The Quantum Undergraduate Research Experience (QU-REACH) at The University of New Mexico’s Center for High Technology Materials marked its fifth year with a summer research poster presentation on Friday. The program, which lasts 10 weeks each summer, offers undergraduate students in New Mexico hands-on experience in quantum technologies such as quantum sensing, communications, and computing.
Victor Acosta, associate professor at CHTM, said, “QU-REACH leverages the longstanding and growing research and education infrastructure in quantum technology at UNM to provide New Mexico undergrads an early hands-on research experience in quantum technology. Our goal is for QU-REACH to serve as the launching point for New Mexico undergraduates to pursue further quantum technology research and related careers in academia, industry, and national labs.”
This year’s session ran from May 27 to August 1, with twelve students working alongside nine faculty members. Each student received a $7,000 stipend. Participants could select from sixteen different projects ranging from quantum sensing using Nitrogen-Vacancy centers in diamond to developing superconducting readouts for cosmic microwave background surveys. Supervisors included Marek Osinski, Milad Marvian, Elohim Becerra, Keith Lidke, Viktoriia Babicheva, Sakineh Chabi, Steve Boyd, Gunny Balakrishnan, and Susan Atlas.
New elements this year included Dr. Joe Yelk serving as program coordinator and Prof. Sakineh Chabi joining as a faculty supervisor. Additionally, CHTM launched a peer mentoring initiative pairing graduate students from UNM’s Quantum Photonics and Quantum Technology program with QU-REACH participants.
Applications for the next cycle will open in January 2026 with a March deadline. The opportunity is available to all undergraduate students enrolled at any college or university in New Mexico who are interested in quantum technology research.
“Students from historically excluded groups in STEM (including women, Hispanic, American Indian, and Black students) and students who are the first generation in their families to attend college are strongly encouraged to apply.”
Since its start in 2021 over fifty students representing eleven majors across eight schools have participated.
Acosta noted that access has been an issue for those wanting to enter the field: “Traditionally, getting into the field would require extensive coursework only available to Physics graduate students. QU-REACH is a small step towards counteracting these challenges as they relate to New Mexico undergraduates and quantum technology,” Acosta said. “Unlike most federal undergrad research programs (e.g., NSF REU), we recruit exclusively from undergraduates within New Mexico; international students are eligible to apply, we recruit students early (often rising sophomores/juniors) to provide 1st research experiences, and we don’t have a minimum GPA.”
