CQIQC Undergraduate Summer Research Program 2026
CQIQC at UofT is offering Prize Scholarships for undergraduate students to undertake research projects in quantum science and engineering at the University of Toronto. CQIQC will provide funds for students to spend the summer working in research groups associated with the Centre. The award is not limited to UofT students; we encourage students from other academic institutions to apply.
Award value: $10,000 in total for 4 months, in which $5,000 is provided by CQIQC and $5,000 by the hosting supervisor. Students should be working full time on the research project and they are not allowed to take course load in parallel.
Applicants must be an undergraduate student who have the following qualifications:
- Majoring in Science or Engineering, including Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Material Engineering, or related areas
- Permission to study in Canada
- Excellent GPA and an interest in quantum science and engineering
- At least one year left in their undergraduate degree before the expected graduation date (i.e., if your graduation date is between September 2026 to January 2027, you are not eligible)
How to Apply: please email your application to: CQIQC Administrator at quantum@utoronto.ca)
- Subject Line: CQIQC Undergraduate Award 2026
To complete your application, please ensure you provide the following documents. All documents must be in PDF format and merged into a single file in the order specified below:
- Completed checklist Download it here
- One-page personal statement of your research interests
- CV
- Your university transcript with grades, including the Fall term of 2025. If you have not yet received the Fall 25 grades, please submit your most recent transcript, and send us the updated one as soon as you get it.
- If possible: a letter of support by a faculty member (sent directly from the referee to CQIQC)
Next Step: Once selected, successful applicants must find a CQIQC member to be their supervisor.
Closing Date: 20 January 2026.
For your reference, the following is a list of some of the projects available for applicants:
2026
| Researcher & Project(s) Title | More Information |
|---|---|
| Prof. Artur Izmaylov, (1) Quantum Chemistry on Fault-tolerant Quantum Computers: Unitary Downfolding and Spectral-Range Reduction for Faster QPE, (2) Quantum Chemistry on Near-term Quantum Computers: Symmetry-based Circuit Reduction and Efficient Measurements (Q-SENSE Extensions) | Project descriptions |
| Prof. Dvira Segal, Thermal state preparation in qubits and many body systems | Project description |
| Prof. Amar Vutha, (1) Testing fundamental symmetries using nuclei, (2) Atomic sensors of electric fields | Project descriptions |
| Prof. Boris Braveman, (1) Laser Cooling and Spectroscopy of Ultracold Ytterbium, (2) High-Performance Custom Laser Shutters, (3) Dual Laser-Cavity Frequency Stabilization | Project descriptions |
| Prof. Joseph H. Thywissen, (1) Ultracold atoms: Construction of a new BEC machine, (2) Ultracold atoms: Phase-locked optical lattice, (3) Ultracold atoms: Correlations between fermions in a lattice | Project descriptions |
| Prof. Young-June Kim, Magnetism and superconductivity in quantum materials | Project description |
2025
| Researcher & Project Title | More Information |
|---|---|
| Prof. Sergio de la Barrera, Engineering new atomically thin quantum materials | Project description |
| Prof. Amr Helmy, Noise Immune LiDAR with single photon sensitivity | Project description. See p.2 |
| Prof. Amr Helmy, Ultrashort pulses in Bragg waveguide laser diodes | Project description. See p.3 |
| Prof. Amr Helmy, Nanophotonic interconnect using Plasmonics | Project description. See p.5 |
| Prof. Arno Jacobsen, Distributed Quantum Computing for Transition Metal Catalysis | Project description |
| Prof. Arno Jacobsen, Distributed Quantum Computing Abstractions & Algorithms | Project description |
| Prof. Dvira Segal, Dissipative dynamics in interacting spin baths | Project description |
| Prof. Dvira Segal, Open quantum systems: Quantum algorithms and energy cost assessment | Project description |
| Prof. Amar Vutha, Fundamental physics using precision spectroscopy | Project description |
| Prof. Amar Vutha, Cryogenic single-ion clock | Project description |
| Prof. Boris Braveman, Precision measurement using disorder | Project description. See p.1 |
| Prof. Boris Braveman, High-performance custom laser shutters | Project description. See p.1-2 |
| Prof. Boris Braveman, Optimal filtering of spatial modes of light | Project description. See p.2 |
| Prof. Joseph H. Thywissen, Ultracold Atoms, Construction of a new BEC Machine | Project description. See p.1 |
| Prof. Joseph H. Thywissen, Ultracold Atoms, Laser amplifier design | Project description. See p.2 |
| Prof. Joseph H. Thywissen, Ultracold Atoms, Optical box traps for quantum gases | Project description. See. p.2 |
A list of past recipients is available on our website.
Undergraduate programs of study with a focus on quantum science
Physics Specialist: focus on Modern Optics, Quantum Information, and Quantum Computing
Physics Specialist: focus on Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Our students come from Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, math, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering departments.