Terri Fiez (Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, CU Boulder), Kelvin Droegemeier (Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy), Jun Ye (Director, CUbit Quantum Initiative at CU Boulder; Fellow, JILA) met in mid-April 2019 about quantum information science.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have announced that JILA and CU Boulder’s Jun Ye will be one of the members of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). NQIAC was established as part of the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018 and will counsel the administration on ways to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science (QIS).
Quantum science has the potential to further revolution technology in several fields, from computing and precision measurement to secure communication. DOE has already announced blueprint strategy for developing a national quantum internet, bringing the United States to the forefront of the global quantum race and ushering in a new era of communications.
Ye has been internationally recognized for his work on light-matter interactions, particularly in optical atomic clocks. As a JILA and NIST Fellow, Ye’s lab has set numerous first and best-in-the-world records for optical atomic clocks. These clocks are even poised to redefine standards of timekeeping and are used to study phenomena of the quantum world. In 2019 Clarivate Analytics recognized Ye as one of the most highly cited researchers in physics for the sixth year in a row.
His scientific accomplishments have made him a leader in the field. Ye is the director for CUbit, a collaboration between CU Boulder, NIST Quantum Physics Division and Front Range companies to advance quantum science. He was recently chosen to lead Q-SEnSE, a new $25 million National Science Foundation quantum science and engineering research center. Ye is also leading CU’s participation in Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA), one of five new quantum research centers funded by the DOE.
The NQIAC consists of 23 scientists and experts from universities, federal laboratories and industry. The committee will be co-chaired by Charles Tahan, OSTP assistant director for quantum information science and director of the National Quantum Coordination Office, and Kathryn Ann Moler, dean of research at Stanford University.
“Today, the White House is proud to join DOE to announce the members of the NQIAC, an important step forward for the National Quantum Initiative. We look forward to engaging with the entire U.S. innovation ecosystem to advance quantum research and innovation for the betterment of our Nation,” said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios.
The first NQIAC meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 2020, with additional details to come.