Yifan Zhou Earns NSF Early CAREER Award for Quantum Power Grid Research

Stony Brook University Assistant Professor Yifan Zhou recently received an Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research aiming to establish a new paradigm of "fully quantum" computing for power grid analytics.

The award is bestowed upon early-career faculty who show promise as both researchers and educators, distinguished as up-and-coming professionals poised to advance the mission of their academic departments. As Early CAREER recipients, the professors will receive more than $2.7 million combined in grants to support their research.

Zhou, a member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was awarded $565,470. Her research project will bring transformative changes by redefining how linear quantum operators can be harnessed to address nonlinear power grid analysis, thereby opening a new pathway for end-to-end quantum computing technologies capable of tackling critical power system computational tasks.

"I am grateful to receive the NSF CAREER Award," Zhou said. "As quantum computing becomes part of the future of power and energy systems, an important question is how to connect the linear structure of quantum computation with the nonlinear equations that describe power grid behavior. In this project, we propose to move beyond today's hybrid approaches and develop a fully quantum framework for analyzing complex power systems. We hope this work will help the power and energy field better embrace quantum advances and support more reliable and resilient energy system operations."

"Professor Yifan Zhou is tackling one of the fundamental barriers to quantum advantage in power systems - and building the next generation of quantum-ready engineers along the way," said College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Andrew Singer. "That's the kind of research leadership NSF's CAREER award recognizes, and exactly what we hope for from our faculty at Stony Brook Engineering."

Zhou's research seeks to build real-time grid intelligence for modern power systems under increasing dynamics, uncertainty, and complexity. Her group develops grid-inspired quantum computing and verifiable AI technologies for reliable and adaptive power system operations, with a focus on dynamic analysis, stability verification, and real-time decision-making.

Her work on quantum computing for large-scale power grids has been recognized by several awards, including the Young Academic Inventors Award from the National Academy of Inventors (2023), and multiple Best Paper Awards. Zhou was also a 2025 finalist for Stony Brook University's Discovery Prize. She joined Stony Brook as a postdoctoral researcher and later became a faculty member in 2022.

Zhou is one of four Stony Brook University faculty to receive an NSF Early CAREER Award in 2026.