Dr. Rick Mukherjee is the inaugural director of the Quantum Center. Photo by Angela Foster.
On April 14, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will join the global celebration of quantum science as part of World Quantum Day 2026, an annual event that promotes awareness and understanding of the field.
UTC Quantum Center Director Rick Mukherjee explained that this is a day to educate interested parties on a budding industry through a UTC STEM Open House. A UTC Research Institute blog post was released today to help better understand why quantum will be an important industry locally.
“We want Chattanooga and the local community to get to know more about what quantum activities are going on at the University both in terms of education and research,” Mukherjee said. “It’s also an opportunity for us to do public engagement.”
As part of the day’s activities, local high school students will be taken on a tour of the Quantum Center.
“We give them a tour of the labs, but it was all branches of science, chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology,” Mukherjee said. “We have professors from all departments, including myself, representing not just the Quantum Center but also the Department of Physics.
“We basically want the students to first get excited about science and then get excited about quantum physics, quantum research and what we are doing here at UTC at the Quantum Center.”
Students will be greeted by Professor Keenan Dungey, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. They will then attend presentations from Department of Mathematics Head Chris Cox and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Yu Liang.
Later, students will hear about different professional pathways from Dungey, Cox and UC Foundation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Mengjun Xie.
Mukherjee stressed the importance of having different departments represented on World Quantum Day because it will affect many industries and help prepare students for the future.
“Whether you’re in health care, finance, logistics—which is what Chattanooga is known for—insurance or whatever sector, students need to know what the future looks like and how to be prepared for it,” he said. “We would welcome students to join the physics program and go deep into quantum, but we actually want students from other departments.”
In response to the need for diverse expertise, the University created a Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) certificate and is working on additional support.
“UTC is working towards having a program at the undergraduate level, also working to have one in the graduate level, as well as a QISE Ph.D. program in the pipeline,” he said. “So that it doesn’t matter as a high school student when you enter, doesn’t matter what your major is, doesn’t matter what level you are at, everybody has access to quantum education.
“We go as far as to say that you don’t even have to be enrolled as a student at UTC. If you are a working professional at a company like Volkswagen, EPB or any local company, and you want training in quantum, we are trying to develop programs that would do that. We are committed to raising quantum literacy and quantum awareness for the city of Chattanooga.”
Mukherjee cited a McKinsey & Company study that forecasted the quantum sector as a trillion-dollar industry and compared it to the ChatGPT and artificial intelligence boom, saying, “We don’t want to be blindsided by it.”
Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi said World Quantum Day represents more than just a milestone; it represents a bold vision for the UTC campus.
“Through early investment, the creation of our center and the recruitment of exceptional faculty, researchers and students across disciplines, we have built a thriving quantum ecosystem,” Sartipi said. “Spanning research, education and industry engagement, our efforts position us as a leader in shaping the future of quantum innovation.”
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Why quantum? Why now? And why UTC?
