Northwest Quantum Nexus
The Northwest Quantum Nexus (NQN) is a coalition of research and industrial organizations in the Pacific Northwest and neighboring regions with the goal of advancing Quantum Information Sciences (QIS) research and developing a QIS-trained workforce. A core focus of the Nexus is scalable quantum computing for clean energy, with principal research directions in applications for quantum computing, quantum algorithms, as well as the synthesis and characterization of materials for QIS.
The high concentration of QIS research in the Pacific Northwest makes it one of the top regions in the United States to address key QIS needs including training, research, development, and commercialization and technology transfer. With increasing public and private investments in QIS, the demands for a northwest QIS workforce rapidly outstrips the rate at which new staff can be trained.
Through regional partnerships, the NQN leverages individual researcher expertise, institutional capabilities, and global engineering capacity that positions the region as the hub for all aspects of quantum technology. Collectively, NQN creates a ‘full stack’ extending across the globe, enabling the region to incubate ideas and translate them into real-world commercial applications.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to increase the visibility of QIS research in the Northwest and accelerate collaboration, thereby attracting additional trainees and employers to the region. The center helps to position the Northwest as a regional hub for the creation, sustenance, engagement, retention, and attraction of a talented quantum workforce. The Northwest will be recognized as a center of geographic and intellectual gravity where a talent pool can flourish and contribute to the quantum economy, through knowledge sharing, skill and experience development, research impacts, and community engagement.
The NQN will serve as a nexus for a variety of activities to increase QIS R&D and workforce development in the Northwest. QIS workforce development activities will include new curriculum design and training that spans undergraduate to continuing education, eventually giving rise to new degree options and programs. Additional impacts may include learning opportunities for middle and high school students. The NQN will facilitate the coordination of interns with research opportunities in academia, industry, and government. Additionally, the NQN will host several workshops and conferences to accelerate collaboration between Northwest organizations and explore joint research and education activities.
