Dee Rossiter, April 3, 2026
Early-career researchers from California and Bavaria gathered last week for the Cal-Bay Quantum School, a growing international program designed to deepen scientific exchange and strengthen collaboration across two of the world’s leading quantum research regions.
Now in its third iteration—following the Munich–Berkeley School in 2023 and the Cal-Bay Quantum School in Munich in 2024—the program brought together 194 students from 10 universities across 2 countries for a weeklong, immersive experience spanning 2 campuses, with panel discussions, poster sessions, laboratory tours, and 17 PI talks and 12 student presentations.
Supported and organized by the CIQC, a Quantum Leap Challenge Institute of the National Science Foundation, and by Stanford University’s Q-FARM initiative, Cal-Bay reflects a broader effort to build international research networks while preparing the next generation of quantum scientists.
A program designed for depth, breadth, and connection
Over five days, participants engaged in an intensive program combining lectures on trending topics, panel discussions on emerging directions, hands-on lab tours, opportunities to showcase their research, and structured networking events.
The scientific program covered a wide range of topics, including:
- Quantum algorithms and quantum simulation
- Superconducting qubits and neutral atom platforms
- Quantum sensing and quantum optics
- Machine learning approaches for quantum systems
Lectures from leading scientists, including Jelena Vučković (Stanford), Immanuel Bloch (MPQ), Ignacio Cirac (MPQ), Florian Marquardt (FAU), as well as speakers from UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and California Institute of Technology, offered participants a deep dive into both foundational concepts and emerging research directions.
Panel discussions explored topics ranging from broad applications of quantum hardware to frontiers in quantum simulation and career pathways across academia and industry, while poster sessions highlighted student research from both California and Bavaria.
The program also extended beyond the classroom. Participants toured laboratories at Stanford and UC Berkeley, gaining firsthand exposure to experimental platforms and research infrastructure.
Supporting an international quantum community
The Cal-Bay Quantum School is designed to do more than share knowledge. It aims to build lasting connections across institutions, disciplines, and borders.
Beyond its scientific program, the Cal-Bay Quantum School represents a deliberate and highly productive model for international collaboration in quantum science, engineering, and technology. Federal priorities, including those outlined in the National Quantum Initiative Act and its proposed amendments, explicitly call for strengthened partnerships with allied nations to advance quantum research and innovation.
The Cal-Bay program directly responds to that call by building sustained, bidirectional collaboration between California and Bavaria, two leading global hubs in quantum science.
“What makes Cal-Bay unique is that it’s an ongoing collaboration,” said Faculty Director Dan Stamper-Kurn. “We’re creating real connections between researchers, institutions, and research programs that continue well beyond the week of the school.” Participants echoed that sentiment, noting that the program provides a rare opportunity to engage deeply across international research communities.
That perspective is echoed by participants from both regions. “Cal-Bay is distinctively effective in bringing together researchers from California and Bavaria with diverse expertise but shared interests, while offering PhD students and postdocs invaluable early opportunities to build lasting collaborations and professional connections,” said Caterina Zerba, a graduate student at Technical University of Munich and student organizer of the program.
Another graduate student at UC Berkeley, Nathaniel Selub, added, “The international aspect is really important. You get to hear from people you wouldn’t normally interact with, and that opens up new ways of thinking about problems.”
Participants repeatedly emphasized the value of engaging with perspectives outside their immediate research area. “Quantum is such an interdisciplinary space,” said Sam Cohen, a graduate student at Stanford. “It’s refreshing to learn about things adjacent to what you work on every day.” Raj Datla, another graduate student at Stanford agreed. “It’s nice to catch up on what everyone in the community is doing,” “There are experimental talks, theoretical talks. It’s a really good mix.”
Even for students working within the same region, the school created new opportunities for connection.“Stanford is close, but you don’t always hear in detail what people are working on,” Selub noted. “Being here lets you actually engage with that work directly.”
Connecting research, infrastructure, and real-world impact
A defining feature of the Cal-Bay Quantum School is its emphasis on connecting fundamental research with real-world systems and infrastructure. Through lab tours and discussions, students saw how quantum research moves from theory to implementation, from conceptual models to experimental platforms and emerging technologies.
“You have experimentalists working on hardware, theorists developing new ideas, and people in computer science thinking about applications,” Richard Tsai, a graduate student at CalTech said. “It’s that combination that makes it really valuable.”
Participants also reflected on how rapidly the field is evolving.
“It feels like things are transitioning,” Tsai said. “Something that was very academic is becoming more mainstream.”
That shift is increasingly visible through growing engagement from industry and national laboratories, as well as new investments in quantum infrastructure. At the same time, students emphasized the importance of grounding that momentum in real technical progress.
“There’s a lot of hype,” Selub said, “but what’s exciting is when you see concrete examples where quantum systems can actually do something useful.”
Beyond the formal program, the Cal-Bay Quantum School is structured to support longer-term collaboration. Participants are encouraged to pursue research stays before and after the school, allowing them to work directly with host research groups, gain exposure to new experimental and theoretical approaches, and develop joint projects and publications.
For many students, these opportunities are just as important as the lectures themselves.
“I’ve met a lot of new people from places I hadn’t interacted with before,” Selub said. “That’s something that will definitely carry forward.”
The program’s design reflects a broader recognition that advancing quantum science requires not only technical expertise, but also strong, interconnected research communities.
Looking ahead to the future of quantum training
As part of its mission, CIQC supports initiatives that expand access to training, foster collaboration, and strengthen the quantum workforce at both regional and international scales.
The Cal-Bay Quantum School exemplifies this approach by integrating advanced scientific training, cross-institutional collaboration, international exchange, and exposure to experimental and computational platforms.
“Programs like this are critical,” said Monika Schleier-Smith, a CIQC principal investigator and professor at Stanford University, whose work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to quantum science and strong ties between research communities. “They create opportunities for early-career researchers to build connections across institutions and disciplines, which is essential for advancing quantum science.”
As quantum science continues to evolve, programs like the Cal-Bay Quantum School are helping define how the field grows, not just through technical breakthroughs, but through the people and partnerships that make them possible.
“You come here to learn,” Datla said, “but also to meet people and see where the field is going.”
Cal-Bay Quantum School represents a significant step toward a more connected, collaborative global quantum ecosystem that NSF CIQC and its partners across California and Bavaria are actively building.