Quantum Builders: Fireside chats with quantum experts

Join us for an exclusive Fireside Chat with David AwschalomIiew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (University of Chicago); Director of the Chicago Quantum Institute; Founding Director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE); Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory; and Inaugural Director of Q-NEXT, the U.S. Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Research Center.Quantum technology is transitioning from breakthrough laboratory experiments to engineered, scalable systems. The regions that will lead this next phase are those that successfully integrate foundational science, shared infrastructure, and collaborative models that can operate at national scale.In this Fireside Chat, David Awschalom—one of the world’s leading solid-state quantum scientists and ecosystem builders—shares insights from his journey from spintronics research to the creation of one of the most influential quantum hubs in the world. Drawing on his experience across academia, national laboratories, and large DOE initiatives, he offers a rare perspective on how quantum platforms mature and how durable ecosystems are built.

Join us for an exclusive Fireside Chat with Charles (Chuck) Black, Deputy Associate Laboratory Director, Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Director of the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA).Quantum technology is rapidly evolving from isolated research projects into coordinated, large-scale national initiatives. National laboratories are at the forefront of this transformation, connecting cutting-edge science, advanced infrastructure, and long-term strategy.In this Fireside Chat, Charles (Chuck) Black, a Harvard-trained physicist with leadership experience in quantum information science, nanofabrication, and national research programs, shares his perspective on how the U.S. is building quantum capabilities and shaping the future of this transformative field.

Join us for an exclusive Fireside Chat with Dr. Gretchen Campbell, a national leader who has shaped quantum strategy from the lab bench to the White House. Dr. Campbell—Associate Vice President for Quantum Research & Education at the University of Maryland and former Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science at the White House OSTP—will offer a firsthand insights into the rapid evolution of U.S. quantum policy. From pioneering research in atomtronics and ultracold atoms to coordinating the National Quantum Initiative, Dr. Campbell bridges the worlds of cutting-edge science and high-level governance.

Join Steven M. Girvin, Sterling Professor of Physics at Yale University, co-developer of the revolutionary Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics (Circuit QED) architecture, and founding director of DOE’s Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage, for a candid discussion on the foundations and future of superconducting quantum computing. From the original theoretical breakthroughs to the cutting-edge work on error correction, this is an opportunity to hear directly from one of the field's most influential pioneers about the path to fault-tolerant, scalable quantum systems.

Insights from Shor's Algorithm creator: Few names are as synonymous with quantum innovation as the world-renowned mathematician and physicist Peter Shor. His invention of Shor’s algorithm, the first quantum algorithm proven to solve integer factorization exponentially faster than classical algorithms, paved the way for modern quantum computing and cryptography as we know it today. In this episode, Shor reflects on the early days of quantum theory, the breakthroughs that followed, and the quantum challenges ahead. Whether you're a researcher, student, or enthusiast, this is your chance to hear directly from one of the most influential minds in science.

Join us for an in-depth conversation at the intersection of quantum computing and high-performance computing (HPC), where science meets scale. In this session, Daniel Rodan Legrain (Qblox) welcomes Bert de Jong — Department Head for Computational Sciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator.

As quantum computing moves from research demo to real-world infrastructure, engineering challenges, not just scientific breakthroughs, are taking center stage.In this fireside chat, Qblox hosts MIT’s Prof. Will Oliver to explore the evolving challenges and breakthroughs in building scalable quantum hardware. From cryo to control, and from lab-grade setups to deployable systems, we’ll dig into what it really takes to build the backbone of the quantum future.What you'll learn in this podcast:➡️ The key engineering milestones and remaining roadblocks in scalable quantum systems➡️ Where the biggest scaling bottlenecks are today: fabrication, cryo, or control➡️ What differentiates research prototypes from engineering-grade quantum systems➡️ How academia, startups, and national labs can collaborate more effectively➡️ Advice for staying relevant in an industrializing quantum ecosystem