are certain problems that machines based on classical logic and binary digits will simply never be able to solve. In contrast, by representing data and performing calculations in fundamentally different ways using the laws of quantum physics, we anticipate that quantum computers will be able to solve problems that cannot be solved with a classical computer. Examples of such problems include optimization, improving the performance of machine learning, drug discovery, and assessing risks. As an example, by creating daily ad hoc airline flight schedules in response to unexpected delays, quantum computing could reduce customer travel time, air traffic congestion and airline fuel costs. Quantum computing appears to be at the threshold of exponential growth, but it faces a world-wide shortage of talent. In addition, significant technical challenges remain that are best addressed by Computer Scientists and Computer Engineers. Consequently there is an urgent need to develop rigorous, flexible, and interdisciplinary curricula to prepare computer science and computer engineering students for careers in quantum computing. From a research prospective, there are significant opportunities to make fundamental contributions at all levels, from qubit design to applications. To help address this need, North Carolina State University will recruit a tenure-track faculty member in quantum computing as a joint appointment between the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Computer Science (CSC). The appointment will be at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The new faculty member will benefit from access to state-of-the-art quantum computers through the IBM Q Hub at NC State. At present these include 20, 27, and 53 qubit processors with quantum volumes up to 32. The faculty member will be part of a growing multi-disciplinary quantum computing community at NC State involving departments such as Chemistry, Math, Physics, and Materials Science & Engineering, as well as ECE and CSC. The Quantum Computing and Information Science Faculty Fellow will play an active role in helping to grow this community, in designing and implementing a quantum computing curriculum, and advancing the state-of-the art in quantum engineering. Some of the areas of opportunity for this new hire can overlap with existing faculty interests such as cross-platform translation, debugging & error detection techniques, metrics for evaluating quantum entanglement, magnon spectra, quantum computing for electronic design automation, and quantum computing for quantitative finance. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.