UT San Antonio Positions Itself as a Leader in Quantum Cybersecurity for Texas
UT San Antonio is actively contributing to Texas’ growing quantum initiative, leveraging its established strengths in cybersecurity to build a quantum-ready future for the state. Jeff Prevost, PhD, Executive Director of the Open Cloud Institute (OCI), highlighted the university’s unique position at the inaugural Quantum Summit held at Texas A&M University.
“UT San Antonio is all in,” Prevost stated, emphasizing the university’s commitment to developing the talent, technology, and testbeds necessary to drive Texas’ quantum future. He underscored the importance of the university’s cybersecurity expertise,noting San Antonio’s reputation as “Cyber City,USA.”
UT San Antonio houses critical infrastructure supporting this effort, including the National Security Collaboration Centre, which aids the Texas Cyber Command, a dedicated college focused on AI, cyber, and computing, and the OCI itself. This combination, Prevost explained, uniquely positions the university to lead in quantum cybersecurity.
The OCI serves as a central hub for interdisciplinary research, connecting computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, and quantum facts science. Last year, the institute spearheaded the launch of the Texas Quantum Institute for Cyber Resilience (QuICR), a statewide consortium involving 16 Texas universities, three national laboratories, three commercial quantum companies, and a leading research institute.
QuICR is focused on applying quantum science and engineering to bolster the security of critical industries like manufacturing and healthcare. Research areas include advancing quantum cryptography, developing resilient materials for scalable quantum systems, creating secure quantum algorithms, and establishing applied cybersecurity testbeds.The consortium also prioritizes addressing ethical and policy considerations and cultivating a skilled quantum workforce.
UT San Antonio faculty presented on specialized quantum topics at the summit, including:
* Panos Markopoulos, PhD, associate professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, discussed integrating quantum sensing into advanced manufacturing.
* Henry chimal‑Dzul, PhD, assistant professor in Mathematics, presented on quantum materials and their applications to scalable technologies.
* Kathryn Mayer,PhD,associate professor in Physics and Astronomy,shared her expertise on science education and interdisciplinary collaboration.
To further collaboration,the OCI will host the Texas Quantum Workshop on Cyber Resilience in the spring. Prevost concluded by expressing confidence in Texas’ ability to become a national leader in quantum innovation, aligning with the goals outlined in HB 4751.
