The Quantum Systems Accelerator is led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories is the lead partner of the center. It is one of five new Department of Energy Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers.
The center brings together dozens of scientists who are pioneers of many of today’s quantum capabilities from 15 institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Colorado at Boulder, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Caltech, Duke University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, UC Berkeley, University of Maryland, University of New Mexico, University of Southern California, UT Austin, and Canada’s Université de Sherbrooke.
QSA’s team is dedicated to a mission of pairing advanced quantum prototypes — based on neutral atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting circuits — with algorithms specifically constructed for imperfect hardware to demonstrate optimal applications for each platform in scientific computing, materials science, and fundamental physics.
Irfan Siddiqi (LBNL)
Center Director | Contact
Irfan Siddiqi is the QSA Center Director who manages the vision, strategy, and goals for the overall S&T program and operational plans. He is accountable for internal research efforts, ecosystem, safety, appointments, budget oversight, and integration across QSA programs and partner institutions, interactions with advisory boards, and technology transfer.
Irfan also directs the Advanced Quantum Testbed, an ASCR-funded superconducting qubit testbed for open research collaboration between academia, industry, and the national laboratories.
Rick Muller (SNL)
Center Deputy | Contact
Rick Muller is the QSA Center Deputy who stewards the center’s technical and engineering activities to ensure a coherent program focused on achieving the center’s research milestones, mission, and vision. He also ensures the co-design approach is used across the S&T innovation chain, across research thrusts, and is integrated into the QIS ecosystem.
Rick is currently the Senior Manager of the Advanced Microsystems Group at Sandia National Laboratories, and Project Manager for the QSCOUT testbed, an ASCR-funded testbed to provide an open platform for trapped-ion quantum computing.
Science and Technology Coordinators
Coordinators play senior advisory roles in the center. John Preskill (Caltech) serves as the QSA Scientific Coordinator and will advise on high-level scientific vision, and Umesh Vazirani (UC Berkeley) serves as the liaison to the Simons Institute.
Thrust Leads
Recognized as leading experts in their fields, these individuals set the direction of their respective scientific and technical programs, provide intellectual leadership, manage staff, and facilitate integration.
