‘Stony Brook’s Quantum Frontiers’ on April 17 Will Spotlight Achievements, Research

On Friday, April 17 at 10:30 am, a spotlight will shine on the core achievements and research excellence of faculty across the Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) and their collaborative advancements in quantum science and technology.

"Stony Brook's Quantum Frontiers," a panel presentation in celebration of the Inauguration of President Andrea Goldsmith, will commence with welcome remarks by President Goldsmith, and will feature two student emcees - Jaymie Grant, a sophomore physics and mathematics double major with a minor in philosophy; and Angelina Livigni, a senior journalism major with a minor in applied mathematics and statistics.

Presentation topics include:

Manufacturing the Quantum Future

Scott Carney, CEAS, will introduce the second quantum revolution, including sensors to peer into the center of the earth, computers to discover new drugs and communications with absolute security. He demonstrates that these technologies will change the way we live, but only if they can be manufactured.

Carney joined the Department of Mechanical Engineeringas chair and professor in Fall 2025. He is a theorist with research interests in the interaction of light and matter on the atomic scale, and the translation of fundamental physics into new technologies.

Frontiers of Quantum Materials

Jennifer Cano, CAS, will discuss how quantum properties of ultra-thin materials give rise to superconductors that carry electricity with zero resistance. This emerging field gives insight into exotic quantum phenomena with implications for energy-efficient electronics.

Cano, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is a theoretical physicist whose research focuses on the emergent properties of quantum materials, specifically, topological phases of matter.

Integrated Quantum Technology

Researchers are creating new quantum technology using tiny "artificial atoms" inside diamonds. These atoms can interact with light, allowing information to travel between computer chips-similar to how the internet moves data, but using quantum physics.

By combining this with existing technologies used in smartphones and data centers, scientists are scaling up from small experimental systems to much larger ones with thousands or even millions of quantum bits (qubits). This work shows how these technologies fit together and could lead to the next generation of powerful quantum computers.

Presented by Hyeongrak "Chuck" Choi, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on quantum sensing, networking, computing and photonics.

Breakthroughs in K-12 Quantum Education

Stony Brook physics faculty have achieved breakthroughs in K-12 quantum education through novel outreach initiatives for both students and teachers. Their work has resulted in empirically supported strategies for diversifying the quantum workforce pipeline.

Presented by Angela Kelly, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Kelly teaches and advises students in the PhD Program in STEM Educationat SBU, directs the MAT Physics Program, and teaches undergraduate physics. Her research interests include pre-college and university quantum, physical science, and engineering education; reformed STEM teaching practices; and science teacher recruitment and retention.

The Promise of Quantum Computing

Quantum computers promise to quickly solve calculations that would otherwise take millennia, threatening the foundations of modern internet security. In this brief talk, he will demystify the mind-bending "magic" of quantum entanglement and superposition to understand how this technology actually works-exploring the massive promise it holds, and the real-world challenges it still faces.

Presented by Himanshu Gupta, a professor in the Department of Computer Sciencewith current research interests in quantum networking and computing.

Building the Quantum Internet

Eden Figueroa, a Presidential Innovation Endowed Professor, is from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Figueroa is the inaugural director of the Quantum Institute at SBU and leads the University's Quantum Information Technology group, where he has developed scalable room temperature quantum memories and entanglement sources, aiming to construct the first working prototype of a quantum repeater network. He holds a joint appointment with the Instrumentation Division and the Computer Science Initiative at Brookhaven National Laboratories.

Read more about Figueroa's leadership in quantum research and networking

Presentations will be followed by a panel moderated by David Wrobel, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, and Andrew Singer, dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Stony Brook's Quantum Frontiers will take place in the Wang Center Theatre. For more information and to get tickets, visit the Inauguration website.

- Angelina Livigni