UNM is partnering with Sandia National Laboratories to create a new research center. The Quantum New Mexico Institute, led by Distinguished Professor Ivan Deutsch, will build on a UNM-Sandia partnership that has been ongoing for a decade, “putting New Mexico in the national spotlight for its strong quantum science and engineering activities,” Deutsch said.

Quantum science is at the heart of our smartphones and GPS devices. UNM has graduated more than 40 doctorates in physics who are now leaders in academia, national labs and industry across the nation. The Quantum New Mexico Institute aims to develop talent in the multidisciplinary field that uses quantum mechanics to solve complex problems and develop information technologies.

“Our vision is to make New Mexico a destination for quantum companies and scientists across the world,” said Setso Metodi, the institute’s co-director and Sandia Labs’ manager of quantum computer science.

The institute’s interdisciplinary foundation will include several departments across the University, including Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics, and Physics & Astronomy. UNM students will have expanded opportunities to participate in collaborative research between UNM and the national labs.

Within the last 10 years, the partnership between UNM and Sandia Labs has cultivated an atmosphere of teamwork with the participation of faculty, postdoc and student researchers involved in the UNM Grand Challenges program and a variety of collaborative research projects.