A federal scientist working in the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) is being recognized by the Washington Academy of Sciences for his groundbreaking research and scholarship involving quantum information science.
Yi-Kai Liu, a computer scientist in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will receive the Excellence in Research Award in Computer Science on May 8 at the academy’s annual meeting, held this year at the Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, Md.
Liu works on the University of Maryland (UMD) campus as a fellow in QuICS and an adjunct associate professor in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). He served a five-year term as co-director of QuICS from January 2020 until March of 2025.
Since the Washington Academy of Sciences began recognizing top scientists in the region for their scientific achievements and leadership in 1940, more than 80 UMD researchers have received an award from the academy, including at least a dozen current and former researchers with appointments in UMIACS.
Liu’s recognition—the Excellence in Research Award—honors scientists and scholars that have had a significant impact on their respective fields of study. He was specifically noted for his work in quantum information, including quantum algorithms, quantum complexity theory, quantum cryptography, and quantum measurement theory.
One area Liu excels in involves applications of a technique called compressed sending to problems in quantum information. Compressed sensing is a sophisticated approach to reconstructing a signal from an underdetermined system of linear equations, which has led to significant advances in signal processing, optimization, and related areas.
Liu recognized the relevance of this technique to quantum information and, with his collaborators, wrote several influential papers showing how it could be applied to improve methods for characterizing quantum states.
Another one of his key contributions involves quantum cryptography as it relates to the study of pseudorandom quantum states. Just as pseudo-randomness plays a crucial role in the practical implementation of classical algorithms and cryptographic protocols, Liu, working with others, showed that pseudorandom quantum states could have compelling applications in quantum cryptography, such as to the construction of so-called “quantum money” that can be verified but not copied.
Liu has also advanced the quantum information research community through his leadership at QuICS. He helped to create a productive environment for quantum computing research, which was especially challenging during the pandemic that arrived soon after his term as co-director began.
He also helped to manage the center’s funding, guide its highly successful programs for graduate and postdoctoral fellows, coordinate seminar and seed grant programs, and organize events such as the PQCrypto 2023 conference and a recent 10-year Anniversary Symposium.
QuICS grew significantly during this period, both in its number of members and the breadth of its research. It is now firmly established as one of the top centers in the world for research on quantum information, says Andrew Childs, a professor of computer science at UMD who served as a co-director of QuICS from 2014–2024, including a five-year period that coincided with Liu being a co-director.
“Yi-Kai is a deep thinker whose research results have had a significant impact on the field of quantum information, and whose leadership has played a significant role in creating a hub for quantum computing research and scholarship in our region,” Childs says. “The field as a whole, and the capital region quantum community in particular, are much richer because of his contributions.”
—Story by UMIACS communications group