KINGSTON, R.I. – Feb. 14, 2024 – Wide commercial use of quantum computers may still be a decade away, but a shortage of skilled workers is already being felt across industries that will benefit from the revolutionary technology.
“Quantum computing is going to have some very dramatic effects as we go forward,” said Len Kahn, chair of the University of Rhode Island’s Physics Department. “We’re trying to prepare. As quantum computing explodes, the workforce is not going to be prepared because they’re working with classical computers. There are millions of people involved in programming classical computers, but what they’re doing is almost antithetical to what happens in quantum computing.”
To help fill the talent gap, URI is teaming with the MITRE Corp. on an initiative – Quantum Pivot – to help professionals with STEM experience build the skills and knowledge to transition into career pathways in quantum information science and technology.
URI is among an inaugural group of 27 higher education institutions across the U.S. that have been selected to take part in the National Science Foundation’s new Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies, a program that aims to grow and diversify the workforce in key emerging technologies. In September, URI was awarded a three-year, $998,667 grant as one of the program’s “Pivot” tracks, which provide STEM professionals in any field with experiential learning opportunities, training and mentoring to transition into careers in quantum information science and technology.
Quantum computers, which can perform some tasks millions of times faster than today’s fastest supercomputers, have the ability to revolutionize technology – affecting numerous industries, from machine learning to artificial intelligence, marketing and advertising to supply chain management, from pharmaceuticals to cybersecurity, to name a few.
While many of the quantum computers today are small-scale, experimental machines, companies such as IBM, a pioneer in the field, are making progress, Kahn said. IBM is doubling the number of quantum bits, or qubits, which store and process information in quantum computers, in its computer annually.
But as companies invest in quantum technologies, finding talented workers threatens to hold back progress. Only about one qualified candidate is available for every three quantum job openings and only half of quantum computing jobs are expected to be filled by 2025.
“Right now, we don’t have the workforce to meet the demand,” Kahn said. “Once quantum computing starts to take off, the catch-up is going to be very difficult. At URI, we’re contributing to the preparation of that workforce.”
URI, which launched one of the first master’s degree programs in quantum computing in 2021, has been investing in the field. This includes a research partnership with IBM that provides URI faculty and students access to IBM’s cutting-edge quantum computing systems, while also adding faculty and post-doctoral researchers.
For the NSF initiative, URI will build on its established, one-year online Quantum Computing Graduate Certificate program, which will graduate its first cohort of students this spring.
The program’s four courses give students the language and foundational knowledge needed to introduce them to the technology, Kahn said. Over the two semesters, students get a refresher in math, a basic understanding of the concepts of quantum mechanics, along with training in designing quantum algorithms and a fundamental understanding of applications such as quantum sensing, teleportation, cryptography, circuitry and communications. Threaded through the program are student projects in quantum computing, which provide students a portfolio to show prospective employers. The ability to focus on and research a project distinguishes URI’s certificate program from other online programs.
Along with the online courses, students attend four in-person workshops – two days per course – where they will do hands-on experiments and have access to MITRE’s quantum technologies professionals, who can provide mentoring and career development.
“MITRE adds a lot of expertise to this initiative,” Kahn said. “At their Princeton campus, they have 15 Ph.D.’s doing only quantum. They also work with Department of Defense industries so they know what the needs are and where the needs are.”
The NSF grant will also fund such areas as a remote lab for students, scholarships, and recruitment, with an eye toward diversifying the workforce, Kahn said. URI is working to recruit candidates through groups such as IBM’s quantum computing consortium of students from historically Black colleges and universities, and professional societies that serve professionals from underrepresented communities.
“An important part of this grant is to help diversify the workforce and make sure people from underrepresented communities get opportunities,” Kahn said. “URI and MITRE are dedicated to bringing a diverse culture to STEM fields.”