QCIS-FF: Quantum Computing & Information Science Faculty Fellow at Stony Brook University

Quantum Computing, enabled by the convergence of physical sciences, computer science, engineering, and mathematics, has an enormous potential to revolutionize computing and communications and thus make a huge impact on a variety of applied sectors critical for economic growth and national security. However, the development of practical quantum computing is still in its infancy, with a number of open engineering and research challenges in the areas of computation, communication, simulation, and sensing. Unlocking the full potential of quantum computing will need a concerted effort in building a large-capacity quantum computing workforce. At present, very few Computer Science, Information Science or Computer Engineering departments in US universities have significant expertise in quantum computing that will enable the creation of such a workforce. This award aims at hiring a junior-level tenure-track faculty as an NSF Faculty Fellow in the Computer Science (CS) Department at Stony Brook University. The university already has a strong research group in quantum-related areas including quantum information science, quantum communications and quantum simulation in its Physics and Astronomy Department. This group will provide the necessary interdisciplinary connections. The CS department also has notable strengths in the areas of computer architecture, networks, cryptography, security, theory, distributed systems, programming languages, and machine learning. These areas will be bolstered by this hiring opportunity via radical reformulation of traditional approaches using quantum computing and communications principles. The university will hire a Faculty Fellow in the areas of quantum algorithms and networking, to maximize the potential for collaboration with existing areas of strength in the department. The department, the university, and its external partners have an environment for collaborative research and education, and structures to support professional growth, to enable the Fellow thrive and progress towards a leadership role the area of quantum computing. Successful accomplishment of the proposal objective will also have a broad impact of educating future computer science students on topic of quantum computing, thus facilitating a quantum-ready workforce of the future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.