Murphy Yuezhen Niu

Murphy Yuezhen Niu is an Assistant Professor and Stansbury Chair in Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), since 2024. She holds an adjunct role as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies. Niu earned her Ph.D. in theoretical and mathematical physics from MIT (2018) and a B.A. in Physics from Peking University. Her research focuses on quantum computing paradigms, including quantum control optimization, quantum error correction, quantum machine learning, and scalable quantum architectures.

Her work applies deep reinforcement learning and generative models to quantum systems, with contributions to superconducting qubit-based processors, ion traps, photonic systems, and neutral atom qubits. Niu's research emphasizes reducing the computational cost of quantum digitization while achieving real-world impacts. Notable achievements include the Claude E. Shannon Research Assistantship for her work in photonic quantum computation and quantum cryptography.

Niu’s publications (2021–2025) span topics like quantum error correction thresholds, hybrid analog-digital quantum simulators, and machine learning-driven quantum decoding. Her research bridges theoretical physics and applied quantum computing, with a focus on fault-tolerant architectures and scalable quantum control protocols.

• Education:
• Ph.D., Physics, MIT (2018)
• B.A., Physics, Peking University
• Awards:
• Claude E. Shannon Research Assistantship
• Labs/Teams:
• Google Quantum AI Team (former role)
• UCSB Quantum Computing Research Group