Rengaswamy wins NSF CAREER Award
The University of Arizona’s Narayanan Rengaswamy (third from left) leads the SQALE research group to correct errors in quantum technology.
ECE assistant professor Narayanan Rengaswamy has earned a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for his research in quantum computing. Rengaswamy joined the department in 2022, bringing curiosity for the complex mathematics that underlie the field. He saw its potential to improve materials design, drug discovery and digital security.
With the $826,210 CAREER Award, Rengaswamy will build a network of quantum technology to test error-correcting codes necessary for large-scale quantum computing.
“It will show the experimentalists what hardware capabilities are needed, and how that will affect the scalability of their systems,” he said. “Such realizations will allow quantum computers to scale while remaining reliable under realistic noisy conditions.”
Rengaswamy also plans to distribute coded qubits across a network of quantum hardware and explore ways to use those nodes to build the most efficient error-correction system. Once connected, the components could operate a resilient quantum computer.
"This is one of the NSF’s most prestigious honors for early-career faculty and a strong recognition of Narayanan’s innovative research and leadership," said Michael Wu, Thomas R. Brown Leadership Chair and head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.