Montana State University QCORE has undertaken an ambitious research agenda with a focus on quantum computing, quantum communications and quantum sensing. Success in these fields relies on principles established in quantum physics such as entanglement, superposition and coherence. Technology based on these principles of quantum physics can lead to computation with exponential speedup over classical techniques for certain problems, provably secure communication, and higher precision sensors.

Join us for QCORE's Seminar Series

All are welcome to join QCORE's weekly Seminar Series, hosted each Wednesday afternoon at 4:10 pm at QCORE in EngineWorks, 2425 Technology Blvd. West, Bozeman. See upcoming and past talks and speaker affiliations below.

Coming from campus? TheCAT Tracks Campus ShuttleBlue Line stops at Nopper, which is just a short walk from EngineWorks.

The spring seminar seris is underway! To read about past talks, visit our seminar series web page.
To stay up-to-date on the seminar series and all news about QCORE, subscribe to the QCORE newsletter.

Upcoming

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 4pm - Josh Aller, AdvR

Quantum Enabling Waveguide-Based Components in Bozeman, MT

Abstract: AdvR, Inc. is an engineered nonlinear optics company in Bozeman, MT, focusing on the design, fabrication, and characterization of waveguide-based components. These components are used in a variety of quantum computing, quantum networking, and quantum sensing applications for electro-optic modulation, frequency conversion, and photon pair production. This talk will focus on active areas of R&D at AdvR and how those developments enable new advancements in quantum and quantum adjacent fields.

Josh Aller

Josh Aller is the Chief Technology Officer at AdvR Inc. working on the development and commercialization of waveguide-based components. He has been with AdvR since 2016 and is an MSU graduate from the College of Engineering. At AdvR, he works with a team of experts developing these photonic components for unique applications. 

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - 4pm - Josh Doherty

Low-noise cryogenic systems for Quantum

Quantum technologies are entering a new phase. What once lived in physics labs supported by ad hoc experimental setups and custom cryogenic systems is now moving toward deployable, real-world products. As this shift accelerates, the entire ecosystem must deliver more robust, repeatable, and low-noise system performance.

In this talk, I will discuss how Montana Instruments, now part of the Atlas Copco Scientific Vacuum Division, is supporting this transition. I will outline emerging approaches in system architecture, vibration isolation, vacuum performance, and low-noise I/O that enable the move from bespoke research tools to scalable quantum infrastructure. I will also highlight the growing need to expand system specifications for quantum applications. Establishing these benchmarks will require collaboration between quantum users, system manufacturers, and component providers to set industrial standards.

By approaching quantum enabling hardware as a full system engineering challenge and aligning on meaningful performance metrics, the industry can accelerate progress toward scalable and reliable quantum systems.

Josh Doherty

Josh Doherty, Ph.D. is a Montana native whose career has been rooted in deep‑tech innovation, spanning biomedical imaging, precision instrumentation, and most recently, quantum technologies. He leads the Research & Development team at Montana Instruments, now part of the Atlas Copco Scientific Vacuum Division, where he focuses on creating next‑generation cryogenic platforms engineered for low‑noise quantum research.

Wednesday, April 22, 4pm - Suzi Taylor, Science Math Resource Center, and Craig Ogilvie, Physics

Education and Workforce Development

Wednesday, April 29, 4pm - Prasanta Bandyopadhyay, Philosophy

Past

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 - 4pm - Mark Craig, Gallatin College

“Classical” Computing – How Silicon Scaling has Reached 2nm!

Given the extensive use of semiconductors in quantum computing and quantum adjacent technologies, students and industry professionals pursuing these areas can take enriching lessons from how the semiconductor industry has “grown up” and where significant overlap exists between technical applications, private-sector players, investor dynamics, and employment opportunities across these industries.  This talk will briefly overview key technical advances that have enabled traditional silicon scaling in integrated circuits (ICs) to continue to the 2 nm generation.  It will highlight the rich interplay between advanced material and equipment systems, process integration, and fabrication approaches which has driven the industry to a ~$1T TAM in 2026.

Mark Craig

Mark’s expertise is in microelectronics fabrication technology and device physics. Over nearly two decades in the semiconductor industry he worked on technical tasks ranging from FEOL process module development, thin film stress techniques for device enhancement, technology design rules, SRAM bitcell design, test structure and mask design, yield enhancement, and design-for-manufacturability (DFM) techniques. He managed engineering teams supporting a range of technologies from 0.4 um BiCMOS to 20 nm FinFET technology nodes. During his career, Mark worked at Motorola’s Advanced Products R&D Laboratory, TestChip Technologies (later acquired by Synopsys), and AMD/Global Foundries.

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - 4pm at QCORE - Eric Grumstrup, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Single particle spectroscopy of emerging functional nanomaterials

Single particle spectroscopies are essential for establishing the fundamental structure- function relationship of nanoscale materials as well as design principles for the emerging technologies that rely on them. Ongoing research in my group focuses on the development and use of spatially-resolved optical techniques to characterize electronic structure in a range of condensed phase systems where conventional “ensemble” techniques fail. I’ll discuss recent efforts to develop higher sensitivity and/or broadband, femtosecond microscopies that provide unprecedented insight into polymorphism and its functional impact in organic semiconductors. I’ll also discuss emerging work that aims to develop mixed-dimensional heterostructures between molecular, single photon emitters and 2-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides. 

Erik Grumstrup

Erik Grumstrup is a professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and an affiliate of the Materials Science and Engineering Program at MSU. Before joining MSU in 2014, he was an NRC postdoc with the ARL and UNC Chapel Hill.

Wednesday, March 4, 2025 - 4pm at QCORE - Magali Eaton, MSU Technology Transfer Office / QCORE

Quantum Innovation: Translating Research Into Impact

The goal of this conversation will be to spark ideas around how one can be successful at taking their research results to societal impact. There are myriad ways to do this, depending on what one's individual goals are as well as who might be the beneficiaries of the work. Let's tackle all questions big and small, from why doing this in the first place, to how this gets funded, to who is involved in taking things to impact, to how to get this done amid everything that we all have going on. Let's also touch on what's special about translating quantum innovations. Come learn about exciting ways to position your research for translation and to turn the results of your research into long-lived societal impact! 

Magali is passionate about fostering faculty and student success in translating their research and building startup ecosystems through inclusive innovation. Over the years, she has supported over 600 teams across most fields of research in their translation journey. Of those teams, 90+ teams went on to create and grow startup companies. Magali has founded and helped launch several long-lived organizations. She holds law degrees from Universite Jean Moulin and Universite de Strasbourg in France, and an LLM in intellectual property law from the University of Washington where she attended thanks to a Fulbright scholarship. 

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 - 4pm at QCORE - Dr. Sam Gunningham, Mathematics

An Introduction to Quantum Topology

Mathematician’s have long been interested in the study of knots and links in 3-dimensional space. Pioneering work of Jones, Witten, Reshetikhin, Turaev, and others in the 1980s and 90s completely transformed the field, introducing new tools and ideas inspired by quantum physics. This has led to a remarkably fruitful interchange of ideas between mathematics (e.g. lowdimensional topology and representation theory) and physics (e.g. condensed matter and quantum computing). I will aim to give a gentle introduction to the subject from a mathematician's point of view. 

Dr. Gunningham’s work is broadly in the Geometric Representation Theory, drawing on ideas from geometry, topology, mathematical physics, and related fields. Many of the phenomena he studies can be viewed through topological field theory (TFT). In physics, TFTs arise from quantum field theories that do not depend on the spacetime metric, often after a suitable twist or limit. Mathematically, a TFT assigns numerical and linear algebraic data to manifolds. Dualities predicted by physics, particularly string theory, therefore lead to concrete mathematical predictions that can be precisely formulated and proved. 

 

QCORE in the News

Montana State University Launches QCORE Facility, Installs Rigetti Novera Quantum Computer

MITRE and MSU Collaborate to Accelerate Advances in Rare Earth Minerals to Fuel Quantum Research

AmeriCOM.org: Building the Montana Pipeline of Technicians

Orca Computing: MSU Selects ORCA Computing to Advance Distributed Quantum Computing and Communications

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