The MonArk Quantum Foundry is a $20M NSF program jointly led by Montana State University and the University of Arkansas with the overarching mission to accelerate two-dimensional materials research for quantum technologies in the US. Hugh Churchill is the Associate Director of MonArk, responsible for overseeing the UA site of the Foundry in coordination with the rest of the leadership team: Theory Lead Salvador Barraza-Lopez at UA and at MSU, Yves Idzerda (Director), Nick Borys (Associate Director), and David Dickensheets (Networking Programs Director).
MonArk will pursue a variety of research topics accelerating the fundamental materials science and application of 2D quantum materials to a range of areas of quantum information science spanning quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Central to these efforts will be the creation of a pair of 2D Quantum Materials Pipelines that will semi-automatically and robotically create 2D materials and their heterostructures, fabricate electronic and optical quantum devices out of them, and feed a suite of characterization tools including an optical-access dilution refrigerator, magneto-optical cryostats, a SQUID magnetometer, and a variety of measurement techniques ranging from various optical spectroscopies to superconducting qubit characterization. Materials, devices, and all of these tools will made available to an open network of collaborators and users.
To achieve these ambitious goals, MonArk is currently hiring five staff positions and four postdocs between the two sites. Staff positions include the Foundry Assistant Director, two Foundry Liaisons, and two Networking Programs Coordinators, who will work together with Foundry researchers to successfully implement and maintain the resources described above and assist users in utilizing them. More information about these positions is provided at https://monarkfoundry.org/openings .