Project Grant 2540395

Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at Austin received a $550,000 CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2031. This project grant supports fundamental research into microwave-to-optical quantum transduction using waveguide-based acoustic technology. The primary deliverable is the development of chip-scale transduction schemes that employ acoustic waveguides to spatially separate superconducting and photonic components, thereby enabling efficient and low-noise conversion between microwave and optical fields. This technology advancement addresses a critical technical barrier in scaling superconducting quantum computing systems through distributed quantum processing architectures connected by optical quantum links.

In addition to core research outputs, the award supports workforce development initiatives aligned with the NSF Engineering program's emphasis on cultivating a diverse and skilled engineering workforce. Deliverables include training programs for industry employees engaged in quantum technology development, research opportunities for undergraduate students, and professional development support for high school science teachers. These educational components are designed to expand pathways into the emerging quantum information science workforce, directly supporting the national imperative to advance quantum computing capabilities with broader societal impacts in medicine development, cybersecurity, and material discovery.