News
December 3, 2024
Dr. Tevis Jacobs Wins Pitt’s Startup of the Year Award
Tevis Jacobs, a professor at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, won the Startup of the Year Award for Surface Design Solutions, a company improving surface performance with machine learning to boost efficiency and reduce costs across industries.
October 29, 2024
Olexandr Isayev Named Inaugural Carl & Amy Jones Professor of Interdisciplinary Science
"The awarding of the Carl and Amy Jones professorship to Oles is the culmination of his rapid rise from his initial appointment as an assistant professor just four years ago," said Bruce Armitage, head of the Department of Chemistry.
October 9, 2024
First Experiences in Quantum Research
First or second-year undergraduate? Curious about quantum research? If the answer to these two questions are “yes, and yes!” then you should consider enrolling in our First Experiences in Quantum (FEQ) program.
October 2, 2024
Spring 2025 PQI Fellowships
PQI solicits proposals for Spring 2025 fellowships.
October 2, 2024
PQI Community Collaboration Awards 2024-2025
The Pittsburgh Quantum Institute solicits proposals for PQI Community Collaboration Awards for up to $45K.
September 25, 2024
Rachel Kurchin Receives Simons Foundation Award
Assistant Research Professor Rachel Kurchin received the Simons Foundation's SSRF Award to support her scientific software development from 2024 to 2029. Her project, “Next-generation charged DFT calculations in Julia,” aims to enhance simulations of electron density in materials, focusing on electrochemical interfaces and semiconductors. Kurchin is also active in the Julia community, organizing local user groups and events.
September 10, 2024
Juan Chamorro Joins CMU's Materials Science and Engineering Department
Juan Chamorro, a new assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Johns Hopkins, focuses on quantum materials and superconductors, integrating AI and machine learning into his research on materials synthesis and crystal growth.
August 13, 2024
New Course Offering Fall 2024: CS 3800
Junyu Liu, an incoming assistant professor of computer science at the University of Pittsburgh starting this fall, is set to teach a new course, CS 3800. Liu specializes in quantum information science, with a focus on quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning, and quantum networks. More information about Liu's work can be found on his homepage. CS 3800 is a seminar course designed for students to review cutting-edge literature on quantum computing and machine learning alongside the lecturer. The planned topics include: Quantum optimization and QAOA, post-quantum cryptography, quantum repeaters and quantum networks, variational quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning, quantum error correction and fault-tolerance, and first-principle theory of deep learning and scaling laws.
August 13, 2024
UN Declares 2025 as International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
On June 7, 2024, the United Nations proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). This global initiative will feature activities aimed at raising public awareness of quantum science and its applications. The year 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the development of quantum mechanics, making it a fitting time for education and celebration of this groundbreaking field.
August 13, 2024
NSF Launches TRUST Framework to Enhance Research Security
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has introduced the Trusted Research Using Safeguards and Transparency (TRUST) framework to assess grant proposals for national security risks. Developed by NSF's Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, the framework includes personnel assessments, compliance monitoring, and national security considerations. The third branch - the inclusion of potential foreseeable national security considerations — represents a significant new effort for NSF. Starting in FY 2025, TRUST will pilot with quantum-related proposals, eventually expanding to other key technology areas. Click on the link above to learn more about this new initiative. PQI members proposing new research may want to attend one of NSF's Webinars describing TRUST.
August 13, 2024
Chandralekha Singh receives Graduate Physics Education award
Chandralekha Singh, Distinguished Professor of Physics, was named as the 2024 John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Awardee by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). Singh is recognized for education research work that has profoundly impacted graduate physics education and scholarship in support of graduate physics education at the national and international level, born from her own prolific demonstration of skilled teaching and mentoring practices.
August 13, 2024
Peyman Givi Elected to Spain's Royal Academy of Engineering
Peyman Givi, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh, has been elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAI) of Spain. The RAI promotes engineering in society and independently advises Spanish public and private institutions on matters related to engineering.
August 13, 2024
Nathan Youngblood Receives NSF Award for Early Career Research
The National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is the most prestigious and competitive award for faculty at the beginning of their academic and research calling. For 2024, five assistant professors at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering won a combined $2.75 million in funding and matched a previous school record for the number of CAREER awards in one funding cycle.
August 13, 2024
New Chinese Academy of Sciences Restrictions
Effective May 14th, 2024, the Department of Commerce added four CAS institutes/centers to its Entity List, focusing on quantum research: - Institute of Physics - Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics (also known as Collaborative Innovation Center for Frontiers of Quantum Information and Quantum Technology, Quantum Innovation Institute, and Quantum 2011) - Key Laboratory for Quantum Information (KLQI) - Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, AKA SIMIT; Shanghai Institute of Metallurgy; SIMIT-CAS. Export restrictions apply to anything under the EAR, with a general denial policy for license requests. Faculty working with these institutions should contact their university’s research protections office.
April 24, 2024