Can We Build a Quantum Workforce Fast Enough to Avoid a “Quantum Winter”?

As quantum technologies for sensing, communications, and computing advance, the sector is approaching a critical juncture. There are simply not enough people with adequate quantum education and training to fill industry demand: for every three current job openings, the United States has only one qualified candidate. With support from the federal government, colleges and universities across the country have launched undergraduate and graduate programs to channel diverse and interdisciplinary talent toward quantum research and business development, and student interest is budding but strong.

But as Sean Dudley and Marisa Brazil write in Issues, “deeper, fundamental issues about the development of the technology itself are at stake if the United States misses this opportunity to build a quantum workforce that mirrors the diversity of its society.” At this nascent stage, the success of quantum education programs depends on the committed investment of universities, industry, and government—along with making sure students can see themselves in future quantum careers. How should education and research programs, partnerships, and funding be structured to create sustainable pathways for more people to enter the quantum workforce?

On Thursday, December 7, at 2:30 p.m. ET, join Sean Dudley, Tara Fortier, Inès Montaño, and Kaniah Konkoly-Thege for a conversation moderated by Charles Q. Choi about how the United States can build a diverse and interdisciplinary quantum workforce.

PANELISTS

Sean Dudley, associate vice president and chief information officer at Arizona State University
Tara Fortier, project leader in the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Inès Montaño, associate professor of applied physics and materials science at Northern Arizona University
Kaniah Konkoly-Thege, chief legal officer and senior vice president of government relations at Quantinuum
Moderated by Charles Q. Choi, a science reporter who contributes regularly to IEEE Spectrum

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