Ashley Blackwell is first to traverse UIC’s ‘quantum ecosystem’

Ashley Blackwell has been with the University of Illinois Chicago’s quantum program since its inception. Now, she’s the first in line to see it come to fruition.

Blackwell, who earned her doctorate in electrical and computer engineering this May, is the first in her department to graduate with a focus in quantum information science.

Blackwell earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University in New Orleans. From there, she began a doctorate program in electrical and computer engineering at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Three years into her time at Howard, Blackwell helped adviser Thomas Searles transplant his lab to its current home at UIC.

“He is the angel that saved me from slipping through the cracks,” Blackwell said, speaking of Searles, a UIC electrical and computer engineering professor.

Searles leads the ReACT-QISE Consortium, which connects post-secondary students from underserved communities with opportunities in quantum, and he previously directed the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center.

“It is truly an honor to guide Ashley to being the department’s first quantum information science and engineering PhD graduate,” Searles said. “I have been most impressed with Ashley’s research aptitude and attitude toward meeting new academic, personal and technical challenges.”

Searles and Blackwell’s move to the Midwest introduced the UIC Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to quantum information science — “the next hot topic,” Blackwell said.

Quantum represents a new frontier in powerful, high-speed computing, with implications for machine learning and modeling, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and similar grand challenges, Blackwell said.

“The quantum ecosystem in the U.S. is quickly being built, and I see the value in the UIC ECE department because they took the right step in figuring out how we prepare tomorrow’s workforce for this boom,” she said.

Quantum computing is newer and more nuanced than the devices we use to scroll through social media, compose emails and trawl the Internet. While traditional computers speak the binary language of zeroes and ones, yes’s and no’s, quantum computing simultaneously achieves the “yes” and “no” states — like adding “maybe” to an otherwise absolute vocabulary.

This extra dimension helps quantum computers tackle complex problems more efficiently than their classical counterparts.

“Imagine a regional electrical grid gets hit by a Chicago-level snowstorm,” Blackwell said. “Part of the grid goes out, affecting 100,000 people’s homes and businesses. A classical computer takes hours or even weeks to identify where inside the grid is messed up. A quantum computer can find that component in minutes.”

Quantum education, engineering, software and photonics are all fields of study in UIC’s burgeoning quantum curriculum. Blackwell’s PhD focused on scaling up and strengthening quantum algorithms — the scripts that tell quantum computers what to do.

“I find it remarkable that Ashley has done so much in graduate school, from winning prestigious fellowships to presenting at national and international conferences and gaining internship experiences,” Searles said, referencing Blackwell’s positions at IBM, ComEd and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. “Ashley is already a leader in her field, and her work will be an impactful step toward the widespread adoption of quantum computers.”

Nine years after starting her PhD, Blackwell defended her dissertation at UIC in March. She currently evaluates electrical engineering patents for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She said her pride extends to her children, Amerie and Amani, whom Blackwell raised throughout her degree with the motto: Mom first, engineer second.

“The road to this point has been long,” she said. “We’re all Black women in this research group, so this was a big deal for me and everybody around me.”

The Society of Women Engineers reports that 82 Black women earned doctoral degrees in engineering in 2023, representing 0.6% of the total. Blackwell is the first UIC PhD graduate with a quantum specialty, but new undergrads bolster the program yearly.

“Slowly but surely, we are going to produce more quantum-focused master’s and PhD students who can go into industry jobs and do exceptional research,” said Blackwell.

According to Blackwell, there’s no place like Chicago — “the “Silicon Valley of quantum” — for students to get their start. And just like quantum computing, Blackwell said a doctorate is about achieving multiple outcomes at once.

“A PhD is much more than just content. It’s leadership. It’s communication. It’s public speaking. We learn so many things, and there are a lot of transferable skills,” she said.

“UIC has a valuable role in preparing tomorrow’s workforce to be well-rounded. That’s the value.”