Experts in quantum science and technology from around the globe will gather on November 4 for the fourth annual Chicago Quantum Summit.
The fourth annual Chicago Quantum Summit will feature presentations and discussions focusing on growing quantum ecosystems, commercializing research, and complex issues such as workforce development and inclusion — on both local and global scales.
Hosted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, this year’s summit will take place Thursday, November 4, 2021, 9:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. (CST) with both in-person and virtual components.
“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 US 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.”
Building a vibrant quantum ecosystem requires a diverse, quantum-ready workforce and practical pathways to commercializing technologies, noted Chicago Quantum Exchange Director David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor and Vice Dean for Research of the Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering at UChicago and senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory.
“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,” added Awschalom, who also is the director of Q-NEXT, a Department of Energy quantum information science center led by Argonne. “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, cofounder and director of Quantum Delta NL; and Doug Finke, publisher and managing editor of the Quantum Computing Report.
The founders of six quantum startup companies currently participating in the Duality – the first accelerator program in the nation exclusively dedicated to supporting quantum startups – also will discuss their insights on bringing quantum technologies to market.
UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chicago Quantum Exchange launched Duality earlier this year to help quantum startups bridge the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace that is a critical barrier to success for emerging technologies. Led by the Polsky Center and the Chicago Quantum Exchange, Duality is also reinforced by founding partners, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne, and P33.
“I look forward to participating in a global conversation on how we, as a community, can create greater cross-collaboration — between people, organizations, disciplines, sectors, even nations — to grow the quantum ecosystem,” said Cathy Foley, keynote speaker at the summit and Australia’s chief scientist. “Quantum information science is an international effort, and for it to succeed, we must all work to open research channels, paths for technology adoption, and workforce pipelines. Australia’s work is progressing apace, so I am also interested in hearing updates from all players.”
The Chicago Quantum Exchange, headquartered at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, is a hub of leading academic researchers, top scientific facilities, and industry collaborators that works to advance the science and engineering of quantum information, train the next generation of quantum scientists and engineers, and drive the quantum economy.
As a partnership between UChicago, Argonne, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University, as well as 30 industry partners, it brings together more than 130 researchers from across the Midwest and represents one of the largest collaborative teams working on quantum science in the world.
// Learn more about the speakers, view the agenda, and register for the online event on the 2021 Chicago Quantum Summit website.