quantum biology phd programs

Quantum Biology

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The new emerging field of quantum biology studies the way quantum mechanics governs biological processes. True progress in this field, awaits for an interdisciplinary approach, leveraging knowledge gained and tools developed in other fields. Our group applies state of the art pump and probe tools developed in our laboratory to study quantum materials, to understand some of the fundamental still unsolved processes in biology.

Projects of interest include: What drives protein folding and unfolding and how can we control it? How can we speed up catalysis? What are the mechanisms that drive phase separation inside cells and what is their role in leading to ‘cancer cells’? What is the role of topology, phase transitions and fluctuations in determining biological functions?

New Quantum Biology Center at UCLA

Posted on September 22, 2021

Professor Justin Caram will play a key role in the development of the new CNSI Quantum Biology Center at UCLA, where students and early-career researchers will be trained, and interdisciplinary research collaborations will be fostered. 

The new center at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA is dedicated to interdisciplinary research on the possible quantum underpinnings of biological processes.  

Caram joined the chemistry and bIochemistry faculty in July 2017. His group develops and studies novel photophysical materials using photon-resolved spectroscopic methods. To learn more about Caram’s research, visit his group’s website .

Center lead, Professor Clarice Aiello, UCLA assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Caram are Co-PIs on an NSF supported research coordination network, “Instrumentation for Quantum Biology” which aims to bridge the gap between biologists, chemists and physicists interested in how quantum technology can help us understand living systems. Following up on their successful quantum biology roundtable, which they began holding in April 2020, the CNSI quantum biology institute will continue this important work.

Other UCLA chemistry faculty involved in the quantum biology roundtable were CNSI members Professors Paul Weiss and Chong Liu. 

Academic centers specializing in quantum biosciences already exist in the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Denmark and Japan, but the Quantum Biology Center at UCLA is the first such hub in the U.S.

From CNSI News (by Wayne Lewis):

CNSI launches Quantum Biology Center at UCLA

First U.S. hub for research into small-scale basis of biological processes will focus on community-building

The goal of the Quantum Biology Center at UCLA, is to train students and early-career scientists by fostering research collaborations and promoting scientific networking. From left to right Ph.D. students Brittany Lu, post-doc Ana Valdes-Curiel and Ph.D student Vanessa Scheller collaborate in the Quantum Biology Tech lab led by Clarice Aiello.

(photo credit: California NanoSystems Institute/UCLA)

Congratulations to this year’s Dissertation Year Fellowship recipients

Abigail Doyle named to Cell Press 50 Scientists that Inspire list

UCLA Daily Bruin features article about the late Professor Daniel Atkinson

Paul S. Weiss named recipient of the 2024 Sigma Xi Procter Prize

UCLA receives $1 million NSF grant to accelerate commercialization of quantum technologies

Keriann Backus wins 2024 ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award

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Quantum Biology PhD

University of surrey, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, university information, similar courses at this uni, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Biology (General) Quantum Mechanics

Course type

Why choose this programme

Contribute to an emerging and exciting discipline, that could hold the key to new approaches in solar energy, drugs and diagnostics, and even improve our understanding of how the brain works and the conceptual foundations of quantum theory Carry out research using our advanced spectroscopy, ion beam proton irradiation, nanotechnology and mass spectrometry facilities within our Advanced Technology Institute, plus additional facilities at our partner institute, the National Physical Laboratory Join the Leverhulme Doctoral Training Centre for Quantum Biology – the first centre of its kind in the world.

What you will study

Our Quantum Biology PhD gives you the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary research programme in a theoretical or experimental area of the discipline.

Depending on the availability of studentships, you could explore a topic such as:

Photosynthesis Molecular mechanisms of mutation Enzymes Olfaction Nanobiotechnology Synthetic biology Spin chemistry and biology.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Applicants are expected to hold a first or upper-second class degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent overseas qualification), or a lower second plus a good Masters degree (distinction normally required).

The University of Surrey was established in 1891, and has a rich history of education and innovation. Surrey welcomes more than 3,500 postgraduate students to its campus annually, and the university is home to an academic community which is represented by over 120 countries from around the world. Surrey is renowned for celebrating diversity, with cultural inclusivity is at the centre of all its activities. Surrey is a research-driven... more

Biosciences and Medicine PhD

Full time | 4 years | OCT-24

Biosciences and Medicine MD

Full time | 3 years | OCT-24

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Postgraduate research opportunities

We are uniquely placed to offer postgraduate research opportunities in quantum biology. As well as standard biological and physics resources, our PhD students also have access to advanced spectroscopy, ion beam proton irradiation, nanotechnology and mass spectrometry facilities within our Advanced Technology Institute, and additional facilities at our partner institute, the National Physical Laboratory.

Why study quantum biology?

Evidence is growing that quantum behaviours may play a non-trivial role in a number of processes found in nature. Entanglement (spooky action at a distance), superposition (where objects can exist in two places at once) and tunnelling (travel through impenetrable barriers) are all involved to varying degrees in the biological processes of photosynthesis, respiration, enzyme action, olfaction, bird navigation and mutation. These quantum behaviours, harnessed in a biological capacity finally address some unanswered questions, and in the process may uncover new approaches to solar power, drug discovery or new diagnostics, in addition to biomimetic modelling of quantum computing.​

Further reading

Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology

A quantum mechanical model of adaptive mutations, J. McFadden and J.S. Al-Khalili, BioSystems 50 (1999) 203–211.

Enzyme dynamics and hydrogen tunnelling in a thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase. Kohen, A., Cannio, R., Bartolucci, S., & Klinman, J. P. (1999). Nature, 399(6735), 496.

Resonance effects indicate a radical-pair mechanism for avian magnetic compass. Ritz, T., Thalau, P., Phillips, J. B., Wiltschko, R., & Wiltschko, W. (2004). Nature, 429(6988), 177.

Atomic description of an enzyme reaction dominated by proton tunneling. Masgrau, L., Roujeinikova, A., Johannissen, L. O., Hothi, P., Basran, J., Ranaghan, K. E., ... & Leys, D. (2006). Science, 312(5771), 237-241.

Evidence for wavelike energy transfer through quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems. Engel, G. S., Calhoun, T. R., Read, E. L., Ahn, T. K., Mančal, T., Cheng, Y. C., ... & Fleming, G. R. (2007). Nature, 446(7137), 782.

Molecular vibration-sensing component in Drosophila melanogaster olfaction. Franco, M. I., Turin, L., Mershin, A., & Skoulakis, E. M. (2011). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(9), 3797-3802.

Environment-induced dephasing versus von Neumann measurements in proton tunneling, A.D. Godbeer, J.S. Al-Khalili, and P.D. Stevenson, Phys. Rev. A 90 (2014) 012102.

Modelling proton tunnelling in the adenine–thymine base pair, AD. Godbeer, J.S. Al-Khalili and P.D. Stevenson, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 17 (2015) 13034-13044.

The origins of quantum biology, J McFadden and J.S. Al-Khalili, submitted to Proc. Royal Soc. A (2018).

Quantum Biology PhD

Our PhD in Quantum Biology gives you the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary research programme in a theoretical or experimental area of the discipline. Depending on the availability of studentships, you could explore a topic such as photosynthesis, molecular mechanisms of mutation, enzymes, olfaction, nanobiotechnology or synthetic biology.

Expert support

The University's Doctoral College supports the academic and professional development of postgraduate researchers to ensure our world-leading research continues to grow. There is also an extensive Researcher Development Programme run at university level.

Find a supervisor

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University News | 4.26.2021

Harvard to Launch Quantum Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program

Renovation of 60 oxford street will create a quantum hub where theorists and engineers work side by side..

After renovation, 60 Oxford Street will become the hub for quantum science and engineering at Harvard. Photograph by Kristina DeMichele/Harvard Magazine. 

Harvard will launch a Ph.D. program in quantum science and engineering, one of the first in the world, the University announced today. The program has been designed to train the next generation of leaders and innovators in a domain of physics already having transformative effects on electrical engineering and computer science, biology and chemistry—and poised to transform other fields, too, as researchers demonstrate increasing capability to harness and control quantum effects that defy explanations based on the principles of classical physics alone. Simultaneously, the University revealed that it plans a major renovation of 60 Oxford Street in order to house key portions of its ambitious quantum program. The transformation of that 94,000 gross-square-foot building, constructed in 2007, into a quantum-science and engineering hub is made possible by what the University described in a statement as “generous support from Stacey L. and David E. Goel ’93 and several other alumni.”  

“Existing technologies,” said David Goel in the statement, “are reaching the limit of their capacity and cannot drive the innovation we need for the future, specifically in areas like semiconductors and the life sciences.” The co-founder and managing general partner of Matrix Capital Management Company, LP (a hedge fund based in Waltham, Massachusetts), called quantum science “an enabler, providing a multiplier effect…a catalyst that drives scientific revolutions and epoch-making paradigm shifts.” (The Goels  previously made a $100-million gift to catalyze the University’s formation of a performing-arts venue  in Allston that will include the relocated American Repertory Theater.) 

The new doctoral degree builds on the 2018 launch of the Harvard Quantum Initiative,  co-led  by Silsbee professor of physics John Doyle, Tarr-Coyne professor of applied physics and of electrical engineering Evelyn Hu, and Leverett professor of physics Mikhail Lukin. Its program of study will draw on existing courses in quantum science—which encompasses physics at the scale of atoms and sub-atomic particles, or that is linked to the discrete energy states (quanta) associated with these objects—as well as courses in materials science, photonics, computer science, chemistry, and related fields. The aim is to provide, within a community of scholars and engineers, a foundational core curriculum that Hu said will dramatically reduce “the time to basic quantum proficiency for a community of students who will be the future innovators, researchers, and educators in quantum science and engineering.” The  program is expected to admit its first cohort of Ph.D. candidates —about six students—in the fall of 2022; eventually, it will enroll 35 to 40 candidates. They will learn how to build quantum materials, including quantum bits (“qubits”) that perform switching functions analogous to those found in classical computers; how to stabilize and extend the life of quantum states; and how to design quantum information networks, among other skills. 

The Ph.D. program

Quantum science and engineering is “a brand new field in many ways,” explained Hu, the faculty co-director, with Doyle, of the new doctoral program. Although Harvard and other institutions have invested in the study of quantum physics for decades, “This particular moment is timely”—and unusual, she said in an interview: even though “there’s still a tremendous amount of basic science to explore, and fundamental scientific questions and challenges,…companies are seizing the opportunity to go forward with commercial products.” Industry has recognized that quantum behaviors can be harnessed for practical use, even without an understanding of precisely why they exist. The entanglement of particles is one example, because it enables unbreakable quantum cryptography over quantum communication networks. Entangled photons and electrons are particles that have become linked, so that the state of one, when queried, is instantaneously “communicated” to the other, no matter where or how far away in the universe that entangled counterpart might be. Thus, if someone tried to steal data encoded using a quantum key by probing one of the particles, the other particle would immediately reveal the interference.

Currently, there simply aren’t enough graduates with expertise in quantum engineering to satisfy corporate demand. To fill that gap and advance basic science research in the field, the new doctoral program, said Hu, will provide an integrated approach that builds on quantum behaviors in “not just physics, not just chemistry, electrical engineering, computer science, applied math, and mechanical engineering, but a whole host of other disciplines. That is what motivates the Ph.D. program that we just launched.”

Christopher Stubbs, science division dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Moncher professor of physics and of astronomy, called Harvard’s investment in the field—at a time when University budgets are constrained, and hiring of new faculty has been limited in many other areas—“significant.” Beyond the renovation of 60 Oxford Street, several searches for new faculty members are already under way, in hopes of recruiting as many as 10 during the next decade to join an already active group of researchers and educators in the field. Several current faculty members have made notable contributions within the quantum domain in the past year alone, including assistant professor of physics Julia Mundy (the recipient of a $875,000 Packard Award to pursue her research in novel quantum materials during the next five years); professor of physics in residence Susanne Yelin (named a fellow of the Optical Society for “pioneering theoretical work in quantum optics”); and Kahn associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology and of physics Kang-Kuen Ni. (In 2018, Ni joined atoms of sodium and cesium, which normally don’t react with each other, into a single molecule that lasted for an instant. This year, her lab members were able to extend the life of that dipolar molecule to three and half seconds—more than enough time to make it useful in quantum applications.)

Numerous existing centers throughout the University will add depth in both quantum science and engineering in a variety of specific research areas. The  Center for Integrated Quantum Materials , for example, is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center for studying quantum materials with unconventional properties; the  Center for Nanoscale Systems  is focused on  the science of small things , and their integration into larger systems; the  Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for Quantum Optics  is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Harvard’s physics department that conducts research and education in a broad range of quantum sciences including metrology (measurement) and quantum-based information science. And the Center for Ultracold Atoms is a joint NSF Physics Frontier Center run together with MIT, with which Harvard has a longstanding collaboration in quantum-science investigations. John Doyle adds that he and his colleagues want to expand on this constellation of domain expertise by establishing a center for quantum theory in the new building, to which they can invite colleagues from around the world. At the practical, hands-on end of the spectrum, the building will also feature an instructional lab where undergraduate and graduate students will have an opportunity to work with quantum systems. Common areas in the building, he added, will provide natural opportunities “for theorists and experimentalists to connect.”

“An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity,” summed up Frank Doyle, dean of the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Armstrong professor of engineering and applied sciences (and no relation to John Doyle). Collaborations, he emphasized, will play an important role in that acceleration. To speed the translation of applied research into industrial products, Dean Doyle described a vision for “integrated partnerships where we invite partners from the private sector to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs, and where our faculty connect to the private sector and national labs” that have been affiliated with five quantum-information science research centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The broad aim, he said, is to learn about “cutting-edge applications, as well as help translate…basic research into useful tools for society.”

Even though engineering using quantum behaviors can advance ahead of basic scientific understanding in some cases, as Evelyn Hu pointed out, predicting the behavior of quantum systems will require quantum computational abilities. A key applied-research area that will advance both the basic science and the engineering involves quantum simulation, a precursor to broadly useful quantum computation. Quantum simulators can be used to describe and potentially predict the behavior of quantum systems and materials. For example, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) is now being used at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to identify small molecules in living subjects. To identify the molecules, NMR relies on a quantum probabilistic process. Interpreting the results with traditional computers would take days, but pairing a classical computer with a quantum simulator—a special-purpose computer which itself operates on quantum probabilistic principles—can identify the molecules in minutes.  

In another example, quantum-materials engineers use one-atom-thick sheets of crystalline materials like graphene that have perfect symmetry (and no dangling bonds) to create new structures for controlling the behavior of electrons. When two sheets of this atomically identical material are placed atop one another, and one layer is then rotated slightly, a moiré pattern is created that contains areas of high and low energy—a kind of landscape of mountains and valleys with extraordinary tunable properties. Electrons trapped between the sheets congregate in the low-energy valleys, according to the bilayer material’s changing optical and electrical properties (which depend on the angle of rotation). But predicting exactly  what  those properties will be, so that they can be used for quantum-based electronics, is beyond the capability of classic computers, even those deploying artificial intelligence and advanced deep learning techniques.

Past successes in quantum-materials design, such as the  extraordinary development of the quantum cascade laser by Wallace professor of applied physics Federico Capasso , were based on the behavior of  single  particles. Now investigators hope to exploit the vastly greater intricacy of polyatomic molecules, with three or more atoms, to make materials and devices with complex properties unexplainable using classical models of physics. The University’s deepening research and development capacity in this transformative field, in collaboration with other institutions, national laboratories, and industry, appears poised to provide both solid and compelling training for prospective scholars.

Candidates interested in the new Ph.D. in quantum science and engineering can learn more about the program philosophy, curriculum, and requirements  here.

  Read the University announcement here. 

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Quantum Biology

University of Surrey is uniquely placed to offer a PhD in the Quantum Biology programme. We’re home to the Leverhulme Doctoral Training Centre for Quantum Biology (QB-DTC) – the first centre of its kind in the world.

Why choose this programme

Recent research suggests that quantum mechanics appears to play an important role in many biological processes, such as photosynthesis, enzyme action and mutation. This emerging and exciting discipline – known as quantum biology – could hold the key to new approaches in solar energy, drugs and diagnostics. It might even improve our understanding of how the brain works. It’s also shedding light on the conceptual foundations of quantum theory.

As well as standard biological and physics resources, the students in the  Quantum Biology programme of the University of Surrey  have access to advanced spectroscopy, ion beam proton irradiation, nanotechnology and mass spectrometry facilities within our Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), plus additional facilities at our partner institute, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

The University has a strong reputation for PhD training and we’re currently home to more than 1,000 postgraduate researchers and nearly 450 supervisors, working together across over 170 research areas. The most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014 rated 84 per cent of our research output as world-leading or internationally excellent.

We also have an excellent graduate employability record, and the collaborative, interdisciplinary and industry-relevant nature of our research means you’ll make contacts, gain skills and get practical experience that will give you an edge with employers.

What you will study

Our PhD in Quantum Biology gives you the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary research programme in a theoretical or experimental area of the discipline. Depending on the availability of studentships, you could explore a topic such as photosynthesis, molecular mechanisms of mutation, enzymes, olfaction, nanobiotechnology or synthetic biology.

As a PhD student, you’ll become part of Surrey’s QB-DTC, putting you at the heart of a community of academics, postdoctoral researchers and guest scientists. In the first year, you’ll embark on a training programme of interdisciplinary seminars. These workshops are designed to ‘fill in the gaps’ in physics for biologists and in biology for students from a physical science or mathematics background.

You’ll be co-supervised by academics who are experts in their areas of research and they’ll guide you through your PhD. These academics are from a range of University departments, including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computing and Biosciences, as well as the ATI. They’ll help you define the objectives and scope of your research, and help you learn the experimental, theoretical and computing skills you’ll need to complete your research. You’ll normally meet with your supervisors every week or every other week. 

After your first 12 months, you’ll complete a confirmation report, which will be assessed by independent examiners. Your PhD will be assessed overall by a written thesis after you’ve studied for at least three years.

Throughout your studies, you’ll have regular opportunities to meet other PhD students, academics and staff at our informal postgraduate research forum meetings, and to get involved in socials and other events.

Get more details

Programme structure.

• Photosynthesis
• Molecular mechanisms of mutation
• Nanobiotechnology
• Synthetic biology

Check out the full curriculum

Key information.

• 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

• Apply before 2024-10-18 00:00:00
• Apply before 2025-02-28 00:00:00
• Apply before 2025-04-19 00:00:00
• Apply before 2025-07-01 00:00:00

Maximise your IELTS score with the British Council! Sign up for free and get access to free mock tests, training videos and webinars with IELTS Ready.

Disciplines

Explore more key information, academic requirements, english requirements, student insurance.

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

• Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
• Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
• Home contents and baggage

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Surrey and/or in United Kingdom, please visit Student Insurance Portal .

Other requirements

General requirements.

• Applicants are expected to hold a first or upper-second class degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent overseas qualification), or a lower second plus a good Masters degree (distinction normally required).
• IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6 in each individual category.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Quantum Biology.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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Quantum Science and Engineering

PhD in Molecular Engineering

PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering

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For general inquiries about the PhD program, questions on financial aid, or to schedule a visit to PME, please contact  [email protected]

David Taylor Dean of Students [email protected] Phone: 773.834.2057

Quantum resources and initiatives

• Chicago Quantum Exchange
• James Franck Institute

The PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering program provides students with the opportunity to study with some of  the most prominent researchers  working in both fundamental and applied aspects of quantum science. The program encompasses a variety of engineering topics that will help shape the quantum future. This includes quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing, as well as research in quantum materials. Students have the option of working with one or more thesis advisors to build a cross-cutting research project that touches multiple disciplines.

Our graduate students work within a growing nexus of quantum research in Chicago, which includes the  Chicago Quantum Exchange , two Department of Energy funded national quantum information science research centers  Q-NEXT  and  SQMS , the  NSF QuBBE Quantum Leap Challenge Institute , one of the  longest ground-based quantum communication channels  in the country, and much more.

Students perform their research in state-of-the-art facilities at both the  University of Chicago  and  Argonne National Laboratory  campuses, and have opportunities to gain industry expertise through interactions with UChicago’s  Booth School of Business  and the  Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation , as well as our  industry and corporate partners . More opportunities are available through our robust programs in  career development and entrepreneurship ,  science communication ,  mentoring training and opportunities , and  educational outreach .

Program overview

Learn more about our curriculum structure, inclusive and student-centered approach to education and research, programs to support career development, and more.

Enroll today

Learn more about the application process.

Noah Glachman

Bernien Lab

“Quantum computing has the potential to solve some of the world's biggest problems. I'm proud to be a part of a team here making that happen.”

Anchita Addhya

“PME brings these diverse fields together and has this very collaborative environment that I really appreciate.”

José A. Méndez

Awschalom Lab (co-advised by Hannes Bernien)

“Study something that you find interesting and I guarantee we can use you here.”

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It’s Time to Take Quantum Biology Research Seriously

• Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, US

Imagine healing an injury by applying a tailored magnetic field to a wound. This outcome might sound fantastical, but researchers have shown that cell proliferation and wound healing, among other important biological functions, can be controlled by magnetic fields with strengths on the order of those produced by cell phones. This kind of physiological response is consistent with one caused by quantum effects in electron spin-dependent chemical reactions. However (and it’s a big however), while researchers have unambiguously established such reactions for in vitro experiments, they have not done so for in vivo studies. The barriers to in vivo experiments stem both from the absence of experimental infrastructure to perform true quantum measurements inside biological systems and from a misunderstanding of what quantum behaviors in biology are and why they matter. In my opinion, it is time to set the record straight so that we can legitimize work in this field. Quantum biology findings could enable the development of new drugs and of noninvasive therapeutic devices to heal the human body, as well as provide an opportunity to learn how nature builds its own quantum technologies.

Quantum biology researchers study the inherent quantum degrees of freedom of biological matter with the goal of understanding and controlling these phenomena. To a physicist, I’d describe quantum biology as the study of light–matter interactions, where the matter is living. Quantum biology is not the study of classical biology using quantum tools, nor is it the application of quantum computers or of quantum machine learning to drug discovery or healthcare big data processing, and it definitely has nothing to do with the manipulation of free will, with the origin of consciousness, or with other New Age buzzwords.

Experimental evidence consistent with quantum effects existing in biological systems has been around for more than 50 years. One example is the spin-dependent chemical reaction thought to allow birds to navigate using Earth’s weak magnetic field. Today, there is no doubt that such phenomena play important roles in laboratory biological systems—for example, it is uncontroversial that quantum superpositions can manifest in proteins in solution for long enough that they influence chemical processes. But as yet there is no unambiguous experimental evidence that a single living cell can maintain or utilize quantum superposition states within its molecules, as is required, for example, if birds truly use a quantum process as a compass.

This lack of experimental verification is one of the main reasons that the field is considered inconsequential by funders and by the established quantum and biophysics communities. Yes, sophisticated experiments have been performed with single molecules in solution and with whole organisms (birds and flies, for example). But these experiments only show correlation, not causation, between a molecule’s or an organism’s behavior and quantum physics. Bridging that gap will require performing truly quantum measurements inside biological matter using challenging combinations of quantum instrumentation and wet lab techniques.

Another reason quantum biology is not considered a legitimate field of science is the absence of a cohesive quantum biology community. That deficit is beginning to change, but further efforts are needed in that direction. In early 2020, people in my lab and in the Quantum Biology Doctoral Training Centre at the University of Surrey, UK, started an online seminar series called Big Quantum Biology Meetings. The seminars provide a forum for the more than 600 quantum biology researchers and enthusiasts signed up to our mailing list to meet informally once a week. Other efforts to create a cohesive community include establishing a Gordon Research Conference on Quantum Biology, the first of which happened earlier this year and was attended by 150 people, and the gaining of support from the National Science Foundation for a Research Coordination Network on “Instrumentation for Quantum Biology.”

A point of pride of the Big Quantum Biology Meetings series is the intentional incorporation of inclusive practices in the seminars. For example, each meeting starts with a short presentation from a trainee, which we define as anyone without a permanent position, giving them and their work exposure. The trainee is then the host and mediator for the rest of the meeting. The main speaker also gives a “DEIJ moment”—one slide on anything related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice that has impacted their scientific life.

A final reason why quantum biology struggles in being accepted as a stand-alone field is the continued presence of scientific silos at institutions. If cells and organisms are using quantum effects to function optimally, a cohort of interdisciplinary experts is needed to collaboratively explore the problem. In my opinion, this collaboration would ideally take place in a quantum biology-focused institute where scientists can easily and organically work together. Recently, in an example of this idea, Japan unveiled the Institute for Quantum Life Science, which brings chemists, biologists, engineers, clinicians, physicists, and others under one roof to work on quantum biology research questions. The development of a similar institute in the US could help in irrevocably establishing this field—which will have, I believe, radical consequences for the biological, medical, and physical sciences.

About the Author

Clarice Aiello is a quantum engineer interested in how quantum physics informs biology at the nanoscale. She is an expert on nanosensors that harness room-temperature quantum effects in noisy environments. Aiello received a bachelor’s in physics from the Ecole Polytechnique, France; a master’s degree in physics from the University of Cambridge, Trinity College, UK; and a PhD in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She held postdoctoral appointments in bioengineering at Stanford University and in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Two months before the pandemic, she joined the University of California, Los Angeles, where she leads the Quantum Biology Tech (QuBiT) Lab.

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The graduate program in Quantum Science and Engineering accepts applications only for the PhD degree. Although graduate students can earn a continuing AM (Master of Arts) degree along the way to completing their PhDs, the program does not accept applications specifically for terminal AM degrees.

The objective of the Quantum Science and Engineering program is to prepare investigators with diverse backgrounds for research careers in which the concepts and methods of quantum mechanics are applied to innovative science and practical, useful platforms for quantum sensing, simulation, and computation. This objective will be met through a set of core courses and individually designed paths involving additional elective courses in physics, chemistry, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), research group rotations, qualifying examinations, independent research, and thesis writing.

Although no two PhD students follow precisely the same path, students should keep in mind the following general timeline.

Student Advisory Committee

The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) will oversee the advising process for all students. This will include creating the student’s Individual Advisory Committee (IAC), helping to create and approve the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) and assessing and developing the student advising programs for all QSE students.

Individual Advisory Committee

The SAC assigns each incoming graduate student a three-person IAC before they have identified a particular thesis advisor. The committee will meet on a regular basis as needed with the student to provide advice and guidance on curricular issues, professional development, and discussion of norms and expectations. One of the committee members will be the student’s academic advisor (see below). The role of the committee will also include advice and guidance on research and matching of the student with a particular research group.

Academic Advisor 

One member of the IAC will be assigned as the student’s academic advisor. They will help the student understand the courses available, degree requirements, and advise on the selection of research group rotations. Students and academic advisors are required to have a one-hour meeting every semester but are expected to meet monthly, at least briefly, until the TAC is formed (see below). In planning a program, students should study the catalog of Courses of Instruction offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and SEAS, as well as the description in the Programs of Study. After drawing up a tentative program, students should discuss it with their faculty advisors. Students are also welcome to discuss their plans at any time with the directors of graduate studies. 

Thesis Advisor

After the first year and laboratory rotations successfully completed, a student will select a thesis advisor who will then take on the remaining responsibilities of the academic advisor and direct the student’s doctoral research. The thesis advisor must be a QSE Core Faculty Member or in a related department (physics, computer science, electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, chemistry and chemical biology, or mathematics). Sometimes students may wish to do a substantial portion of their thesis research under the supervision of someone who is not a faculty member in a quantum science and engineering field. Such an arrangement must have the approval of both the student’s academic advisor and the Standing Committee on Higher Degrees in Quantum Science and Engineering (SCHDQSE). 

A few students may wish to design their own thesis projects, taking advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of QSE. These students will need to propose a research plan to their potential academic advisor(s). The academic advisor(s) will consult with the SCHDQSE as to the viability of the plan. For these students, the academic advisor(s) will serve on the student’s TAC. 

Thesis Advisory Committee

In consultation with their thesis advisor or academic advisor, each student will nominate to the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) to oversee the progress of their research. In most cases, this will be done by the beginning of the student’s third year. The membership of the TAC will be approved by the SAC. At the same time, the student’s proposed program of research will be reviewed and approved in writing by the TAC. The TAC will meet with the student at least once per year to review progress and offer advice. The TAC will normally have three faculty members, two of whom are program members. 

Program of Study (Credit and Course Requirements)

Each student is required to accumulate a total of 16 four-credit courses of credit, which can include any combination of 200- or 300-level Harvard courses in quantum science and engineering and related fields, graduate-level courses taken by official cross-registration at MIT, and units of reading and/or research time courses (300-level). 

In fulfilling this requirement, students must obtain grades of B- or better in nine four-credit courses specified as follows:

• Mandatory   core courses:  Four four-credit courses: (1) Foundations of Quantum Mechanics; (2) Quantum Optics; (3) Introduction to Quantum Information Science; and (4) Applied Quantum Systems.
• Focus courses:  Two four-credit courses drawn from the  QSE Program's official list. These courses would be fundamental to the student’s sub-area of research.
• Field courses: Three required four-credit courses, drawn from the QSE related departments list of graduate courses, with at least one outside the student’s area of specialization.

Note: Not all courses listed are given every year, and course offerings, numbers, and contents sometimes change. Therefore, students should confer with their advisors or with the chairs of the SCHDQSE about their program of study. Note also that the award of the continuing AM degree does not automatically qualify the student as a candidate for the PhD. Course descriptions can be found on the registrar’s website . 

Other fields courses and petitions to waive certain course requirements:  With the approval of the SCHDQSE, a student may use 200-level courses or fields not officially listed for their focus courses. Upon entering the program, students may petition SCHDQSE to use courses previously taken (before arriving at Harvard) to meet certain course requirements. Students will submit, along with the petition, evidence of satisfactory course performance. 

The general requirements outlined above are a minimum standard and students will usually take additional courses in their selected fields as well as in others. A student need not fulfill all course requirements before beginning research.

As a result of an exchange agreement between the universities, graduate students in QSE at Harvard may also enroll in lecture courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The procedure is outlined under Cross-Registration .

Research Group Rotations

Each QSE PhD candidate is required to complete a minimum of two laboratory rotations. The two rotations are expected to be adequately distinct and ideally be in both science and engineering to gain firsthand exposure to new techniques and questions. Lab rotations are considered equivalent to course requirements and therefore must be done before a student can take their qualifying oral exam (see below). Students will submit their lab rotation application before starting their second rotation and no later than February 1 of their first year of study for review by SCHDQSE. More details on lab rotations can be found on this program page .  

In addition to research assistantships (RAs), teaching fellowships (TFs) are important sources of support for graduate students after their first year. Because of the importance of teaching skills for a successful quantum science and engineering career, a one-term TF is required of all graduate students, generally within the first three years of study. This teaching experience provides an opportunity for students to develop the communication skills that are vital for careers in academics and industry.

To fulfill the teaching requirement, students must serve as a teaching fellow at least one fall or spring term for at least 15 hours per week (3/8-time). The TF position should involve a teaching component and not merely grading.

There is no formal language requirement for the PhD in QSE. 

Qualifying Oral Examination

Each student is also expected to pass an oral examination given by the student's Qualifying Exam Committee (QEC) (see below), ideally by the end of the fourth term in residence. This oral exam will emphasize general knowledge, reasoning, the ability to formulate a research plan, and the ability to engage in high-level scientific discourse. The purpose of the examination is two-fold: The examination aids in estimating the candidate’s potential for performing research at a level required for the doctoral thesis, and serves as a diagnostic tool for determining whether the candidate requires changes to the program of research and study.

For the examination, each student is asked to select, prepare, and discuss in depth a topic in their specialization field, and to answer questions from the faculty committee about that specific topic and, more broadly, about the student’s larger subfield. Originality is welcomed but not required.

The student selects the topic—preferably but not necessarily related to the proposed field of thesis research—and then submits a title and abstract together with a list of completed course requirements (described above under Program of Study). The student then confers in detail with their thesis advisor about the topic to be discussed and concrete expectations for the examination. The QEC provides approval of the topic. To ensure adequate preparation, this conference should take place at the earliest possible date, typically one to two months before the examination.

Oral examinations are evaluated on the knowledge and understanding students demonstrate about their chosen topic as well as about their general subfield. Students are also judged on the clarity and organization of their expositions. The examining committee may take into account other information about the candidate’s performance as a graduate student. The student will pass the examination if the committee believes that the student has demonstrated adequate comprehension of the chosen topic and the larger field, as well as an ability to perform the thesis research required for the doctoral degree. Students who do not pass the qualifying oral examination on their first attempt will be given instructions for improvement and encouraged by the committee to take a second examination at a later date.

Qualifying Exam Committee

Each student will have an individual Qualifying Exam Committee, the membership of which will be approved by the SCHDQSE. The committee is responsible for developing and administering the qualifying examination and for making pass/fail recommendations to the SCHDQSE. Normally, the Qualifying Exam Committee would have three faculty members, one of whom is the student’s prospective thesis advisor. If the student’s immediate research advisor is from outside of Harvard, that person would constitute a fourth member of the committee. The committee should include two members who are QSE program members, with one person outside the specific type of research focus (e.g. for an experimentalist, there would be one theorist on the committee).

The SCHDQSE may, upon petition, grant a deferment of the examination for up to one year. Students who have not passed their oral examinations by the end of their third year of graduate study must seek approval from the SCHDQSE prior to being allowed to register for a fourth year of graduate study. If satisfactory arrangements cannot be made, the student will be withdrawn from the program.

Year Three and Beyond

In order to become acquainted with the various programs of research in progress and promising areas for thesis research, students should attend seminars and colloquia, and consult with their faculty advisors and upper-level graduate students. A list of the current faculty and their research programs is available  online .

The QSE program will have an annual retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to bring the entire QSE community together to learn about research progress in QSE both at Harvard and elsewhere. Since the retreat is a major program occasion, all students and program faculty will be expected to attend, and advanced students will be expected to present (orally or through a poster) their thesis research to date.

At least yearly, all students are required to give a short talk about their research at one of the QSE-related gatherings, such as the Joint Quantum Seminar, in front of the invited speaker.

Academic Residence

Ordinarily, a candidate must be enrolled and in residence for at least two years (four terms) of full-time study in the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Ideally, the PhD is completed within six and a half years. The student’s TAC reviews the student's progress each year. For financial residence requirements, see Financial Aid .

Criteria for Satisfactory Progress

In addition to the policies specified by Harvard Griffin GSAS, the QSE program identifies satisfactory progress for graduate students by several key criteria.

The student is expected to identify a potential thesis advisor before taking the qualifying exam. The student must be formally accepted by an appropriate thesis advisor and arrange for the appointment of the TAC within six months of passing the qualifying oral examination.

During each subsequent year, the student must submit a progress report in the form specified by the SCHDQSE. The progress report must be approved by the student’s TAC who will evaluate the student’s progress toward the completion of the degree. 

For other types of extensions or leave-of-absence policies, consult the Registration section of Policies.

Dissertation Defense

Following the qualifying exam, the student should arrange a TAC, which consists of at least three faculty members and is chaired by a member of the QSE program (see above). At least two members of the TAC, including the chair, must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) or the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). A non-FAS or a non-SEAS thesis advisor should be a member of the dissertation committee but cannot serve as its official chair.

The dissertation defense consists of an oral final examination delivered to the TAC that involves a searching analysis of the student’s thesis. If the student’s coursework does not indicate a wide proficiency in the field of the thesis, the examination may be extended to test this proficiency as well.

The candidate must provide draft copies of the completed thesis for members of the dissertation committee at least three weeks in advance of the examination. The program requires one bound copy of the final thesis, which students can order through the online dissertation submission system. See the Dissertation section of Policies for detailed requirements.

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Harvard Launches PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering

Drawing on world-class research community, program will prepare leaders of the ‘quantum revolution’.

Harvard University today announced one of the world’s first PhD programs in Quantum Science and Engineering, a new intellectual discipline at the nexus of physics, chemistry, computer science and electrical engineering with the promise to profoundly transform the way we acquire, process and communicate information and interact with the world around us.

The University is already home to a robust quantum science and engineering research community, organized under the Harvard Quantum Initiative . With the launch of the PhD program, Harvard is making the next needed commitment to provide the foundational education for the next generation of innovators and leaders who will push the boundaries of knowledge and transform quantum science and engineering into useful systems, devices and applications. 

“The new PhD program is designed to equip students with the appropriate experimental and theoretical education that reflects the nuanced intellectual approaches brought by both the sciences and engineering,” said faculty co-director Evelyn Hu , Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). “The core curriculum dramatically reduces the time to basic quantum proficiency for a community of students who will be the future innovators, researchers and educators in quantum science and engineering.”

“Quantum science and engineering is not just a hybrid of subjects from different disciplines, but an important new area of study in its own right,” said faculty co-director John Doyle , Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics. “A Ph.D. program is necessary and foundational to the development of this new discipline.”

Quantum science and engineering is not just a hybrid of subjects from different disciplines, but an important new area of study in its own right.

“America’s continued success leading the quantum revolution depends on accelerating the next generation of talent,” said Dr. Charles Tahan, Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Director of the National Quantum Coordination Office. “It’s nice to see that a key component of Harvard’s education strategy is optimizing how core quantum-relevant concepts are taught.”

The University is also finalizing plans for the comprehensive renovation of a campus building into a new state-of-the-art quantum hub – a shared resource for the quantum community with instructional and research labs, spaces for seminars and workshops, and places for students, faculty, and visiting researchers and collaborators to meet and convene. Harvard’s quantum headquarters will integrate the educational, research, and translational aspects of the diverse field of quantum science and engineering in an architecturally cohesive way. This critical element of Harvard’s quantum strategy was made possible by generous gifts from Stacey L. and David E. Goel ‘93 and several other alumni .

“Existing technologies are reaching the limit of their capacity and cannot drive the innovation we need for the future, specifically in areas like semiconductors and the life sciences,” said David Goel, co-founder and managing general partner of Waltham, Mass.-based Matrix Capital Management Company, LP and one of Harvard’s most ardent supporters. “Quantum is an enabler, providing a multiplier effect on a logarithmic scale. It is a catalyst that drives scientific revolutions and epoch-making paradigm shifts.”

“Harvard is making significant institutional investments in its quantum enterprise and in the creation of a new field,” said Science Division Dean Christopher Stubbs , Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy. Stubbs added that several active searches are underway to broaden Harvard’s faculty strength in this domain, and current faculty are building innovative partnerships around quantum research with industry.

“An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum, and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity,” said SEAS Dean Frank Doyle , John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum, and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity.

To enable opportunities to move from basic to applied research to translating ideas into products, Doyle described a vision for “integrated partnerships where we invite partners from the private sector to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs, and where our faculty connect to the private sector and national labs to learn about the cutting-edge applications, as well as help translate basic research into useful tools for society.”

Harvard will admit the first cohort of PhD candidates in Fall 2022 and anticipates enrolling 35 to 40 students in the program. Participating faculty are drawn from physics and chemistry in Harvard’s Division of Science and applied physics, electrical engineering, and computer science in SEAS.

Candidates interested in Harvard’s PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering can learn more about the program philosophy, curriculum, and requirements here .

“This cross disciplinary PhD program will prepare our students to become the leaders and innovators in the emerging field of quantum science and engineering” said Emma Dench, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “Harvard’s interdisciplinary strength and intellectual resources make it the perfect place for them to develop their ideas, grow as scholars, and make discoveries that will change the world.”

Harvard has a long history of leadership in quantum science and engineering. Theoretical physicist and 2005 Nobel laureate Roy Glauber is widely considered the founding father of quantum optics, and 1989 Nobel laureate Norman Ramsey pioneered much of the experimental foundation of quantum science.

Today, Harvard experimental research groups are among the leaders worldwide in areas such as quantum simulations, metrology, quantum communications and computation, and are complemented by strong theoretical groups in computer science, physics, and chemistry.

Topics: Quantum Engineering

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Princeton Quantum Initiative

Pushing the boundaries of discovery around quantum information.

There is a vibrant community at Princeton working on quantum science and engineering across many departments, supported in part by the Princeton Quantum Initiative.

Here you will find information about on-going research, upcoming community events, and opportunities to join us. If you have any questions, please email us at  [email protected] .

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From left: Professor Sanfeng Wu, Professor Nai Phuan Ong and Dicke Fellow Tiancheng Song. Photo by Yanyu Jia

Rülke and her thesis adviser, quantum physicist Nathalie de Leon (right), are measuring two nitrogen vacancy centers simultaneously. De Leon and her postdoc Jared Rovny first demonstrated this technique with a resolution of 500 nanometers, and Rülke’s senior thesis has focused on improving this resolution down to 10 nm or maybe even a single nanometer. Photo by Denise Applewhite, Office of Communications

Princeton researchers have developed a new approach to linking quantum computers over long distances. The new system transmits low-loss signals over optical fiber using light in the telecom band, a longstanding goal in the march toward robust quantum communication networks. Photo by Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy

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Alexander Poltorak

Research/areas of interest.

We are interested in cell death and inflammatory responses as two critical components of the host immune defense against pathogens. We use forward genetic analysis in the wild-derived strains of mice to investigate regulatory mechanisms of cell death and inflammation. Our recent work has uncovered importance of constitutive (tonic) type I Interferon (IFN-I) in initiation of programed cell death such as pyroptosis and necroptosis. This constitutive IFN signature is induced by STING-mediated DNA-sensing pathway and maintains the expression of unknown effectors of necroptosis. We are currently focusing on identifying these effectors by means of forward genetic analysis.

• Doctor of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State Technological Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1990
• Bachelor of Science, St. Petersburg University of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1984

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Saint-Petersburg Mining University has published 3,549 scientific papers with 13,004 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Physics, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Geology, Materials Science, Quantum and Particle physics, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

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Adrian Lopez works with lasers in the lab of Professor Kang-Kuen Ni. Lopez is an inaugural member of Harvard’s new Ph.D. program in quantum science and engineering.

Photos by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Adrian Lopez keeps pretty busy.

He’s taking two highly advanced courses in quantum science and engineering, each of which assigns complex problem sets that take about five hours apiece to complete. In his free time Lopez can usually be found in the lab of Harvard Professor Kang-Kuen Ni , whose chemistry and physics lab designs new experiments to study fundamental chemical reactions and physical dynamics by slowing them down in super-cold environments.

He sits in on three hours of meetings per week at the lab and also works on his own quantum project when time allows. That project is to build a laser that can cool and trap molecules and control their quantum state interactions.  The work involves hours of tinkering with wiring and electronics as well as putting the physical parts together and aligning them all.

All in all, Lopez’s first semester at Harvard has a bit of a hustle, but the first-year graduate student from Santa Barbara, California — who dreams of one day being a professor at a research university — says it’s worth it. He feels fortunate to be getting the kind of unique background he’s getting as an inaugural member of Harvard’s new Ph.D. program in quantum science and engineering .

“The weeks fill up, but I’ve been learning a lot and really enjoying it,” he said. “I can definitely get [where I want to be].”

Launched in spring 2021 , the new quantum program is one of the world’s earliest Ph.D. programs in the subject and is designed to prepare future leaders and innovators in the critical and fast-emerging field.

This semester, 11 students, including Lopez, have been settling in as the first-ever cohort. Since September, they have started making Harvard their home and grappling with their studies in quantum information, systems, materials, and engineering.

The hope is that the extensive research experience they receive — combined with coursework and the mentorship embedded in the program ­­— will help give them a broad and well-rounded education to go on to careers in quantum, whether as an educator in academia, or developing next-level systems and applications as a researcher at a university, a national laboratory, or in industry.

“When you have a new intellectual area it’s a good idea to train students in it and to come up with a curriculum that’s really tailored to that area — in this case: an understanding of the engineering and the science behind new quantum technologies,” said  John Doyle , Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, of which the new program is a part. “You develop these new ideas into a real firm bedrock on which students can go on to do whatever they want to do.”

Quantum mechanics and technology cut across disciplines. Advances in the field promise to usher in real-world breakthroughs in health care, quantum computing infrastructure, cyber security, drug development, climate-change prediction, machine learning, communication technologies, and financial services. The backgrounds of students who have been accepted into the program reflect that diversity — they range from physics and computer science to chemistry, electrical engineering, and math.

The well-rounded curriculum on offer was one of the driving factors for many of the students enrolling. In fact Quynh Nguyen, an international student from Vietnam who studied physics and computer science as an undergrad at MIT, said that the interdisciplinary nature of the field is what makes him so passionate about it.

“There are just so many questions to explore,” Nguyen said.

As a part of the program, he hopes to learn more about quantum information and algorithms and explore the capabilities of quantum systems such as the programmable quantum simulator being worked on in the lab of physics professor Mikhail Lukin, work that will eventually lead to a new world of ultra-fast computing.

A major focus of the new program is research experience. Along with rigorous course loads, students begin lab rotations in the first year and continue that through the rest of the program. They are also strongly encouraged to pursue cross-disciplinary research and industry internships. The idea is to give students an understanding of how research is done in different labs.

Some of the students’ research falls on the side of theory, like Nguyen’s work. Other research is more experimental, like Lopez’s work with lasers. Youqi Gang, who’s exploring experimental platforms for quantum simulation and quantum computation, is doing her first rotation in Markus Greiner’s lab studying ultracold quantum gases. Gang is gradually learning to operate the many optics, electronics, and control systems the lab uses to cool and manipulate atoms.

“The equipment is very complicated,” Gang said. “We have many different laser beams and everything needs to be very well aligned … and we have to do some day-to-day alignments and calibrations. People have put in a lot of thought about how to optimize the equipment. It’s a very cool process to be able to kind of get familiar with such a complicated machine and learn how to use it.”

Students in the program will receive their degree from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The faculty for the Ph.D. program are drawn from the departments of Physics and of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Division of Science and the Harvard John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Sciences. Students say the different class options offer them the chance to explore quantum science across the disciplines.

Nazli Ugur Koyluoglu, an international student from Istanbul, for example, is taking two very different classes this semester: Physics 271, which covers topics in quantum information, and Physics 295a, which looks at quantum theory applied to solid-state physics.

When not in class or research labs, students often can be found in the designated office space set up for them on the fifth floor of the Laboratory for Integrated Science and Engineering building. The large area is divided into two shared offices with working stations in each section and a big meeting room.

The meeting space is where students gather for weekly lunches and host weekly journal clubs where they present on different topics in quantum science, whether it’s something in a scientific journal that got their attention, something they themselves are studying, or a theory or experiment someone wants to learn more about.

The efforts have helped them quickly develop into a tight-knit community.

“It’s helped us start creating a culture for the program,” Koyluoglu said. “It’s constantly being up to date about each other’s work, which is really enlightening and helps us find out the different paths and the different questions that people are thinking about.”

HQI administrators for the Ph.D. program anticipate enrolling up to 60 students in the program in the future.

“The first cohort of students in the program are exceptional in their talents, vision, and enthusiasm in embracing a ‘quantum future,’” said Evelyn L. Hu , the Tarr-Coyne Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Science at SEAS and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative. “My hopes are that the program and its students continue to build on this strong platform: diverse and multifaceted in its outlook and opportunities, while maintaining a strong sense of community even as the program expands.”

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