PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (September 18, 2023) — A research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $800,000 was awarded to a joint project between Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and Virginia Tech (VT) in the field of Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE). The project will focus on research mentoring and workforce development in the fields of quantum communications and cryptography, with an emphasis on cybersecurity.
“Developing collaborations with external partners whose research strengths and goals align with PVAMU’s is a major component of elevating the University’s research and innovation enterprise,” said PVAMU Vice President of Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA. “This NSF-sponsored project with Virginia Tech will create a sustainable partnership with an institutional leader in QISE, complement capacity-building efforts to establish cybersecurity as a focus area of research at PVAMU, and help develop the skills of PVAMU students entering the QISE workforce.”
Annamalai Annamalai, Ph.D.
Overseeing this multi-institutional project is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate Director of PVAMU’s SECURE Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Annamalai Annamalai, Ph.D. Project collaborators include faculty and researchers from VT’s Colleges of Engineering and Science; Mohamed Chouikha, Ph.D., PVAMU executive professor of electrical and computer engineering and chief scientist and executive director of the SECURE Center; and Kevin Storr, Ph.D., PVAMU associate professor of physics.
As outlined in the project’s proposal, VT research mentoring will be provided to PVAMU in the fields of quantum communications and cryptography through the establishment of Quantum Optics (QuED) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) testbeds at PVAMU, which mirror the research infrastructure at VT.
The PVAMU-VT QISE-partnership will focus on increasing support for satellite-based QKD, developing a QISE curriculum at PVAMU that aligns with aspirational agendas within the University, facilitating student and faculty research and professional development opportunities that will contribute to the diversification of the QISE workforce, and cultivating connections to the industry through experiential and project-based learning. The program will leverage resources already in place and future investments by the University and will utilize a network of leading experts at VT and IBM to provide undergraduate and graduate students with quality education and research in QISE and cybersecurity.
“The combination of research in collaboration with leading experts in the nation, high-quality teaching content, and experiential and project-based learning paradigms will ensure success of the program,” the project’s proposal states. “Targeted outreach activities to a broader group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), specifically to Inclusive Engineering Consortium member institutions, and student recruitments from these MSI institutions will also be pursued.”