Elevating the Quantum@MIT Initiative

Dear colleagues,

We write today to share exciting plans for MIT’s efforts in quantum science and technology, and to launch a faculty search advisory group that will recommend candidates to lead this important initiative.

Last fall, President Kornbluth noted the community’s strong interest in elevating quantum science and technology to the level of an Institute-wide initiative. That initiative is now taking shape, thanks to her support and the vision and input of faculty and researchers across the School of Science, School of Engineering, and Schwarzman College of Computing. We’re calling it the Quantum@MIT Initiative, for now, and moving swiftly to identify a faculty leader (more on that below).

The Quantum@MIT Initiative will accelerate MIT’s already world-leading efforts in quantum science and engineering by fostering greater collaboration among campus labs and with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and by marshalling resources to further substantiate MIT’s commitment to lead in quantum science and engineering. In practical terms, the initiative will:

• Convene the MIT community to define intellectual goals, or missions, where cross-cutting, collaborative research will lead to outcomes that would be difficult for individual labs to achieve alone; and
• Create meaningful connections, engagement, and collaborations between MIT researchers and potential industry and government partners.

Since the famed Endicott House conference of 1981, MIT has embraced its role as the birthplace of a second quantum revolution. More than 80 investigators across campus and Lincoln Laboratory are active in quantum science and engineering, with a high degree of collaboration, entrepreneurial activity, industry and government engagement, and innovation in education and workforce development.

Quantum@MIT, a presidential special initiative, will be administratively housed within the purview of the vice president for research — specifically, affiliated with the Research Laboratory for Electronics — and will have a dedicated administrative team and an advisory committee to be appointed in the future.

Launching a leadership search

We have convened a search advisory group that will identify faculty candidates to lead this new initiative. We are grateful to Professors Marc Baldo (baldo@mit.edu) and Peter Fisher (fisherp@mit.edu), who have agreed to co-chair the group, and to all the members of the advisory committee, whose names are listed below. The search advisory committee will consult with key stakeholders to identify the most important opportunities and challenges where quantum research and education at MIT could have impact and to solicit insights on specific candidates.

If you would like to be considered to lead the Quantum@MIT Initiative, please submit your CV and statement of interest to the co-chairs of the search committee by April 14. You can also reach out to nominate a faculty colleague for the position or to share your thoughts about the search. Your submissions will be treated as confidential.

We have asked the search advisory group to recommend a short list of candidates for consideration on or before May 1.

Lastly, we wish to express our gratitude to Professors Will Oliver, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, and especially Paola Cappellaro, for their leadership over the past year in getting this nascent initiative to this exciting stage. We are delighted by the growing momentum in Quantum@MIT and look forward to sharing more on its progress in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Ian A. Waitz
Vice President for Research

Anantha Chandrakasan
Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer
Dean, School of Engineering

Nergis Mavalvala
Dean, School of Science

Search Advisory Group Members

Marc Baldo (co-chair), Dugald C. Jackson Professor in Electrical Engineering; Director, Research Laboratory of Electronics

Peter Fisher (co-chair), Thomas A. Frank (1977) Professor of Physics; Associate Vice President for Research Computing and Data

Moungi Bawendi, Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry

Karl Berggren, Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor in Electrical Engineering; Faculty Head, Electrical Engineering

Nuh Gedik, Donner Professor of Physics

Aram Harrow, Professor of Physics

Jelena Notaros, Robert J. Shillman (1974) Career Development Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering

Jonilyn Yoder, Associate Group Leader, Quantum-Enabled Computation, MIT Lincoln Laboratory