A quantum chip developed in the laboratory of University of Maryland physicist Alicia Kollár, a senior investigator with the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (NSF RQS). The institute’s renewed award will support the next phase of research in robust quantum simulation. Photo by John T. Consoli / University of MarylandThe National Science Foundation has renewed the University of Maryland-led NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS) with a five-year award expected to total $36.5 million, effective Sept. 1, launching a new phase of quantum simulation research.

“This renewed support from the National Science Foundation reflects our long-term commitment to advancing quantum computing to take on society’s grand challenges and spark a new era of scientific, technological and economic development,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “Our researchers in quantum simulation are an important part of the vibrant quantum ecosystem we've built, helping establish our campus and the surrounding region as the Capital of Quantum and making our Discovery District a dynamic hub where research, industry and community combine for real-world impact on the public good.”

Established in 2021 with a $25 million NSF award, RQS has developed novel ways to verify quantum systems, reduce errors and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated quantum simulations while building a collaborative community of scientists, engineers, educators and students.

The new award expands the institute’s scientific agenda, sustains education and workforce development programs, strengthens partnerships across academia, federal laboratories and industry, and positions RQS to pursue the next generation of challenges in quantum simulation. Harvard University also will join the RQS consortium, expanding the collaboration among UMD, Duke University, Princeton University, Yale University and researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

RQS is part of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCI) program, a network of interdisciplinary research centers created to accelerate advances in quantum information science through collaborative research, education and workforce development.

During its first funding cycle, RQS researchers advanced the science of robust quantum simulation through breakthroughs in fault-tolerant quantum simulation with neutral atoms, new methods for verifying quantum advantage on analog quantum simulators, erasure detection in Rydberg atoms, and quantum simulations of gauge theories and quantum materials. Together, these advances brought robust quantum simulation closer to becoming a practical tool for scientific discovery.

That progress was matched by the institute’s growth as a national research enterprise. Researchers produced more than 600 papers, generating nearly 17,000 citations, while building collaborations across universities, industry and national laboratories. Along the way, RQS trained more than 400 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers while developing programs designed to strengthen the nation's future quantum workforce.

Quantum simulation is widely viewed as one of the first practical applications of quantum computing. Rather than trying to make every type of computation faster, quantum simulators are designed to model extraordinarily complex quantum systems that overwhelm even today’s most powerful conventional computers.

The challenge is making those simulations trustworthy. Today’s quantum hardware is inherently fragile, with environmental disturbances introducing errors that can undermine calculations. RQS was established to develop ways to verify quantum simulations, mitigate those errors and, in some cases, even harness them, ultimately making quantum simulation a more reliable research tool.

“NSF’s investment in the QLCIs established hubs for research on critical topics in quantum information science at a time when the field is rapidly advancing,” said Andrew Childs, a UMD professor of computer science who directed RQS during its first five years. “I'm grateful for all the collaborations it enabled and proud of the progress RQS researchers made in just five short years.”

The institute’s next phase also brings new leadership.

Childs will step down as director after guiding the institute through its formative years. Mohammad Hafezi, a UMD Minta Martin Professor with joint appointments in physics and electrical and computer engineering, will become director. Michael Gullans, a physicist at NIST and an adjunct assistant professor in physics and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), will serve as deputy director.

“Our institute’s first five years helped establish the scientific foundation for robust quantum simulation,” Hafezi said. “This renewal allows us to tackle increasingly complex scientific problems while advancing quantum technologies capable of answering fundamental questions about nature.”

Under the new award, researchers will focus on three research themes: interacting fermion simulation, which seeks to model the particles that make up matter; fermion-boson simulation, which examines how matter particles interact with force-carrying particles in complex quantum systems; and dissipative quantum simulation, which studies quantum systems interacting with their environments instead of treating environmental effects solely as unwanted noise. Together, the new themes reflect a shift toward what institute leaders call “quantum simulation engineering”—developing quantum technologies that are increasingly scalable and capable of addressing important scientific problems.

RQS benefits from technical and administrative support provided by UMIACS, which helps coordinate research activities across the institute's university and federal partners, Hafezi said.

The institute also will expand its educational mission alongside its research portfolio.

During its first funding cycle, RQS helped launch the University of Maryland’s quantum science and engineering minor, supported K–12 teacher professional development workshops that reached 75 educators, and developed innovative quantum activity toolkits used by 100 teachers to introduce more than 2,000 middle and high school students to concepts like superposition and measurement.

The institute also established an international QSim conference series that attracted more than 600 attendees and launched the Quantum Leap Career Nexus, which connects students with more than 50 companies, government laboratories and universities through career fairs and networking opportunities.

Gretchen Campbell, associate vice president for quantum research and education at UMD, will lead the institute's education and workforce development efforts moving forward.

“Preparing the future quantum workforce means creating opportunities at every stage—from K–12 classrooms to graduate education and professional careers,” Campbell said. “By connecting students, educators and researchers across that entire pipeline, we can help ensure the talent needed to advance quantum science and technology is ready when the next breakthroughs arrive.”

The renewed award will build on those efforts through additional teacher development workshops, public outreach, K–12 quantum education programs, research seminars and summer schools while creating new opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to prepare for careers throughout the quantum workforce.

“We are at the cusp of determining exactly what quantum computers can and cannot do in the near future,” Hafezi said. “Realizing that potential will require vibrant partnerships among universities, federal laboratories and private industry, and we're grateful for this renewed support to help lead that effort.”