Princeton University is expanding its commitment in quantum science and engineering research and education, with plans for a new building, a new graduate program, and a broader leadership structure for its initiative. These expanded programs, along with ongoing recruitment of top faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, reflect the University’s recognition of the transformative potential of quantum science and technology to benefit society in the decades ahead.

The University established the Princeton Quantum Initiative in 2019 and named Andrew Houck, professor of electrical and computer engineering, as director. Now, as Princeton builds towards establishing a permanent institute for quantum science and engineering, as described in the trustees’ recent strategic planning update, the initiative adds Ali Yazdani, the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics, as co-director alongside Houck.

This endowment-enabled initiative will be guided by an executive committee of faculty from four departments across engineering and the natural sciences. The vision for the new institute is to bring together and support faculty and students across science and engineering who are pushing the boundaries of discovery around quantum information, particularly in the areas of quantum computing, communication, and sensing.

“Quantum information continues to be an exciting area with deep, fundamental impacts on science and transformative technological possibilities,” Houck said. “Princeton is playing a leading role in this, and we are ramping up efforts across campus to remain the leading place in the world for this kind of science and engineering for many decades.”

Yazdani added that Princeton’s work in this area stands apart from quantum research at other institutions due to the University’s inclusive approach across disciplines and across the spectrum from foundational science to innovative devices. “With this commitment to constructing a building to house the institute, we have the opportunity to coalesce research and teaching across many disciplines under one roof,” Yazdani said. “It allows us to build a cohesive effort that has a core but touches many other areas of science and engineering.”

The new building will be within easy reach of scholars in engineering, physics, and chemistry, Yazdani said. The initiative also benefits from a growing number of collaborations with scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory managed by Princeton University, including work to design highly specialized materials such as diamonds and superconducting magnets that are needed for quantum experiments and technologies.

The newly established executive committee includes Waseem Bakr, professor of physics; David Huse, the Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics; Nathalie de Leon, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Ran Raz, professor of computer science; Leslie Schoop, associate professor of chemistry; and Jeff Thompson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.