Columbia Holds Quantum Industry Workshop

It’s now been 100 years since the advent of quantum mechanics, the branch of physics that describes how nature works at its smallest scales. Columbia has contributed to quantum since its earliest days, and Columbia researchers continue to help bring new advances out of the lab. 

Making such quantum leaps possible takes partners. On August 10, Columbia University welcomed dozens of potential partners to its first Columbia Quantum Industry and Investor Workshop. The event was a showcase of Columbia’s expertise in quantum science and a chance for attendees to discuss use cases for the quantum technologies that Columbia researchers are actively developing, opportunities to build the ecosystems necessary to bring those technologies to market, and how Columbia can best support and collaborate with industry partners. 

“These discussions are critical, especially now,” said Sharon Sputz, associate vice president of research initiatives and development at Columbia Research. “This is a moment in time where combining the research and innovation resources of Columbia University with industry is needed to unlock the next generation of quantum applications.” 

Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering, welcomed the attendees to the event, followed by remarks from Jeannette Wing, executive vice president for research, Alexander Gaeta, David M. Rickey Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at Columbia Engineering, and Dmitri Basov, Higgins Professor of Physics at Columbia. Gaeta and Basov are co-leads of the Columbia Quantum Initiative, a collection of 37 faculty members with expertise in quantum materials, photonics, computing, networking, sensing, and more. 

The event continued with a series of lightning talks highlighting quantum research areas at Columbia of potential industry interest, including: 

• Atomic and Molecular Quantum Systems | Sebastian Will, associate professor of physics
• Quantum Materials Discovery for Emergent Quantum Technologies | Aravind Devarakonda, assistant professor of applied physics and applied mathematics
• Bridging the Connectivity Gap with Photons in Waveguides | Xueyue (Sherry) Zhang, assistant professor of applied physics
• Bringing Quantum Computing Theory to Practice | Henry Yuen, Srivani Family Associate Professor of Computer Science 
• Quantum Networking | Gil Zussman, Kenneth Brayer Professor of Electrical Engineering
• Quantum Ventures and Accelerators (Ecosystem) | Dmytro Pokhylko, senior director of Industry Innovation, Columbia Engineering

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Professors Gaeta, Will, and Zussman, three Columbia Quantum faculty members heavily involved in the expanding New York quantum network, then welcomed attendees into their labs to see their cutting-edge quantum science in action. 

The workshop culminated with closed-door roundtable discussions. Participants expressed interests in quantum-safe security and post-quantum cryptography, as well as quantum networking, timing, and sensing applications that exceed the capabilities of classical systems. They shared various use cases for quantum innovations and explored application areas where collaborations between academia and industry are critical to bringing them to market. In addition to research partnerships, they highlighted the exploration of new shared-lab models, improved tech transfer capabilities, and quantum talent and development as critical complementary elements of those collaborations.

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Plans for continued conversations are already underway, including more technical discussions and opportunities for industry partners to share their own research with Columbia. 

“This workshop was a phenomenal opportunity to receive input from industry leaders that will help shape Columbia’s quantum research projects, inform our quantum education priorities, and expedite the development and adoption of new quantum technologies for the real world,” said Gaeta. “Together, we are putting New York City on the map as a quantum hub.”