The Open Quantum Initiative (OQI) Undergraduate Fellowship offers undergraduate students from minoritized communities the opportunity to gain research experiences working in a quantum science laboratory or research group. With the support of Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) member and partner institutions, this fellowship helps to establish diversity, equity, and inclusion as priorities central to the development of the quantum ecosystem.
Through the Fellowship, students expand their understanding of quantum information science and engineering (QISE), connect with leaders in academia and industry, and increase awareness of quantum career opportunities. The summer experience is aimed at developing students' research literacy skills and exposure to the wide diversity of physics subfields. Students participating in the program spend summers working in person with research groups on challenging QISE projects. Fellows will be awarded:
Research experiences occur across the CQE community including: University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Ohio State University.
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-Ojoojoerin
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 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
Imanol Hernandez
Home Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Major: Physics
OQI Institution: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Andy Licli
Research Topic: The impact of errors on variational quantum algorithms
Inga Kaminsk
Home Institution: Illinois Wesleyan University
Major: Mathematics, Economics
OQI Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Faculty Mentor: Maxim Vavilovvavilov
Research Topic: Superconducting resonators with voltage-controlled frequency and nonlinearity
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 (Kimberly) 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
OQI Institution: QuantCAD
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Flatte
Research Topic: Quantum Sensor project
Ariadna Fernandez
Home Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Computer Science
OQI Institution: MemQ
Faculty Mentor: Robert Pettit
Research Topic: Simulation of Quantum Photonics Systems
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 2023 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.