NRT-QISE: a new interdisciplinary degree program for convergent research and graduate training in quantum information science and engineering

In traditional graduate programs, disciplinary specialization, student assistantship funding, and lack of graduate-level industry engagement impede the development of the diverse workforce needed to solve grand challenges in quantum information sciences and engineering (QISE) and translate fundamental research to commercial applications. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to The Ohio State University (OSU) will expand upon the NSF-funded QuSTEAM network for undergraduate education to establish a new graduate degree program in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) at both the MS and PhD levels.

This program will be one of a few in the U.S. that is not housed in a traditional academic department, but rather spans various participating departments including physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, and materials science. A new graduate-level curriculum will be developed using vetted principles from educational research.

The curriculum will feature a compact common core of QISE courses supplemented by graduate modules to accommodate variations in trainee preparation from these disciplines. In addition to courses, NRT trainees will be engaged in QISE research from the start, and will develop professional skills in ethics, technical writing and communication. They will also benefit from graduate-level industry internships.

The program will directly fund 25 trainees over the award period, with 10-20 additional degree students funded from other sources, and 100+ students benefiting from taking courses as electives. The program will make societal impacts through cutting edge research in QISE, national engagement, and training of a diverse workforce in semiconductor and quantum technologies.

This new NRT program will embed principles highlighted in the National Quantum Workforce Strategic Plan including distributed and modular course content to accommodate diverse pathways into and through the program, an expedited transition from courses to experiential learning, and evidenced-based and inclusive course development using ‘Backward Design’ principles. NRT trainees will expand the QISE research in areas such as hybrid quantum systems, novel qubits based on molecules, semiconductor materials and technologies, and integrated photonics for quantum networks.

The OSU team is a leader in studying how the properties of defects in semiconductors depend on, and can be tuned by, the local environment, including proximity to other defects, interfaces and electromagnetic fields. Overall, the goals of this program are to: 1) create a proposal for developing a proposal for Master’s and PhD degrees in QISE at The OSU; 2) develop and deliver three core graduate courses: Foundations in QISE, Grand Challenges in QISE, and Classical vs.

Quantum Computing, as well as two interdisciplinary graduate elective courses in QISE; 3) evaluate program impact and iterate to continuously improve student outcomes; 4) build on industry partnerships to develop graduate internships, sponsored research projects, and certificate programs; and 5) develop a long-term, sustainable model for graduate research and traineeship in QISE for long-term impact.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.  

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.