New York University’s Center for Quantum Information Physics and IBM Quantum, a research arm of the technology company, have partnered to train NYU undergraduate and graduate students in quantum information physics.
IBM Quantum will hire undergraduate and graduate students at the NYU Center for Quantum Information Physics as paid interns as part of the company’s summer internship program. Students participating in the program spend the summer doing collaborative research in quantum information physics at IBM and NYU.
“Quantum computing has the potential to solve valuable problems that classical computation cannot solve,” said IBM quantum researcher and North American education leader Olivia Lanes. “And the field is much, much closer to realizing that potential than I think most people realize. If you have a technology that is maturing as fast as quantum technology, then you need these kinds of industry-academia partnerships to build a workforce capable of using that technology effectively. NYU has long been a tremendous contributor to quantum information science. Now, after launching the Center for Quantum Information Physics, we are excited to do our part to take their student researchers to the next level.”
The immersive summer program provides students with hands-on laboratory experiences that include quantum information theory, quantum hardware, and quantum software.
Students enrolled in the program not only gain hands-on lab experience in quantum information science areas, but also work closely with mentors from IBM Quantum and NYU’s Center for Quantum Information Physics. Mentors will oversee students’ work on joint IBM Quantum and NYU projects while providing foundational training in the academic and professional skills they need to build successful careers in quantum information science, organizers say.
Working on these joint projects will also serve to strengthen research collaborations between IBM Quantum and the university’s physics faculty and students, they add.
“The Center for Quantum Information Physics is more than just a research program,” says Javad Shabani, associate professor of physics at NYU and director of the center, which opened Sept. 1. “A big part of our mission is to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students so they can become true leaders in the quantum working world – to be a hub in New York City that connects academia with industry and the broader scientific community. Partnerships, like the work we’re doing now with IBM Quantum, are an integral part of that mission, and our team looks forward to working with such an important innovator and thought leader in the field of quantum information science.”
“To move quantum computing from theory to reality, the community needs students trained in the unique and missing link between quantum theory, hardware and software,” adds Zlatko Minev, an IBM research scientist. “The IBM Quantum and NYU partnership will begin to bridge this gap to educate the future leaders and innovators of quantum computing.”
Editor’s note:
IBM Quantum is an industry-first IBM initiative aimed at developing universal quantum systems for business and scientific applications. In 2016, the company was the first to bring a quantum computer to the cloud, making quantum hardware more widely available and ushering in an exciting new era in quantum computing research. Now the company is working with its customers and academic partners to further advance quantum computing technology and explore its practical benefits.
Founded in 2022 and led by Professor Javad Shabani, the NYU Center for Quantum Information Physics (CQIP) was created to study fundamental questions at the intersection of quantum physics, condensed matter, engineering and materials science – all in an effort to advance quantum information science and its applications. The CQIP mission is to develop multi-faceted quantum technologies, nurture partnerships and serve as a hub in New York City to connect quantum startups and industries, academics and the broader community in technology and science.
