7/16/2026 Lauren Laws
Associate Professor Elizabeth Goldschmidt was announced as the next Director of IQUIST. Goldschmidt will provide leadership to the college and campus quantum efforts by directing the overall center strategy and coordinating center activities and milestones in collaboration with IQUIST staff. She replaces outgoing Director Brian DeMarco.
Written by Lauren Laws
The Grainger College of Engineering announced Thursday that Professor Elizabeth Goldschmidt is the next Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center. Goldschmidt, the Associate Director of IQUIST since 2024, will replace outgoing Director Brian DeMarco.
“Her leadership in supporting and expanding quantum research and education across campus is vital to position Illinois as a leader in the burgeoning quantum era,” said Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering.
Goldschmidt is an Associate Professor in Physics, with affiliations in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Materials Research Lab, and the Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Lab. Her research is in experimental quantum optics and atomic physics including quantum light-matter interfaces, quantum memory, and single photon sources, with a particular focus on atom-like emitters in solids as the physical platform for these experiments.
As IQUIST Director, Goldschmidt will provide leadership to the college and campus quantum efforts by directing the overall center strategy and coordinating center activities and milestones in collaboration with IQUIST staff.
“I'm thrilled to take over leadership of IQUIST at a time when there is so much excitement about quantum technologies coming from every direction,” said Goldschmidt. “I am dedicated to supporting and expanding quantum research and education here on campus, taking advantage of this moment and our core strengths to ensure the University remains a leader in the field. I am looking forward to IQUIST's role in producing both the research breakthroughs and the quantum-ready workforce that will drive forward the ongoing quantum revolution.”
Bashir thanked Director DeMarco for his service and leadership of IQUIST for nearly four years.
“He has been instrumental in helping us establish our presence in Chicago via the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) and has been serving as its CTO, in addition to his involvement in the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) and including the many opportunities that continue to arise in Quantum Science and Technology,” said Bashir.
Elizabeth Goldschmidt is an Illinois Grainger Engineering associate professor in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She is also affiliated with the Materials Research Lab, the Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, and the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks. She is the Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center.
Brian DeMarco is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in the Department of Physics. He is affiliated with the Materials Research Lab and the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center. DeMarco is the Director of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks and the Chief Technology Officer of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. He holds the John Bardeen Faculty Scholar in Electrical Engineering and Physics appointment.