NRT-QISE: Quantum Science, Technology and Applied Research at Florida International University (Q-STAR)

The second quantum revolution is paving the way for a future with unprecedented technological capabilities. The National Quantum Initiative Act catalyzed the demand for a skilled and diverse workforce by identifying quantum technologies as a national priority. The practical realization of each of these technologies cannot be accomplished without a toolbox of materials building blocks that display controllable quantum properties demanded by each application.

This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the Florida International University will provide a coherent research and education framework to address these imperative needs in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) by training graduate students for the quantum workforce. The project anticipates training one hundred and ninety (190) M.S. and Ph.D. students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics programs.

The research focus of the NRT Q-STAR project is on novel quantum materials discovery, synthesis, modeling, and validation of their quantum behavior. The educational component involves a 360-degree student-centered graduate education model encompassing elements that deliver: A. Technical expertise training: these elements are team-research projects, internships at partner institutions, and a designed coursework; and B.

Career-success training including the ability to lead projects, work in teams, communicate science to public and policymakers, and make ethical decisions. Specific elements include training mechanisms to promote learning of science communication, ethics, and teamwork, and a workshop on transferable skills including leadership and entrepreneurship is included.

The program will provide all trainees a pathway toward technical and leadership roles in QISE across the nation.

The convergent research will bridge the chemistry and materials science that will enable novel quantum materials, with the physics of the quantum phenomena that will render these materials useful in future quantum technologies. The discovery process will be data-driven, using machine learning and density functional theory (DFT) to guide experiments.

The scientific advancements anticipated by exploring novel non-centrosymmetric chalcogenide materials for quantum frequency converters, 2D and 3D semiconductor qubits, and materials for quantum battery technologies will be complemented by new knowledge gained through the implementation of a 360-student training model. At the core of the program are proven strategies to enhance recruitment, retention, and persistence in STEM of women and underrepresented minorities, including the cohort model, team-training, and a comprehensive, Individual Development Plan-based mentoring program.

This project will strive to extend the professional development and career-choice program elements to all participants, thereby benefiting a large population of FIU graduate students, especially through the QISE concentration to be developed. The project will foster collaborative efforts with industry, government laboratory partners, and other academic institutions, offering trainees a wide range of opportunities for internships.

The training model outcomes will be evaluated and disseminated to enable its facile implementation to other departments at FIU and other institutions, especially minority serving institutions (MSIs). The program will advance transformative research in QISE while training a diverse population of graduate students in this area of high priority to the nation.

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.