Exploring the Quantum Universe – a Fermilab Quantum Symposium
December 4-5, 2025
This two-day event celebrates the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by bringing together leading scientific experts, students, institutional leaders from government labs, academia and industry, funding agencies, Congress representatives and the public to reflect on the latest advances and future directions in quantum science, technology and applications. Hosted at Fermilab, headquarter of the SQMS Center, a Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center, the event will feature two days of lectures, tutorials, keynote talks, roundtable discussions and breakout technical sessions, poster sessions, interactive laboratory tours, live demonstrations, and public celebrations highlighting the latest advances in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Friday evening, December 5, will conclude with a public lecture from a distinguished QIS leader.
Participation by invitation or approved application only
Confirmed Speakers Include
Keynote Talk
Prof. Peter Shor, MIT
Distinguished Speakers and Lecturers:
Dr. Jay Gambetta, IBM
Dr. Jun Ye, University of Colorado Boulder
Sir Peter Knight, Imperial College London
Dr. James Kushmerik, NIST
Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti Computing
Department of Energy (TBA)
Dr. Florent Lecocq, NIST
Dr. Anna Grassellino, Fermilab
Dr. Chuck Black, Brookhaven National Lab
Prof. Mikhail Lukin, Harvard University
Prof. Andreas Walraff, ETH Zurich
Dr. Itamar Sivan, Quantum Machines
Dr. Eleanor Rieffel, NASA Ames Research Center
Dr. Andrew Bestwick, Rigetti Computing
Dr. Travis Humble, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Bert De Jong, Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Martin Holt, Argonne National Laboratory
Tentative Agenda
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Location: Fermilab – Ramsey Auditorium and Wilson Hall
Start Time: 8:30 AM
Morning program – educational lectures and tutorials
8.30 AM – 12:30 PM | Ramsey Auditorim
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM | Fundamentals of Quantum Technology – Eleanor Rieffel, NASA Ames Research Center
9:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Introduction to Quantum Technology – Florent Lecocq, NIST
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Coffee Break
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Quantum Processors, Gates and Architectures – Andrew Bestwick, Rigetti Computing
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Quantum Computing Applications – Travis Humble, ORNL
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Industry Tutorials with boxed lunch
Confirmed interactive tutorials include: Rigetti Computing, Maybell Quantum Industries, Quantum Machines
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Coffee Break
Afternoon Program – Quantum Symposium
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Plenary Session: QIS efforts across the national ecosystem
Confirmed speakers include: Chuck Black (Brookhaven National Laboratory), Bert de Jong (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Anna Grassellino (Fermilab), Martin Holt (Argonne National Laboratory), Travis Humble (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Subodh Kulkarni (Rigetti Computing), James Kushmerick (NIST), Itamar Sivan (Quantum Machines)
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM | Breakout Sessions
Invited keynote talks on quantum technologies – topics spanning quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Speakers include experts of quantum science and technology from academia, industry and government labs.
Track 1 – Battling Decoherence at the Nanoscale
Track 2 – Scaling Quantum Systems – Controls, Cryogenics, Qudits
Track 3 – Exploring Applications of Quantum Computing, Sensing and Communication
Track 4 – Quantum Algorithms & Software at the Utility-Scale
Confirmed speakers include: Caterina Braggio (INFN), Gianpaolo Carosi (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Srivatsan Chakram (Rutgers University), Jake Covey (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Lara Faoro (Google), Johannes Fink (Institute of Science and Technology, Austria), Mike Hatridge (Yale University), Tim Kovachy (Northwestern University), Hank Lamm (Fermilab), Jeff Larson (Argonne National Laboratory), Riccardo Lattanzi (NYU Langone), Lin Lin (University of California, Berkeley), Jürgen Lisenfeld (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology), Adrian Lupascu (University of Waterloo), Jonathan Marcks (Argonne National Laboratory), Peter Maurer (University of Chicago), Akshay Murthy (Fermilab), Prineha Narang (UCLA), Jason Orcutt (IBM), Matt Otten (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Dave Pappas (Rigetti Computing), Britton Plourde (University of Wisconsin), Serge Rosenblum (Weizmann Institute of Science), Andrew Sornborger (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Yigit Subasi (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Martin Weides (University of Glasgow), Faranak Bahrami (Princeton University)
Evening Program – Poster session and reception
6:30 – 8:30 PM | Wilson Hall Atrium – Poster session showcasing research across the international quantum ecosystem, early career researchers awards, and networking reception with refreshments
Friday, December 5, 2025
Location: Fermilab – Ramsey Auditorium and Wilson Hall
Start Time: 8:30 AM
Morning Program – Quantum Symposium Talks
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Ramsey Auditorium
Keynote Talk: Peter Shor (MIT)
Plenary Invited Talks: Jay Gambetta (IBM), Mikhail Lukin (Harvard University), Jun Ye (University of Colorado Boulder), Andreas Walraff (ETH Zurich)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch Break
Afternoon & Evening – Public Celebration of Quantum
2:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Wilson Hall Atrium, SQMS Quantum Garage
Thematic Roundtables – Invited attendees only
Laboratory Tours – Interactive lab tours highlighting quantum technologies
Quantum Showcase – Career fair, live demos and interactive exhibits
Special ceremony: Helen Edwards Building Naming, by invitation
6:30 – 7:30 PM | Public Lecture
Title: Quantum and AI: The Frontiers of Innovation
Speaker: [TBA – Distinguished Guest]
Location: Ramsey Auditorium, Fermilab
Header image: “Wilson Hall and the Helen Edwards Engineering Center in the snow on December 20, 2024.”
Photographer: Ryan Postel, Fermilab
