Quantum information science and technology education and workforce

General Context

Over the past five years, Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) has emerged as a federal priority with the passage of the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act and the 2023 CHIPS and Science Act, both of which call for significant investments in QISE research, industrial innovation, education, and workforce development. Quantum systems and their unique behaviors will lead to significant improvements in computing, communication, and sensing, but the technologies cannot advance without skilled and knowledgeable people. To support QISE education, our group is pushing in three directions: 

1. Conducting research on jobs within the QISE industry and their associated skills and knowledge. 
2. Characterizing QISE education across the United States
3. Developing curricular materials for quantum sensing through a research-based approach

Quantum Workforce and Education Landscape

With support from both NSF and the LPS Qubit Collaboratory and i​​​​n collaboration with Heather Lewandowski at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Zwickl PER group is conducting a large study of trends in the quantum workforce and in QISE education. Because of the rapid expansion of the quantum industry, existing workforce data is already out of date. There is a need for more current, detailed, and comprehensive quantum workforce analysis, and a need to disseminate this knowledge to current and future QISE educators and program developers. 

Similar to the QISE industry, higher education has seen a rapid growth in courses and programs related to QISE. However, prior research indicates these opportunities tend to occur in research universities and are less prevalent in other institutions. We need a more comprehensive picture of the QISE education landscape, to identify what is being taught, where it is being taught, and which students are benefitting from existing QISE courses and programs. Developing a clearer understanding of the quantum workforce will make the path into QISE more transparent for students from diverse backgrounds and diverse institution types, such as Minority Serving Institutions, two-year colleges, and regional four-year colleges. An understanding of which populations have less access to QISE education may also guide future investments into new QIS courses and programs.

The project consists of three major activities: (1) a study characterizing the QISE workforce through an analysis of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for QISE jobs, (2) disseminating workforce data to improve QISE education, and (3) a large-scale study characterizing QISE education across across the United States. 

Quantum sensing resource development

Collaborative with Greg Howland (RIT School of Physics and Astronomy), This project focuses on education related to quantum sensing. Quantum sensors are already commercially available and they are predicted to be the quantum technology that makes a practical impact in the shortest time. However, there is a lack of educational resources at the undergraduate level that can be used to teach the principles and applications of quantum sensors. This project will address three major goals:

1. Interviewing quantum sensing experts to define the core concepts and applications.
2. Developing flexible instructional materials on quantum sensing for adoption in engineering, physics, and quantum technology courses. 
3. Conducting research on student learning of quantum sensing to identify productive prior knowledge and common difficulties. 

The educational materials created through this project will contribute to broadening participation in quantum information science. They will be designed with input from faculty and students from diverse institution types (HBCUs, HSIs, R1s, primarily undergraduate institutions) and a broad range of STEM fields in order to increase their relevance and applicability for this interdisciplinary field. Students using these materials will understand the applications and core ideas of quantum sensing, providing them with both motivation and knowledge needed to make an impact in a quantum-related career.

Publications

1. M.F.J. Fox, B.M. Zwickl, H.J. Lewandowski, Preparing for the quantum revolution: What is the role of higher education?, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16 (2020) 020131. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020131 .
2. C.D. Aiello, D.D. Awschalom, H. Bernien, T. Brower, K.R. Brown, T.A. Brun, J.R. Caram, E. Chitambar, R.D. Felice, K.M. Edmonds, M.F.J. Fox, S. Haas, A.W. Holleitner, E.R. Hudson, J.H. Hunt, R. Joynt, S. Koziol, M. Larsen, H.J. Lewandowski, D.T. McClure, J. Palsberg, G. Passante, K.L. Pudenz, C.J.K. Richardson, J.L. Rosenberg, R.S. Ross, M. Saffman, M. Singh, D.W. Steuerman, C. Stark, J. Thijssen, A.N. Vamivakas, J.D. Whitfield, B.M. Zwickl, Achieving a quantum smart workforce, Quantum Sci. Technol. 6 (2021) 030501. https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/abfa64 .
3. Diana Ryder, Michael Verostek, Benjamin Zwickl, Tools for Understanding the Microscopic World of Quantum Mechanics: Analogies in Textbooks, Proceedings of the 2023 Physics Education Research Conference. Sacramento, CA. https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2023.pr.Ryder