C-QISE Team

Our team is composed of an Executive Committee, faculty members/research scientists, and graduate students. Their collective expertise spans a broad range of quantum research areas, including quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum materials, quantum devices, quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning, and quantum information theory. Meet the team below!

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Executive Committee

Jifa Tian

Director of C-QISE

Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy; Quantum Materials and Devices Lab

Tian Research Lab is an experimental quantum materials & devices laboratory at the University of Wyoming. They study the exotic quantum phenomena in quantum materials and explore their potential applications in future advanced computing (such as quantum computing and probabilistic computing) and energy harvesting technology.
 
David Anderson

Professor, Department of Chemistry

My research program at UW focuses on matrix isolation spectroscopy which is a technique for maintaining molecules in a cryogenic solid at very low temperatures for spectroscopic study. Traditionally, noble gases (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) are used as the matrix host for preserving reactive species in a chemically inert solid environment, but my group takes a new twist on this venerable technique and uses solid parahydrogen (p-H2) as the matrix host due to its quantum solid properties. We are interested in a number of molecular physics topics: cold and ultra-cold chemistry, quantum tunneling reactions, nuclear spin conservation in chemical reactions, and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. Through C-QISE we want to explore nuclear spin coherence of polyatomic molecules and electron spin coherence of atoms for quantum sensing.
Peter Burton

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

I am a theoretical mathematician working primarily in ergodic theory, quantum information theory and harmonic analysis on groups. For me, these fields synthesize around the concept of numerical functions on noncommutative structures. I also have a very general interest in computational technology and methods of efficient information processing.
TeYu Chien

Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Advanced Surface Physics Lab

Chien’s research focuses on using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy as well as many other surface physics techniques to characterize quantum materials at the atomic scale, which is mainly where quantum states can be probed. In particular, topological superconductors, magnetic skyrmions, Weyl semimetals, and novel magnetic domains in two-dimensional van der Waals magnets are the main topics in my lab. Atomic scale understanding of the quantum states in these systems will provide insights in the underlying physics for eventual applications in quantum information.

 
Yuri Dahnovsky

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Dahnovsky’s main interests are in topological insulators, Majorana fermions, Josephson junctions, transport in helical and conical magnetic structures, and quantum computing based on centrosymmetric skyrmions.
John Hitchcock

Professor of Computer Science, Graduate Coordinator for Computer Science

I specialize in computational complexity theory, with a focus on resource-bounded measure and dimension. Supported by an NSF award on "Measure in Total Function Complexity Classes", my research investigates the boundaries between practical and intractable computation. I also lead the Quantum Complexity Reading Group, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in quantum science, and incorporate quantum computation topics into advanced courses to support the MS in QISE program.
Hasan Iqbal

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

We are studying how to improve the performance of quantum communication and cryptographic protocols using high-dimensional quantum states. Furthermore, we are interested in the study of quantum non-local phenomena, such as the entanglement and discord in different quantum channels and among states with higher dimensions, which have potential applications in building quantum networks.
Long Lee

Professor of Mathematics

Long Lee’s research interests span from stochastic processes to scientific computing, including parameter estimations, Bayesian filters, hidden Markov models, large-scale eigenvalue problems, and numerical algorithms for differential equations.
Brian Leonard

Professor and Head of Department of Chemistry

Leonard’s group focuses on the synthesis and crystal growth of functional inorganic materials. This included catalysts and catalyst supports, electrochromic materials, batteries, and optically active materials. Though this center, our group is developing rare earth based permanent magnets which are used in EVs, wind turbines, and cell phone technologies. The industry standard is neodymium iron boride or Nd2Fe14B. Our goal is to both improve this material through substitution of Nd and B as well as investigate novel magnetic materials like Samarium iron nitride Sm2Fe17Nx. In addition, we are interested in recovery of rare earth elements from these materials after the end of their service.
Suresh Maknahallipatna

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Graduate Coordinator 

Faculty Director for Computing Resources, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Suresh's research interests are in General Purpose Graphic Processor Units (GPGPU) for High-Performance Computing, Machine Learning (ML), and Quantum Algorithms. 
Nga Nguyen

Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Nga Nguyen (Member, IEEE) received the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Alex Petrovic

Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Head of the Hybrid Quantum Materials Laboratory

The Petrović group designs, fabricates, and studies atomically-precise thin-film multilayers to unite electromagnetic orders rarely coexisting in bulk materials. We focus on exotic quantum phases like low-dimensional superconductors, non-collinear magnets, and hybrid spin-flux systems to enable high-density, energy-efficient classical and quantum information processing. Our work extends to developing ultra-low-temperature scanning probe microscopy and spatially-resolved microwave imaging to detect quantum magnetic excitations. We also explore using magnetic thin films for hydrogen sensing in transport and aerospace applications.
Dane Taylor

Assistant Professor of the School of Computing and Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Dr. Taylor is an expert on the development of network-based models for complex systems arising in the social, biological and physical science. His interdisciplinary work interfaces computer simulation, theory development, and empirical data, and he often collaborates closely with domain experts across diverse fields. Dr. Taylor is developing data-science algorithms that use quantum information theory and topological data analysis. Prior to joining UW, he held positions at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (2013-2015), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2015-2017), and the State University of New York in Buffalo (2017-2023). He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2013.
Jinke Tang

Head and Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Tang's group is looking at various topological materials that may have potential applications in QISE.  Collaborating with others at C-QISE, we are investigating the magnetic and transport properties of superconductor 2M-WS2 and potential magnetic Skyrmions in EuAl4 and other related materials for qubit applications.  We focus on single crystal growth, thin film deposition and microdevice fabrication and study their magnetotransport properties including thermal Hall effect.

Yu-Tsung "Rem" Tsai

Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Tsai’s opTiclab is interested in the following research areas related to QISE: a) quantum materials: nano-scale 2D semiconductor heterostructures for quantum sensing. b) Quantum optics: single photon source serves as basis of quantum computing and quantum communications. c) Pico-second carrier dynamic microscopy: investigating quantum carrier dynamics with pump-probe microscopy.
Wenyong Wang

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Wang's lab at UW is specialized in the fabrication and characterization of a variety of nanomaterials such as semiconductor quantum dots and binary and ternary metal oxide nanowires. His group conducts experiments to investigate the electrical, optical, and magneto transport properties of nanostructures and explore their applications in electronic, energy harvesting and storage, and quantum devices.
Qian Yang

Assistant Research Scientist, Electron Microscopy and X-ray Analysis

Dr. Qian Yang is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Center for Advanced Scientific Instrumentation (CASI) at the University of Wyoming. He specializes in electron microscopy and X-ray analytical techniques and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wyoming in 2022, focusing on catalyst development. Dr. Yang has extensive experience across diverse research areas, including solar cells, quantum dots, polycarbonate polymers, ionic liquids, catalysts, and porous rocks for CO₂ and hydrogen storage. His technical expertise spans S/TEM, AFM, FIB-SEM, powder XRD, XPS, and adsorption analysis. Now dedicated to supporting research at the University of Wyoming, Dr. Yang is committed to assisting Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering (C-QISE) researchers with device fabrication and characterization through advanced electron microscopy techniques.
Jing Zhou

Professor of the Department of Chemistry

The Zhou group research focuses on the controlled catalyst growth by design, in-situ characterization of catalyst structures, as well as chemical mechanism studies under both ultrahigh vacuum and reactor conditions. The materials of interest include oxide thin films, oxide-supported metal particles, as well as bimetallic metal particles. The group has extensive expertise in the synthesis of nanomaterials with atomic precisions and the characterization of their properties at the atomic/molecular level using a suit of analytical techniques that include x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry.

Faculty/Research Scientists

Jifa Tian

Director of C-QISE

Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy; Quantum Materials and Devices Lab

Tian Research Lab is an experimental quantum materials & devices laboratory at the University of Wyoming. They study the exotic quantum phenomena in quantum materials and explore their potential applications in future advanced computing (such as quantum computing and probabilistic computing) and energy harvesting technology.
 
David Anderson

Professor, Department of Chemistry

My research program at UW focuses on matrix isolation spectroscopy which is a technique for maintaining molecules in a cryogenic solid at very low temperatures for spectroscopic study. Traditionally, noble gases (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) are used as the matrix host for preserving reactive species in a chemically inert solid environment, but my group takes a new twist on this venerable technique and uses solid parahydrogen (p-H2) as the matrix host due to its quantum solid properties. We are interested in a number of molecular physics topics: cold and ultra-cold chemistry, quantum tunneling reactions, nuclear spin conservation in chemical reactions, and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. Through C-QISE we want to explore nuclear spin coherence of polyatomic molecules and electron spin coherence of atoms for quantum sensing.
Peter Burton

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

I am a theoretical mathematician working primarily in ergodic theory, quantum information theory and harmonic analysis on groups. For me, these fields synthesize around the concept of numerical functions on noncommutative structures. I also have a very general interest in computational technology and methods of efficient information processing.
TeYu Chien

Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Advanced Surface Physics Lab

Chien’s research focuses on using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy as well as many other surface physics techniques to characterize quantum materials at the atomic scale, which is mainly where quantum states can be probed. In particular, topological superconductors, magnetic skyrmions, Weyl semimetals, and novel magnetic domains in two-dimensional van der Waals magnets are the main topics in my lab. Atomic scale understanding of the quantum states in these systems will provide insights in the underlying physics for eventual applications in quantum information.

 
Yuri Dahnovsky

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Dahnovsky’s main interests are in topological insulators, Majorana fermions, Josephson junctions, transport in helical and conical magnetic structures, and quantum computing based on centrosymmetric skyrmions.
John Hitchcock

Professor of Computer Science, Graduate Coordinator for Computer Science

I specialize in computational complexity theory, with a focus on resource-bounded measure and dimension. Supported by an NSF award on "Measure in Total Function Complexity Classes", my research investigates the boundaries between practical and intractable computation. I also lead the Quantum Complexity Reading Group, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in quantum science, and incorporate quantum computation topics into advanced courses to support the MS in QISE program.
Hasan Iqbal

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

We are studying how to improve the performance of quantum communication and cryptographic protocols using high-dimensional quantum states. Furthermore, we are interested in the study of quantum non-local phenomena, such as the entanglement and discord in different quantum channels and among states with higher dimensions, which have potential applications in building quantum networks.
Long Lee

Professor of Mathematics

Long Lee’s research interests span from stochastic processes to scientific computing, including parameter estimations, Bayesian filters, hidden Markov models, large-scale eigenvalue problems, and numerical algorithms for differential equations.
Brian Leonard

Professor and Head of Department of Chemistry

Leonard’s group focuses on the synthesis and crystal growth of functional inorganic materials. This included catalysts and catalyst supports, electrochromic materials, batteries, and optically active materials. Though this center, our group is developing rare earth based permanent magnets which are used in EVs, wind turbines, and cell phone technologies. The industry standard is neodymium iron boride or Nd2Fe14B. Our goal is to both improve this material through substitution of Nd and B as well as investigate novel magnetic materials like Samarium iron nitride Sm2Fe17Nx. In addition, we are interested in recovery of rare earth elements from these materials after the end of their service.
Suresh Maknahallipatna

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Graduate Coordinator 

Faculty Director for Computing Resources, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Suresh's research interests are in General Purpose Graphic Processor Units (GPGPU) for High-Performance Computing, Machine Learning (ML), and Quantum Algorithms. 
Nga Nguyen

Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Nga Nguyen (Member, IEEE) received the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Alex Petrovic

Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Head of the Hybrid Quantum Materials Laboratory

The Petrović group designs, fabricates, and studies atomically-precise thin-film multilayers to unite electromagnetic orders rarely coexisting in bulk materials. We focus on exotic quantum phases like low-dimensional superconductors, non-collinear magnets, and hybrid spin-flux systems to enable high-density, energy-efficient classical and quantum information processing. Our work extends to developing ultra-low-temperature scanning probe microscopy and spatially-resolved microwave imaging to detect quantum magnetic excitations. We also explore using magnetic thin films for hydrogen sensing in transport and aerospace applications.
Dane Taylor

Assistant Professor of the School of Computing and Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Dr. Taylor is an expert on the development of network-based models for complex systems arising in the social, biological and physical science. His interdisciplinary work interfaces computer simulation, theory development, and empirical data, and he often collaborates closely with domain experts across diverse fields. Dr. Taylor is developing data-science algorithms that use quantum information theory and topological data analysis. Prior to joining UW, he held positions at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (2013-2015), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2015-2017), and the State University of New York in Buffalo (2017-2023). He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2013.
Jinke Tang

Head and Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Tang's group is looking at various topological materials that may have potential applications in QISE.  Collaborating with others at C-QISE, we are investigating the magnetic and transport properties of superconductor 2M-WS2 and potential magnetic Skyrmions in EuAl4 and other related materials for qubit applications.  We focus on single crystal growth, thin film deposition and microdevice fabrication and study their magnetotransport properties including thermal Hall effect.

Yu-Tsung "Rem" Tsai

Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Tsai’s opTiclab is interested in the following research areas related to QISE: a) quantum materials: nano-scale 2D semiconductor heterostructures for quantum sensing. b) Quantum optics: single photon source serves as basis of quantum computing and quantum communications. c) Pico-second carrier dynamic microscopy: investigating quantum carrier dynamics with pump-probe microscopy.
Wenyong Wang

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Wang's lab at UW is specialized in the fabrication and characterization of a variety of nanomaterials such as semiconductor quantum dots and binary and ternary metal oxide nanowires. His group conducts experiments to investigate the electrical, optical, and magneto transport properties of nanostructures and explore their applications in electronic, energy harvesting and storage, and quantum devices.
Qian Yang

Assistant Research Scientist, Electron Microscopy and X-ray Analysis

Dr. Qian Yang is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Center for Advanced Scientific Instrumentation (CASI) at the University of Wyoming. He specializes in electron microscopy and X-ray analytical techniques and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wyoming in 2022, focusing on catalyst development. Dr. Yang has extensive experience across diverse research areas, including solar cells, quantum dots, polycarbonate polymers, ionic liquids, catalysts, and porous rocks for CO₂ and hydrogen storage. His technical expertise spans S/TEM, AFM, FIB-SEM, powder XRD, XPS, and adsorption analysis. Now dedicated to supporting research at the University of Wyoming, Dr. Yang is committed to assisting Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering (C-QISE) researchers with device fabrication and characterization through advanced electron microscopy techniques.
Jing Zhou

Professor of the Department of Chemistry

The Zhou group research focuses on the controlled catalyst growth by design, in-situ characterization of catalyst structures, as well as chemical mechanism studies under both ultrahigh vacuum and reactor conditions. The materials of interest include oxide thin films, oxide-supported metal particles, as well as bimetallic metal particles. The group has extensive expertise in the synthesis of nanomaterials with atomic precisions and the characterization of their properties at the atomic/molecular level using a suit of analytical techniques that include x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry.

Graduate Students

Jeff Carter

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Investigating the magnetic and transport properties of 2M-WS2 and related materials.  Thermal transport properties including thermal Hall effect in this group of materials are currently being studied. 

John Drain

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Science

Initiative Graduate Student Fellowship

Project: Studying Majorana zero mode engineering and detection in engineered topological superconductors 
Aidan Ferguson

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Microwave Spectroscopy in Engineered Spin-Triplet Superconductors 

Jarred Grant

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Novel magnetic domains in few layer vdW magnets and magnetic skyrmions. 

Sabin Guatam

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Studying novel quantum properties of phase modulated 2D topological materials as well as fabricating and testing van der Waals qubits. 

Natwar Joshi

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Studying novel 2D magnets for energy efficient memory and neuromorphic computing. 

Khushboo Khushboo

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Broadband Impedance Matching Networks for Cryogenic Microwave Microscopy 

Minidu Manoranjana Punyu Sri Kodikara

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: magneto-optical microscopy of 2D lateral heterostructures 

Michael J. Lindman

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Designing microdevices to investigate 2M-WS2 thin films focusing on longitudinal and transverse thermal transport (thermal Hall effect).  

Raz Rivlis

Graduate Student, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Project: Analytically and computationally studying transport properties in topological materials, Majorana fermions and Andreev bound states in topological insulator/ superconductor junctions, and centrosymmetric Skyrmion phases.