Over $10 million in NSERC funding for UBC Applied Science quantum research, engineering training 

Quantum computing and future generations of engineers at UBC Faculty of Applied Science can look forward to significant investments from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC).  

UBC Applied Science researchers are being awarded over $5 million in NSERC Alliance Quantum grants, which form part of Canada's National Quantum Strategy, as well as another $4.95 million investment in new and innovative engineering training programs under NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE).  

Advancements in quantum computing  

Electrical engineer and quantum physicist Dr. Joseph Salfi, who received almost $5 million in NSERC Alliance Quantum grants, is leading a national research consortium that aims to make the breakthrough developments needed to advance quantum computing as a field.  

“Imagine if we could model molecules to help us discover new drugs, or simulate how to capture and transform greenhouse gases into something useful,” said Dr. Salfi. “Classical computing can’t make those types of complex calculations – but quantum computing holds the potential to do this.   

Quantum computing could revolutionize how we tackle problems like energy conversion and storage, and climate change, as long as we can unlock its power.

The coast-to-coast consortium intends to use its grant to co-design a novel quantum machine and algorithms to pursue this goal. 

Interdisciplinary training for new engineers  

Three new training programs – led by professors from the School of Biomedical Engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials engineering – have each also received $1.65 million in NSERC CREATE funding over the next six years.  

Each of these new initiatives will train students, equipping them with interdisciplinary skill sets to address complex challenges, from biomedicine and biosensing technology, to creating net-zero carbon processes in materials and manufacturing.  

Find the full lists of UBC recipients for NSERC Alliance Quantum grants and UBC recipients for NSERC CREATE grants on the UBC VPRI site.