Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC, U. Waterloo)
- Institution
- University of Waterloo
- Lab / Centre
- Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) · Department of Physics & Astronomy · Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering · Department of Chemistry · Department of Combinatorics & Optimization
- Also
- Affiliations with Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; collaboration with the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) on QKD security analysis; Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on the QEYSSat mission
- Location
- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Group website
- https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/
- Group founded
- 2002
IQC is Canada's national quantum-information research centre, hosted at the University of Waterloo and founded in 2002 under Raymond Laflamme with a founding gift from Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis. It is a multi-PI institute spanning more than thirty faculty across Physics & Astronomy, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Chemistry, and Combinatorics & Optimization. Active programmes cover QKD theory and experiment (terrestrial and satellite via the QEYSSat mission with the Canadian Space Agency), superconducting and trapped-ion qubits, spin-based architectures in semiconductors, and quantum sensing.
Current focus: Quantum information science across computing, communication, sensing and materials — Per IQC's own framing (uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing): advancing quantum information science from computing and communication to sensing and materials, through global collaboration, hands-on training, breakthrough research and educational outreach.
Milestones
- 2025-08 Canadian Space Agency presents QEYSSat satellite operations plan at the Small Satellite Conference; mission tracking toward late-2026 launch conf-talk
- 2024-03 QEYSSat 2.0 white paper published in Canadian Journal of Physics, scoping follow-on satellite-QKD missions paper
- 2020-12 Honeywell Aerospace selected as spacecraft prime for the Canadian Space Agency QEYSSat mission press
- 2016-09 Quantum teleportation over 6.2 km of metropolitan dark fibre in Calgary (Valivarthi et al., Nature Photonics) — co-led by IQC alumni paper
- 2002-09 IQC founded at the University of Waterloo with founding gift from Mike Lazaridis press
People
- Norbert Lütkenhaus — Executive Director; Principal Investigator — QKD security theory (since 2022-09) ↗
- Raymond Laflamme — Founding Director (emeritus) (since 2002) ↗
- Thomas Jennewein — Principal Investigator — satellite QKD; QEYSSat science lead (since 2009) ↗
- Adrian Lupascu — Principal Investigator — superconducting qubits (since 2009) ↗
- Jonathan Baugh — Principal Investigator — spin qubits in semiconductors (since 2008) ↗
- Crystal Senko — Principal Investigator — trapped-ion quantum simulation (since 2017) ↗
- Christine Muschik — Principal Investigator — quantum simulation of gauge theories (since 2017) ↗
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) — Core federal research funding; NSERC Quantum Alliance grants to IQC faculty
- Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) — Infrastructure funding for IQC laboratories and the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) — Federal funding under the National Quantum Strategy
- Government of Canada — National Quantum Strategy — Federal strategy framework directing quantum R&D investment from 2023
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) — Quantum Information Science programme fellowships
- Canadian Space Agency (CSA) — QEYSSat satellite-QKD mission funding; science lead at IQC
- Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science (MRIS) — Provincial research and infrastructure funding
- Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis founding gift — 2002 founding endowment and subsequent expansions enabling the Quantum-Nano Centre
References
- QEYSSat 2.0 white paper on satellite-based quantum communication missions in Canada (paper)
- IQC QEYSSat mission overview (press)
- Canadian Space Agency QEYSSat mission page (press)
- Honeywell selected as QEYSSat spacecraft prime (SpaceNews, 2020) (press)
- CSA QEYSSat satellite operations plan, Small Satellite Conference 2025 (conf-talk)
- IQC founding history (2002) and Lazaridis founding gift (press)
- Norbert Lütkenhaus Executive Director profile (press)