Andrew Cleland

Andrew Cleland is the John A. MacLean Sr. Professor of Molecular Engineering Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. He leads the Cleland Lab, focusing on quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing using superconducting circuits and nanomechanical systems. As Director of the Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility, he oversees advanced fabrication resources for quantum technologies. Cleland earned his BS and PhD in physics from UC Berkeley (1983, 1991), followed by postdoctoral research at the Centre d’Etudes-Orme des Merisiers and Caltech before joining UCSB in 1997 and UChicago in 2014.

His research integrates superconducting qubits, mechanical resonators, and optomechanical devices to develop scalable quantum systems. Key interests include quantum error correction, modular architectures, and phonon-mediated quantum communication. His lab has pioneered advancements in quantum state transfer, entanglement distribution, and acoustic phonon manipulation.

Cleland’s awards include AAAS and APS Fellowships, the Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize (2025), and the APS Kavli Lectureship (2017). His work spans over 200 publications, emphasizing quantum networks, superconducting devices, and nanomechanical systems. Students and postdocs in his lab explore topics like optomechanical transduction, quantum router design, and low-energy spin-phonon interactions. The lab collaborates with institutions globally to advance hybrid quantum systems and applications in quantum information science.