Education DCL: EAGER: Experiential Learning Platform and Curricular Modules for Quantum Computing Security and Privacy Education

Quantum computing is a revolutionary technology due to its advantage of exponential speedup in certain computational tasks compared with the classical computing paradigm. A number of vendors nowadays provide cloud-based access to physical quantum computers for researchers to design, implement, and optimize quantum algorithms. However, with prevailing malicious attacks to cyber infrastructure, this cloud-based quantum-classical model introduces significant security and privacy concerns to quantum computing systems.

It becomes imperative to cultivate skilled cybersecurity professionals with expertise in quantum computing. However, this is challenging due to the lack of educational material that integrates both quantum computing and cybersecurity and privacy subjects. This project fills this gap by developing a comprehensive set of curricular modules and an experiential learning platform with hands-on labs to support quantum computing systems security and privacy (QuanSP) education and workforce development at scale.

The project team is developing hands-on labs and curricular modules for integrated multidisciplinary quantum computing and cybersecurity education. It allows students to learn two traditionally disconnected subjects with experimentation labs and engaging curricular modules. These materials incorporate socio-technical aspects of QuanSP to provide a holistic understanding of the subject matter.

The learning-by-seeing-and-doing experience offered by the visualization-driven lab platform fosters systematic thinking of learners on quantum computing security and privacy. The project further provides hands-on opportunities to implement and create sophisticated security- and privacy-by-deign strategies to counteract adversarial threats targeting different layers in the cloud-based quantum computing ecosystem.

The project team is integrating the developments into curricula at different levels and disseminating the outcomes to the broader community in the field through outreach activities to advance QuanSP research and education. The investigators are committed to broadening the participation of women and minorities by involving them as undergraduate and graduate student researchers in the project.

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.