About

The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) is an intellectual hub for advancing the science and engineering of quantum information between the CQE community, across the Midwest, and around the globe.

A catalyst for research activity across its member and partner institutions, the CQE is based at the University of Chicago and is anchored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University.

Our Mission

The mission of the CQE is to connect leading academic talent, top scientific facilities, and prominent members and partners to advance the science and engineering of quantum information, train the quantum workforce of tomorrow, and drive the local and national quantum economy.

Members

CQE members are focused on developing new ways of understanding and exploiting the laws of quantum mechanics, the fundamental yet counterintuitive theory that governs nature at its smallest scales. The overarching aim is to apply research innovations to develop radically new types of devices, materials, and techniques for quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum sensing.

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The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago leads research in quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing. In addition to advancing quantum information science and engineering research, these groups lead the education and training of tomorrow’s quantum workforce at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. UChicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering also provides the administrative home for the CQE.

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Argonne National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy multidisciplinary science and engineering research center, where world-class researchers work to solve some of the biggest questions facing humanity. Argonne leverages multi-disciplinary teams, world-class facilities, and powerful scientific tools to confront some of the most profound scientific and technological challenges in quantum information science, and leads Q-NEXT, one of five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers awarded by the Department of Energy. It is a collaboration involving the world’s leading minds from national laboratories, universities, and the private sector. 

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Fermilab is America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory, leveraging the power of quantum science and technology to tackle problems in experimental and theoretical particle physics. Partnering with other institutions, it draws on its world-class expertise in superconducting technology, communications and networks, electronics and controls systems, and theory and algorithms to advance quantum information science and to solve the intractable problems of matter, energy, space and time. 

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At the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST) brings together experts within the university community to collaborate on the ongoing research in quantum information science. IQUIST researchers and collaborators are working at the forefront of developing quantum devices, quantum computing algorithms, and new protocols for quantum communications. 

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The University of Wisconsin–Madison focuses on research in quantum computing and networking, quantum sensing, and quantum materials. The Wisconsin Quantum Institute (WQI) hosts research on four of the most prominent physical qubit implementations: silicon quantum dot, superconducting, neutral atom and NV-center qubits. With Ph.D. programs in quantum-related fields and an M.S. program in physics-quantum computing — the first in the United States dedicated to quantum computing — they are helping to lead the way into the quantum computing future and building a new era of quantum workforce. 

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The Initiative at Northwestern for Quantum Information Research and Engineering (INQUIRE) reflects the University’s broad and deep expertise in quantum science, as well as its collaborative culture that harnesses thought leadership from across multiple disciplines, including physics, engineering and chemistry. INQUIRE’s mission also includes a commitment to education and outreach, efforts that provide current and future students with exposure to state-of-the-art quantum science research. In doing so, INQUIRE prepares these individuals to help make breakthrough contributions in the quantum workforce of today — and tomorrow. 

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Partners

The Chicago Quantum Exchange’s industry, nonprofit, international and regional partners make it one of the largest collaborative teams working on quantum information science in the world. The CQE develops partnerships with organizations to accelerate progress in the field of quantum information, expand career opportunities for the next generation of quantum-ready scientists, and attract investment and engagement that crosses traditional boundaries to benefit our broader community.

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Corporate partners collaborate with CQE scientists and expand career opportunities for the next generation of quantum-ready scientists and engineers. Together, they advance efforts at the forefront of quantum science and engineering that bridge institutional boundaries.

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Partnerships with non-profit organizations enable opportunities for collaboration across traditional boundaries, attracting investment and engagement that benefits our broader community.

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International partners contribute to the global network of scientists and facilities needed to build quantum technologies and applications. 

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Partnerships with regional partners, usually academic institutions with multiple existing collaborations, enable joint opportunities to strengthen and diversify quantum information science and engineering across the Midwest. 

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