In this episode of ACM ByteCast, Rashmi Mohan hosts Travis S. Humble, Director of the Quantum Science Center (QSC), a Distinguished Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Director of the lab’s Quantum Computing Institute. He leads the development of new quantum technologies and infrastructure to impact the DOE mission of scientific discovery through quantum computing. As director of the QSC, Travis leads the innovation of scalable, resilient quantum information technologies through new materials, devices, and algorithms and facilitates the transfer of quantum technologies to the broadest audience. He also holds a joint faculty appointment with the University of Tennessee Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education working with students on energy-efficient computing solutions. Travis is Editor-in-Chief for ACM Transactions on Quantum Computing, Associate Editor for Quantum Information Processing, and Co-Chair of the IEEE Quantum Initiative.
Travis describes his journey into quantum computing, which began in theoretical chemistry, where he studied quantum processes in chemical reactions. He explains the difference between classical and quantum computing and why quantum computing is particularly well suited for scientific applications such as drug discovery and energy solutions. He talks about Oak Ridge’s quantum computing resources and how researchers can access them. Travis also stresses the role education in advancing quantum computing and shares his predictions for its near future.