May 11, 2026 -- New York University and IBM have initiated a postdoctoral program to conduct quantum computer research in the areas of chemistry, computer science, engineering, materials science, physics, and optimization.

This collaboration, as part of NYU’s role as a member of the IBM Quantum Network—a consortium of academic institutions, enterprises, startups, and government labs working to enhance quantum computing through research excellence and technological advancement—is intended to push quantum algorithms and applications development for today’s quantum-centric supercomputer architectures, which combine quantum and classical HPC workloads, as well as for future, large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, which are expected to accelerate time and cost efficiencies in fields such as drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization.

“Quantum computing’s potential to understand and address engineering, mathematical, and scientific barriers is unmatched,” says NYU Professor Javad Shabani, director of NYU’s Quantum Institute, who will oversee the university’s role in the postdoc program. “But maximizing its contributions requires developing a network of quantum pioneers across academia and industry who can reach beyond today’s technological boundaries. NYU welcomes the opportunity to work with IBM to help postdocs with their innovative and comprehensive approaches in meeting these challenges.”

“This postdoctoral research sponsorship will give some of NYU’s top talent an opportunity to push IBM’s quantum-centric supercomputing architecture not just for immediate application development, but to lay the groundwork for the algorithms that will power tomorrow’s fault-tolerant quantum computers—all while engaging with the broader quantum community of students, researchers, and industry professionals,” says Jamie Garcia, Director, Growth & Strategic Partnerships, IBM.

NYU postdoctoral researchers chosen for the program will conduct quantum-related projects, sponsored and supported by IBM and the company’s quantum researchers, at NYU’s Quantum Institute and at IBM Research headquarters—the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York—using the company’s quantum computers. The program follows an earlier NYU-IBM program, which included the training of NYU undergraduates and graduates in quantum information physics.

NYU’s Quantum Institute

Last fall, the university established the NYU Quantum Institute, which aims to drive cutting-edge research across three pillars of quantum information science—quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing—while also serving as a hub for the exchange of ideas and interactions between academia and the private sector, including New York’s startup ecosystem.

“When we launched the Quantum Institute at NYU, its success was to be based on the ingenuity of the outstanding faculty and students leading innovation at NYU, but of equal importance was the collaboration with industry leaders—such as IBM,” notes Juan De Pablo, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology and executive dean of the Tandon School of Engineering. “Together we can help make New York a vital part of the quantum universe.”