The quantum computers have arrived, but they still have issues. Despite incredible promise, the quantum architectures available today remain limited in scale and handicapped by error and noise, falling short thus far of the killer app that would launch a new era of computing. With a new NSF CAREER Award, UChicago Computer Science Assistant Professor Bill Fefferman will pursue the theory and algorithms needed to leap this hurdle, discovering the unique talents that even today’s imperfect quantum computers can do better than their classical counterparts.
The CAREER Award is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious program for early-career faculty, given to candidates with the potential to advance their field through research and education. Fefferman, who joined UChicago CS in 2019, has already established himself as a promising figure at the intersection of quantum computing theory and experimentation.