COLLEGE PARK, MD, July 21, 2025 -- IonQ, the leading commercial quantum computing and networking company today announced the appointment of Dr. Rick Muller as Vice President of Quantum Systems. Muller, who joins this month, will lead IonQ’s quantum computing systems development team.

Muller will be an integral member of the team tasked with delivering on the company’s intent to build the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030. His deep technical expertise will also strengthen IonQ’s role as a trusted partner for commercial and federal quantum applications.

Muller brings decades of experience to IonQ, including his recent work at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), an organization within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) that conducts research to address the most difficult challenges faced by the U.S. intelligence community. Muller has also held senior positions at Sandia National Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology.

“Rick brings an exceptional blend of scientific insight and federal systems engineering experience, precisely the kind of leadership IonQ needs as we scale toward operational quantum advantage,” said Dr. Dean Kassmann, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at IonQ. “His track record leading transformative R&D efforts will be instrumental as we expand our quantum computing system capabilities and deepen our partnerships across both commercial and government sectors.”

As Director of IARPA, Muller was responsible for implementing research programs in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, biometrics, and text analytics for the U.S. intelligence community. Prior to that, he led the Quantum and Advanced Microsystems group at Sandia National Laboratories and directed the Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator, one of the flagship centers established under the National Quantum Initiative.

Earlier in his career, Muller led the drive for advanced computational capabilities for national security as part of the Joint Program Office for the National Strategic Computing Initiative. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a B.A. from Rice University, also in chemistry.

“IonQ is at the forefront of evolving quantum computing from research concepts into leading commercial applications,” said Muller. “Joining IonQ gives me the opportunity to help scale technology that can solve meaningful problems across science, security, and industry. I’m excited to contribute to the next generation of systems that will continue to make quantum computing impactful.”

Muller’s appointment follows a national search led by PSIRCH, IonQ’s executive search partner of record.