When: Tuesday, July 28, 2026 9:00 am - 5:00 pm CT
Where: Hybrid with in-person attendance at ERC 161 & Atrium, 5640 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637
Description: Join the fifth cohort of Open Quantum Initiative fellows as they present summaries of their summer quantum information science and engineering research. CQE members and partners are invited to attend, meet the fellows, and share opportunities for the following summer.
RSVP to attend in person or online.
Agenda
| Time | |
| 9:00 – 9:15 am CT | Welcome |
| 9:15 – 10:45 am CT |
Group 1 Presentations Aarya Kannikandath Anup; Alvaro Quinones; Ariam Yohannes; Atharva Muley; Cholo Ferrolino; Danielle Nunez |
| 10:45 – 11:00 am CT | Break |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CT |
Group 2 Presentations Ellen Hu; Gabriel Dennis; Gianna Pauline Malabanan; Jacob Joseph; Jada Young; Julius Hochberg |
| 12:30 – 1:00 pm CT | Lunch |
| 1:30 – 2:45 pm CT |
Group 3 Presentations Karrie Kah Yee Chey; Kian Schiffhauer; Lucas Santos; Maxxim Bierwirth; Michael Adebusoye |
| 2:45 – 3:00 pm CT | Break |
| 3:00 – 4:15 pm CT |
Group 4 Presentations Molly Shay; Ryan Manley; Safaa Majied; Sharmila Mustari Nandita; Zeynep Bayraktar |
| 4:15 – 4:30 pm CT | Closing Remarks |
| 4:30 – 5:00 pm CT | Networking in Atrium |
Learn more about the Open Quantum Initiative Undergraduate Fellowship. Questions about the event can be directed to quantum@uchicago.edu.
Meet the fellows:
Home Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Youngseok Kim
Research Topic: A Quantum Algorithmic Approach to Enhancing DFT on Near-Term Hardware
Home Institution: Florida Institute of Technology
Major: Chemical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Mikael Backlund
Research Topic: Using Reporter Spins with Nitrogen Vacancy Centers for Quantum Sensing
Home Institution: Stony Brook University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Chris Anderson
Research Topic: Microfabrication of a Microwave Strip Line for Spin Control in SiC
Home Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Computer Engineering
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Alan Dibos
Research Topic: Thermo-Optically Tuned High Q Nanocavities Towards Engineering Telecom Optical Transitions with Suboptimal Branching Ratios
Home Institution: Augustana College
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Northwestern University
Faculty Mentor: Prem Kumar
Research Topic: Mitigating Polarization Mode Dispersion in Quantum Wrapper Networking
Home Institution: Randolph College
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Angela Kou
Research Topic: Design and Development of a Multiport PCB and Integrated Sample Holder for Superconducting Qubit Measurements
Home Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Major: Material Science and Engineering
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Jiefei Zhang
Research Topic: Optical Characterization of Ce³⁺-Doped CaS for solid state qubit applications
Home Institution: City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Shoemaker
Research Topic: Active Control of Solution Based Crystal Growths For Quantum Materials
Home Institution: Illinois Wesleyan University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Choy
Research Topic: Compact Rubidium Magnetometer for High-Field Measurements
Home Institution: CUNY City College
Major: Applied Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Youngjun Ahn
Research Topic: Polarization Resolved Microscopy Study of Photoluminescene and Photovoltaic Effect in van der waals In2Se3
Home Institution: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Supratik Guha
Research Topic: The Erbium Brightness Project: Synthesis and Characterization of Er³⁺-Doped Crystals
Home Institution: Brown University
Major: Engineering Physics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Robert Jacobberger
Research Topic: Where 2D Meets Quantum: Synthesizing and Characterizing Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Device Applications
Home Institution: DePaul University
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Gabriel Perdue
Research Topic: Machine-Learning Syndrome Decoding for Quantum Error Correction: Toward FPGA Deployment
Home Institution: Western Washington University
Major: Mathematics, Physics
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: David Awschalom
Research Topic: AWG-Based Two-Tone RF Waveform Control for NV-Center Nuclear Spin Gyroscope Experiments;
Home Institution: Santa Monica College
Major: Computer Engineering
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Ben Pingault
Research Topic: Photoluminescence Excitation for Spin Initialization in SiC Divacancies
Home Institution: City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: Alex High
Research Topic: Nanopillar Fabrication in Diamond Membranes
Home Institution: Berea College
Major: Engineering Physics
OQI Institution: Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Singh
Research Topic: RF-Controlled Axial Focus Tuning for Three-Dimensional Optical Tweezer Control
Home Institution: Smith College
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Haidan Wen
Research Topic: Beam Waist Minimization and Characterization for Quantum Materials Studies
Home Institution: Purdue University
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: Purdue University
Faculty Mentor: Vladimir Shalaev
Research Topic: Tailoring and Probing Light-Matter Interactions in Anisotropic and Twisted 2D Materials
Home Institution: DePaul University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Joshua Foster
Research Topic: Computational Optimization of Axion Detection Beyond the Magnetoquasistatic Approximation
Home Institution: Mount Holyoke College
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Adam Quinn
Research Topic: Compact Modelling of the different structures of Single Electron Transistors (SETs)
Home Institution: Miami University-Oxford
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Purdue University
Faculty Mentor: Hadiseh Alaeian
Research Topic: Automated Optical Characterization of Integrated Nanophotonic Devices