Experts in quantum science and technology from around the globe will gather on November 4, both virtually and in person in Chicago, for the fourth annual Chicago Quantum Summit.
The event, hosted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, will bring together academic, government, and industry leaders to discuss how the field can strengthen and expand the quantum ecosystem, on local and global scales.
“The Chicago Quantum Exchange was the first multiple-institution hub, led by the University of Chicago, for quantum information innovation,” said Bohr Quantum Technologies Chairman and CEO Paul Dabbar, a keynote speaker at the summit who is also a former U.S. undersecretary of energy for science. “Its leadership helped to galvanize not only efforts in the region, but also led the way for the National Quantum Initiative. I look forward to the summit.”
Building a vibrant quantum ecosystem requires a diverse, quantum-ready workforce and practical pathways to commercializing technologies, said Chicago Quantum Exchange Director David Awschalom. The summit will address both areas in panels and presentations given by some of the world’s leading minds in quantum information science.
“The community is doing truly pioneering research in quantum science, and we expect it to have a profound impact on people’s everyday lives. But unless we have a robust infrastructure that connects academia to industry and research to the public, the enormous potential of the emerging technology could be limited,” said Awschalom, Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) and the director of Q-NEXT, a DOE quantum information science center led by Argonne National Laboratory. “This year’s Chicago Quantum Summit is an opportunity for us to hear diverse perspectives on building a quantum infrastructure, examine how we’re currently meeting that mission, and identify steps we can take to grow an ecosystem that benefits everyone.”
Among those slated to speak are Charles Tahan, assistant director for quantum information science and director of the National Quantum Coordination Office at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Vanessa Z. Chan, chief commercialization officer and director of the Office of Technology Transitions in the Department of Energy; Jesse Robbers, co-founder and director of Quantum Delta NL; and Doug Finke, publisher and managing editor of the Quantum Computing Report.