On Wednesday, May 14th, over 115 students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, research scientists, and principal investigators attended the second Industry Spotlight Seminar, surpassing the record-breaking attendance from the inaugural event in this series the month prior. This seminar, hosted by JAGS, featured two current employees (and former JILAns) from Atom Computing, a Colorado quantum computing company founded in 2018 by JILA alumni and former Ye group member, Dr. Benjamin Bloom. Like the first Industry Spotlight Seminar, attendees came from JILA, NIST, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Physics and Engineering departments, and other departments at the university.
Two former JILAns, Dr. Matthew Norcia, the Director of Quantum Engineering, and Dr. William Cairncross, the Quantum Engineering Manager, both now at Atom Computing, spoke with students and postdoctoral researchers at the event. Dr. Norcia presented the seminar, which included both an overview of the company and a technical presentation about neutral atom quantum computing. Atom Computing uses the nuclear spin of 171-Ytterbium atoms as qubits in their quantum computer, holding the record for the largest neutral atom computer at 1,225 qubits.
During the Q&A, attendees interested in potential job opportunities asked how the day-to-day at Atom Computing compared to research work at an institute like JILA. The audience also raised questions about the future of neutral atom computing and Atom Computing’s unique technology.
After the conclusion of the Q&A, Dr. Norcia and Dr. Cairncross joined graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at the JILA HBar, where attendees could learn more about the research performed at the company. Many stayed for close to an hour, asking the speakers about their personal experience, the work environment at the company, and how the research done at CU Boulder compares to the work done at Atom Computing.
Luca Talamo, a JILA graduate student approaching graduation, said that he “learned about exciting industry research that’s happening locally and had a very pleasant conversation with Will Cairncross afterwards. The message that [Talamo] took home was that Atom’s employees are immersed in a dynamic and exciting research environment almost daily.”
The goal of the JAGS Industry Spotlight Seminar series is to connect graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with Colorado industries, so they can learn about cutting-edge industry research and local job opportunities. Along with their participation in this seminar, Atom Computing donated funds to support a JAGS Graduate Student Seminar, a seminar series enabling graduate students to hone their presentation skills and foster collaboration across various research areas.
When asked about the seminar, Dr. Norcia said, “It was great to be back at JILA, and very valuable for Atom Computing to have a chance to engage with the research community at JILA.”
Written by Emma Nelson, JILA graduate student