iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Dr. Rick Mukherjee has been named the inaugural director of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Quantum Center. Mukherjee already has graduate degrees from some of the most prestigious institutions in Europe, research stints at Harvard University and Rice University; and a post as scientist at the Center for Optical Quantum Technologies at the University of Hamburg in Germany.
According to the university, he was selected for the post in mid-2024 and assumed the role on December 1.
Talking about his appointment, he said, “I am deeply impressed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s commitment to advancing quantum research, which stands as a testament to the University’s foresight and dedication to shaping the future of technology. In addition, EPB’s bold involvement into quantum networks further encapsulates the city’s spirit to embrace this bright future.”
“Accepting the position of director of the UTC Quantum Center is not only a tremendous honor, it’s a unique opportunity to contribute to this exciting vision,” he added.
Before this, Mukherjee was in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to that, he was a research associate from 2018 to 2022 at Imperial College London, a global top 10 university in science, engineering, business and medicine.
“After serving as a visiting scientist at the Harvard Institute for Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics in summer 2017, Mukherjee held the post of visiting scholar at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhopal from 2017 to 2018. He completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Rice University in Houston in 2017,” the university said.
“Mukherjee earned a doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany. He completed two master’s degrees. One is in theoretical and mathematical physics from the University of Cambridge in England; and the other is in astrophysics from Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Xavier’s University in Mumbai, India.
UTC Vice Chancellor for Research Reinhold Mann, said, “The focus on quantum information science and engineering is a new direction for UTC. The Quantum Center represents important opportunities for our students, the community and UTC research collaborations with other institutions.”
(Photo courtesy: blog.utc.edu)