September 14, 2021

Professor Kai-Mei Fu, Director of the NSF Research Traineeship Program, Accelerating Quantum-Enabled Technologies (AQET) which is launching this fall. The AQET program seeks to give UW Graduate students across multiple disciplines (Chemistry, Physics, ECE, CSE, and MSE) additional training and accreditation in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE). Job opportunities in quantum information are on the rise, and there is national demand for trained professionals in QISE. The AQET program was designed to meet that demand and will provide students with interdisciplinary training that will uniquely prepare them to join the quantum workforce. 

The AQET program takes 12-15 months to complete, and centers around three main courses: a foundational course that will cement your understanding of quantum science in relation to your discipline, a project-based implementations course that will bring all trainees across several departments together, and a final elective advanced topics in QISE course. There is also a capstone / independent research component, a single-quarter weekly seminar series in the Winter, and several AQET-specific events including several professional development workshops. During the first year in the program, students will focus on their own department’s curriculum, with the weekly seminar series occurring in the Winter, and a couple of events (including some of the professional development workshops) occurring in Winter and Spring. The second year of the program is when the aforementioned courses will begin. In addition to completing the AQET program, students will receive a Graduate Certificate in QISE that will serve as a transcriptable testament to their training in QISE. More information about the AQET curriculum can be found on the QuantumX website, linked above. 

At this point, the first cohort of AQET students is being formed and is ready to begin in Autumn 2021. There are currently 19 students in the cohort, which leaves ~11 spots remaining. We are opening up the AQET cohort to any UW graduate student in one of the involved departments, including ECE. We are very excited to bring on more students for this unique and valuable opportunity to gain additional certification in QISE and be trained as the next generation of scientists and engineers in these fields. 

If you are interested in joining the AQET program, there is a short Google form you can fill out to apply. We are using the form only because there are so few spots left in the cohort, and we will only restrict participation if there is high demand. To be considered to join the cohort, please fill out and submit this form by no later than September 27th. Preference will be given to students in their first or second year, simply due to the scope of the program.

If you have any questions about the AQET program or application process, please direct them to the AQET Program Coordinator, Madeline Miller (madmill1@uw.edu). 

We are very much looking forward to reading your applications!