The Open Quantum Initiative (OQI) Undergraduate Fellowship offers undergraduate students the opportunity to gain research experiences working in a quantum science laboratory or research group.
Anais El Akkad
Home Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Goldschmidt
Research Topic: Simulating superradiance in a rare-earth crystal
Atlas Bailly
Home Institution: Cornell University
Major: Physics and Mathematics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Paul Kairys
Research Topic: Quantum control and dynamics of nitrogen-vacancy electron spins
Perla Bran
Home Institution: Wilbur Wright College
Major: Chemical Engineer
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: Peter Duda
Research Topic: Coming soon
Erin Diran-Ojo
Home Institution: University of Michigan
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Jen Choy
Research Topic: Imaging and spectroscopy of color centers in diamond for quantum sensing and communication
Gabriel Gaeta
Home Institution: San Jose State University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Jiefei Zhang
Research Topic: Optical study of ion-ion interactions of rare-earth ions in oxide hosts for quantum memory applications
Manuel Olisser Gomez
Home Institution: Arizona State University
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Ronald M. Reano
Research Topic: Chip-scale quantum integrated optics and photonics
Manny Hernandez
Home Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Andy Li
Research Topic: The impact of errors on variational quantum algorithms
Jade Kaminska
Home Institution: Illinois Wesleyan University
Major: Mathematics, Economics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Maxim Vavilov
Research Topic: Parametric Energy Transfer Between Microwave Resonators
Santiago Lopez
Home Institution: Purdue University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Gabe Perdue
Research Topic: Running quantum error correction (QEC) algorithms on a low-latency cryogenic electronics module for the readout and control of qubits
Matthew Lu
Home Institution: Vanderbilt University
Major: Physics; Mathematics
OQI Institution: Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Roland Kawakami
Research Topic: Optical studies of magnetism in quantum materials including 2D magnets and twisted 2D semiconductors
Kenneth Muhammad
Home Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Major: Electrical Science and Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Paul Kwiat
Research Topic: Integrated optics for time-bin encoding and improved detector performance
Natasha Ninan
Home Institution: University of Akron
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Mikhail Kats
Research Topic: Electromagnetic simulations, and the design and optimization of optical structures for interfacing with quantum systems
Peter Mugaba Noertoft
Home Institution: Stanford University
Major: Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: David Awschalom
Research Topic: Room temperature NV magnetometer for diamond growth characterization
Shlesha Patel
Home Institution: Wilbur Wright College
Major: Mechanical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Peter Abbamonte
Research Topic: Measure the noise characteristics and quantum efficiency of a charged particle detector
Jonathan Andrade Plascencia
Home Institution: Cornell University
Major: Chemistry, Physics
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Gabe Perdue
Research Topic: Studying quantum error correction (QEC) algorithms on a low-latency cryogenic electronics module for the readout and control of qubits
Rachelle Rosiles
Home Institution: Illinois Institute of Technology
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Nazar Delegan
Research Topic: Investigation and quantum sensing of diamond surfaces and dark reporter spins using NV- in delta-doped diamond
Selvin Tobar
Home Institution: Wilbur Wright College
Major: Chemical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Shoemaker
Research Topic: Synthesis of rare-earth-based quantum information storage materials
Rain Wang
Home Institution: Harvard University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Joe Heremans
Research Topic: Exploring quantum communication protocols under real-world conditions
Alejandro Aponte
Home Institution: Florida International University
Major: Physics
Industry Internship: QuantCAD
Industry Mentor: Jennifer Flatte
Ariadna Fernandez
Home Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Computer Science
Industry Internship: MemQ
Industry Mentor: Robert Pettit
Gustavo Aldas
Home Institution: Passaic County Community College
Major: Electrical & Computer Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Mikael Backlund
Research Topic: Nanoscale Magnetic Imaging Using Quantum Defects in Diamond
Alejandro Aponte
Home Institution: Florida International University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Goldschmidt
Research Topic: Development of an Imaging System to Aid the Creation of an Optical Quantum Memory Based on Rare-earth Atoms in Cryogenically Cooled Solid-state Host
Ekaterina Arutyunova
Home Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Major: Physics & Electrical Engineering
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Choy
Research Topic: Investigating the Impact of Low-Energy Electron Beam Irradiation on Nitrogen-Vacancy Formation in Diamond
Cody Castle
Home Institution: Wilbur Wright College
Major: Computer Engineering
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Heremans
Research Topic: Automation and Development of Diamond Membrane Delamination Process
Eric J’Ryan Daniels
Home Institution: Stanford University
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: The Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Jay Gupta
Research Topic: Utilizing surface science techniques in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) to characterize and control the properties of individual quantum point defects
Ariadna Fernandez
Home Institution: University of Illinois Chicago
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: Laura Gagliardi
Research Topic: Optimizing the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) for the LAS-UCC Ground State Energy Estimation Algorithm
Kaytlin Faith Harrison
Home Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Baha Balantekin
Research Topic: Pulse-level Quantum Computing of Collective Neutrino Oscillations
Louisa Mary Kaplan
Home Institution: The College of William & Mary
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: The Ohio State University
Faculty Mentor: Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin
Research Topic: Tunneling Current in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Measured by Conductive AFM
Healey Kogan
Home Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Engineering Physics
OQI Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty Mentor: Jacob Covey
Research Topic: Fabry-Perot Test Cavity Development and Experimentation
Joseph Oluwole
Home University: Chicago State University
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: Fermilab
Faculty Mentor: Gabriel Perdue
Research Topic: Qiskit Pulses and Transmon qubits in Quantum Computing
Adrian Portales
Home Institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Major: Mechanical Engineering
OQI Institution: Argonne National Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Supratik Guha
Research Topic: Development of a Methodology for Stacking Dissimilar Crystalline Materials to Make Quantum Devices
Tiarna Marie Wise
Home Institution: Coppin State University
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: University of Chicago
Faculty Mentor: David Awschalom
Research Topic: Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK) for Optically Active Spin Qubits
Funding for the Summer 2024 Open Quantum Initiative is provided by: the University of Chicago, Q-NEXT at Argonne National Laboratory, the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, HQAN at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, The Ohio State University, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and UChicago’s Inclusive Innovation in the Sciences Fund.