With support from a prestigious NSF CAREER award, Subhasish Mandal, an assistant professor in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy, is working to discover new materials that can make high-speed quantum computing a reality.
(WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

With support from a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award,
West
Virginia University physicist Subhasish Mandal is
working to supply future quantum technologies with materials that don’t exist
yet.

Mandal, an assistant professor in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Department
of Physics and Astronomy, will develop computer tools
for designing the quantum materials that will be required to build quantum
computers and other advanced technologies.

Quantum technology could change the way we compute, communicate,
and collect information. Regular computers use bits, which are either 0 or 1.
Quantum computers use quantum states, which can exist in many possible
configurations at the same time. However, building useful quantum technologies
can be difficult because quantum states are very fragile and can easily be
affected by their surroundings.

Mandal’s research focuses on understanding and designing materials
that can protect these delicate quantum states. One important part of his
project involves studying how electrons interact with tiny vibrations from the
atoms inside materials. These interactions strongly influence a material’s
quantum properties and may hold the key to creating more stable quantum
technologies.

“One of the biggest challenges in quantum technology is finding
materials that can maintain their quantum behavior outside carefully controlled
laboratory environments,” Mandal said. “To overcome that challenge, we need to
understand both how electrons interact with one another and how they interact
with the natural vibrations of atoms in a material. Together, these combined
interactions can dramatically reshape a material’s quantum properties and, if
properly controlled, may help us design better materials for future quantum
technologies.”

Mandal will study specially designed materials made by stacking
different substances one atomic layer at a time. Like mixing ingredients in a
recipe to create something entirely new, combining different materials at the
atomic level can create quantum properties that one material could not produce
by itself.

Using advanced computer methods and large-scale simulations, Mandal’s
team will study how electrons and atomic vibrations work together to create
quantum behavior. These processes can help determine whether a material has
special properties such as superconductivity, which allows electricity to flow
without energy loss.

Mandal will also focus on topological quantum states, which can
resist certain types of disturbances. Scientists say they believe combining superconductivity
and topological quantum states could help create the basic building blocks for
future quantum computers.

He will develop free software to help researchers find new quantum
materials, broadening scientists’ access to advanced computer tools and potentially
speeding up scientific discoveries by reducing the time and money needed to
test new materials.

“Instead of making every quantum material possible in a laboratory
to see which perform well, researchers could first use the software to run simulations
to identify the most promising options,” Mandal said. “Then scientists could
focus their laboratory experiments on materials most likely to have useful
quantum properties.”

In addition, Mandal will create easy-to-understand lessons about
quantum science and technology, organize immersive summer workshops at WVU, and
provide hands-on opportunities for high school, college, and graduate students
who will learn computer skills that are increasingly important in scientific
research, advanced manufacturing, high-performance computing, and new quantum
industries.

“As quantum technologies move from the laboratory toward real-world
applications, there is a growing need for a workforce that understands both the
science and the tools behind them,” Mandal said. “This project allows us to
train students at multiple levels and help prepare them for careers in one of
the fastest growing areas of science and technology.”

Mandal’s award comes through NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development
Program, the Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career
faculty who demonstrate the potential to serve as academic role models in
research and education.

“Dr. Mandal is working at the cutting edge of an extraordinarily
innovative field,” said Maura McLaughlin, chair
of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Eberly Distinguished Professor
of Physics and Astronomy. “The training this project provides will open new
opportunities for West Virginia students while helping to build the highly
skilled technology workforce critical to our state’s future growth.”

Mandal joined the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy in 2022.
In December 2025, his work on quantum materials was highlighted by Nature
Communications, and he received the 2026 Cottrell Scholar Award from the
Research Corporation for Science Advancement. His research group, the Computational
Quantum Materials Group, is supported by agencies and foundations, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the U.S.
Department of Defense, and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

“The long-term goal is to create a way to predict which materials
could be useful for quantum technology before they are ever made in a
laboratory,” Mandal said. “If we can find materials or a combination of
materials that naturally support quantum states, we can help to build the
foundation for new quantum technologies that could benefit society for decades
to come.”

-WVU-

mh/9/10/26

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