Quantum Center at Penn

Quantum information, engineering, science and technology (QUIEST) is a transdisciplinary field that draws from physics, materials science, electrical engineering, and information science. By controlling and exploiting quantum-mechanical effects like superposition and entanglement in physical systems, QUIEST is already transforming the way we think about computation and information security. Other near-term applications include quantum communication links and precision sensors for biology, chemistry, and medicine. Penn’s broad strengths in these areas provide an ideal environment for basic QUIEST research and for the translation of impactful technologies.

Penn QUIEST will advance this vision by coordinating activities across the university and in the greater Philadelphia region. It brings together over thirty faculty from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Arts & Sciences.

Lee C. Bassett

Director, Penn QUIEST Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering

quiest@seas.upenn.edu

Our Objectives

  • Initiating and supporting transdisciplinary research projects in QUIEST by promoting interdepartmental and cross-school discourse and scholarship.
  • Expanding research in QUIEST by recruiting top undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and – through a strategic Penn Engineering hiring initiative – faculty who will establish new research and academic programs.
  • Promoting QUIEST in the greater Philadelphia region by establishing partner relationships with industry and local academic institutions.

Research Agenda

Penn QUIEST supports research in the following key areas:

Materials for QUIEST:

Synthesis, characterization and optimization of materials for the storage, manipulation or transduction of quantum information.

Quantum Devices:

Realization of new qubits, quantum sensors and quantum interconnects, especially in combination with integrated electronics and photonics architectures.

Quantum Systems:

Theory of quantum information processing, new architectures for intermediate-scale and fault-tolerant quantum processors, and quantum networking.

QUIEST Impact:

Optimization of quantum sensors for materials science, chemistry, biology and medicine; the use of quantum computers for materials design and data science.