Eden Figueroa to lead new SBU Quantum Institute
March 5, 2026
Dear Stony Brook faculty and staff,
President Andrea Goldsmith and I are pleased to announce that Stony Brook University is taking another bold step to advance our state and national leadership in quantum research and networking.
We are launching a new Quantum Institute, under the direction and leadership of Eden Figueroa, endowed presidential professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences. Eden holds a joint appointment with Brookhaven National Laboratory, and is a recognized national and international leader for his research and entrepreneurship in quantum networking.
Eden was selected as director of the Institute after consultation with a broad cohort of Stony Brook University faculty and leadership. Under Eden’s leadership, the Institute will ensure that we expand our global leadership in the quantum revolution, continue hiring the best and brightest, and deepen our research collaborations with partners at Brookhaven National Lab, SUNY, and beyond.
The Institute will catalyze and accelerate an investment of $300 million from the state and SUNY system. It will also be supported by $13 million announced by President Goldsmith. Additional support for the Institute will come from university fundraising efforts.
Designed to empower interdisciplinary quantum research across networking, computing, sensing, and simulation, the Quantum Institute will offer competitive fellowships for students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting faculty.
The Institute will bring together faculty and students from a variety of core disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It will foster collaborative opportunities that span the university, including the Renaissance School of Medicine and Stony Brook centers and institutes such as the Institute for Advanced Computational Science, the AI Innovation Institute, and the Laufer Center.
Additionally, the Institute will be home to a quantum training and workforce center, collaborate with academic units in the creation of new curriculum and degree programs, and house state-of-the-art teaching laboratories. It will become the epicenter of an interdisciplinary quantum research consortium that will spin out high-tech start-up companies, fuel industry-sponsored research, and forge deep international partnerships.
In parallel with the Institute’s launch, the university will embark on an aggressive faculty cluster hiring plan to recruit up to 10 new faculty across SBU’s schools and colleges over the next two years.
The Institute under Eden’s direction marks the next phase of our quantum leadership, which has been a core area of research and investment since 2018, and which we have been able to expand thanks to significant support and investment from the State University of New York, the SUNY STRIVE initiative, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Gov. Hochul last fall announced the state will make a $300 million investment at Stony Brook to establish the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub. The first-of-its-kind hub will be the state’s premier facility dedicated to leading-edge research and education in quantum science and technology, with a particular focus on quantum communication and networking.
Already, the investment is supporting the expansion of the quantum internet testbed that originally linked Stony Brook, Brookhaven National Lab and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Eventually, the testbed will span more than 1,000 miles across New York State.
Since Stony Brook was founded in 1957, we have been a leader in physics research, beginning with the Nobel Laureate C.N. “Frank” Yang, who joined the faculty in 1965 and helped pave the way for other brilliant scientists and promising students.
Please join me in congratulating Eden, and in celebrating our expanded commitment to leading the coming quantum revolution.
Sincerely,
Carl
Carl W. Lejuez, Executive Vice President and Provost