Quantum Research Initiative kicks off at UMass Dartmouth

UMass Dartmouth brings together academia, government, and industry to build the quantum workforce of the future

On May 13, UMass Dartmouth gathered some of the Commonwealth's top minds in quantum information science across government, industry, partner universities, and the defense sector for an official kickoff of the Quantum Research Initiative (QRI).  

The QRI is a strategic, multi-year program announced in January 2026 that is designed to position UMass Dartmouth and the SouthCoast at the forefront of quantum information science and quantum computing. The QRI aims to address challenges beyond the limits of traditional computing and to develop the quantum workforce of tomorrow. The inaugural cohort includes 17 UMass Dartmouth researchers across disciplines from mathematics, physics, computer science, mechanical engineering, biochemistry, and oceanography whose expertise intersects with quantum applications.  

"UMass Dartmouth is leveraging our unique strengths to meet the critical technological demands of the future, particularly within the national security and defense sectors right here in the Commonwealth," said UMass Dartmouth Chief Research Officer Dr. Yanlai Chen. "By closely aligning our efforts with the state's broader strategic vision, including the SHIELD initiative, we are proud and ready to serve as the SouthCoast anchor in making Massachusetts a premier global hub for the quantum ecosystem. Thanks to the visionary leadership of our state government, specifically the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED), MassTech, our legislative partners, and the private sector, I am incredibly confident and excited about the future of the Quantum Research Initiative." 

Featured speakers at the event included Massachusetts Secretary of the EOED Eric Paley; Program Director for the Quantum Initiative at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Dr. Steven Hubbard; Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT Dr. Zhurun Judy Ji; Technical Lead for Public Sector at IBM Quantum Dr. Travis Scholten; Associate Vice Provost for Research Computing at Northeastern University Dr. Devesh Tiwari; and Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) scientist Michael Warnock. 

"UMass Dartmouth is leveraging our unique strengths to meet the critical technological demands of the future, particularly within the national security and defense sectors right here in the Commonwealth."