Just last week, Dr. Jeff Prevost, Executive Director of the Open Cloud Institute (OCI) at UT San Antonio, delivered a compelling keynote titled “UT San Antonio’s Vision for the Texas Quantum Future” at the Texas Quantum Summit, held at Texas A&M University. His address emphasized UTSA’s expanding leadership in quantum research, workforce development, and technology.
The summit brought together leaders from academia, industry, and government to chart a roadmap for the Texas Quantum Initiative. As one of the confirmed plenary speakers, Dr. Prevost spoke with conviction about UTSA’s ambition in quantum science and its strategic contributions to the new quantum ecosystem emerging across Texas. “Our goal is clear: build the talent, the technology, and the testbeds that will drive Texas’s quantum future,” said Dr. Prevost. “UTSA is all in.” The Texas Quantum Summit gathered researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to accelerate the momentum established by House Bill 4751, which served as a launchpad for the Texas Quantum Initiative earlier this year. The initiative is poised to make Texas a national and global hub for quantum computing, networking, and sensing technologies.
Dr. Prevost also highlighted UTSA’s strong foundation in cybersecurity as a key pillar of its quantum strategy. With San Antonio recognized as “Cyber City, USA” and home to critical infrastructure such as the National Security Collaboration Center and the Texas Cyber Command Center, UTSA is uniquely positioned to lead in quantum cybersecurity.
Central to this effort is the Open Cloud Institute, which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research connecting computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, and quantum information science. OCI is using its network and research capabilities to propel quantum technology forward by using its resources to support research, training, and development that can grow over time.
In a major milestone for late 2024, OCI led the launch of the Texas Quantum Institute for Cyber Resilience (QuICR)—a landmark statewide consortium combining 16 Texas universities, 3 national laboratories, 3 commercial quantum companies, and a leading research institute. QuICR is designed as a research and workforce development ecosystem focused on applying quantum science and engineering to secure critical industries such as manufacturing and healthcare.
QuICR’s ambitious research agenda includes advancing quantum cryptography, developing resilient materials for scalable quantum systems, creating secure quantum algorithms, and building applied cybersecurity testbeds. It also aims to address ethical and policy challenges and build a quantum-literate workforce capable of leading in the next technological revolution.
Through initiatives like QuICR, UTSA continues to position itself at the forefront of Texas’s quantum agenda; thus, helping to ensure that the state not only leads in innovation but also in resilience and security.
In addition to Dr. Prevost’s keynote address, UTSA was well represented by a team of faculty who brought domain-specific insights to multiple panels and discussions. Dr. Panos Markopoulos, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, shared perspectives on integrating quantum sensing into advanced manufacturing. Dr. Henry Chimal‑Dzul, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, presented on quantum materials and their applications to scalable technologies. Kathryn Mayer, associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, contributed her expertise on science education and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Their participation underscored the breadth of UTSA’s strengths in quantum research and education, and reinforced the university’s role as a collaborative leader in advancing Texas’ quantum ecosystem.
Dr. Prevost concluded his remarks with a call for continued statewide collaboration. “We remain fully aligned with the Texas Quantum Initiative’s goals. In fact, what I’ve outlined is essentially UT San Antonio’s answer to the call that HB 4751 put out—to make Texas the epicenter of quantum innovation,” he said. “Let’s work together to ensure Texas leads the quantum age, just as it has led in so many others.”
Read more about HB 4751 and UT San Antonio’s growing quantum presence at UT San Antonio Today.
