Tian Zhong

Tian Zhong is an Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. His research focuses on quantum photonics and solid-state quantum technologies, particularly leveraging rare-earth doped materials for quantum networks and optical quantum memory. He completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering at MIT (2013) and a postdoc at Caltech’s Institute of Quantum Information and Matter. Key roles include pioneering rare-earth quantum nanophotonics and developing scalable quantum optical networks.

Research interests include quantum entanglement purification, epitaxial thin films for quantum devices, and hardware-software co-design for quantum computing. Notable achievements include a DoD ARO Young Investigator Award (2020) and an NSF CAREER Award (2020). His lab, Zhong Quantum Lab, explores quantum interconnects and hybrid systems, with recent grants from the Betty Moore Foundation for novel quantum matter projects.

Publications span quantum networking protocols, coherence properties of rare-earth ions, and interdisciplinary studies in microbiome-gut-brain interactions. Advising focuses on training students in quantum device fabrication and theoretical modeling, with active projects on dilution fridge setups and quantum repeater networks.