Episode 30: National Labs: Turning Basic Research into Industry Solutions

What do you do with 450 scientists in 15 labs across the country? You take on the country’s biggest energy challenges and bolster national security in the process. This leadership role is one of Bert de Jong’s jobs at the Berkeley Lab. He leads the Quantum Systems Accelerator which pairs advanced quantum prototypes with algorithms as part of the National Quantum Initiative. Bert is also the Department Head for Computational Science. He discusses the vital role of America’s national labs in translating basic research into industry solutions on the latest episode of The Quantum Spin.

00:00 Introduction to Quantum Spin Season Four

00:29 Interview with Bert De Young: Quantum Systems Accelerator

02:28 Bert De Young's Research Journey

03:42 Quantum Computing and Energy Efficiency

06:48 The Role of Quantum Computing in Scientific Research

10:58 Open Source Software in Quantum Computing

12:22 Berkeley National Lab: Mission and Impact

18:53 Advice for Aspiring Physicists and STEM Students

20:40 Future of Quantum Computing and Current Projects

29:00 Conclusion and Closing Remarks

Bert de Jong is a senior scientist at Berkeley Lab, and currently serves as the Department Head for Computational Sciences, and the interim lead for the Applied Computing for Scientific Discovery Group .

de Jong is the Director of the $25M/year National Quantum Initiative Quantum Systems Accelerator that involves 15 institutions and over 450 scientists. He is also the team director of the new large multi-institutional, 5 year MACH-Q project funded under the DOE ASCR Accelerated Research in Quantum Computing (ARQC) program, focused on advancing quantum algorithms and software integrated development environments. He is a co-PI on two science with quantum focused projects in DOE Basic Energy Sciences and DOE High-energy Physics.

In addition to developing HPC applications in chemical sciences and his work in quantum computing, de Jong and his team are developing machine learning approaches for chemical sciences.

de Jong has a background in general chemistry, chemical engineering, high performance computing, quantum computing, AI, and quantum chemistry.

Host Veronica Combs is a quantum tech editor, writer and PR professional. She manages public relations for quantum computing clients as an account manager with HKA Marketing Communications, the #1 agency in quantum tech PR. Veronica joined HKA from TechRepublic and has covered technology, healthcare and business strategy for more than 10 years.

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