MTSU’s QRISE Lands $2M Federal Grant for Quantum and AI research

Insider Brief

• Middle Tennessee State University’s QRISE Center has welcomed its first eight graduate trainees through a five-year, $2 million NSF National Research Traineeship grant focused on quantum science and artificial intelligence.
• The program provides eligible students with tuition assistance, stipends, faculty mentorship and professional development opportunities aimed at preparing them for quantum computing and AI careers.
• The trainees will conduct research spanning quantum simulations, quantum machine learning and computational science, with opportunities to work with academic, national laboratory and industry partners.

PRESS RELEASE — “If we want to build a sustainable quantum ecosystem in Tennessee, we also have to build the people who will power it.”

Those words from Middle Tennessee State University physics professor Hanna Terletska, director of Quantum Research Interdisciplinary Science and Education Center, or QRISE, welcomed the first cohort of eight trainees to an orientation session inside the James E. Walker Library made possible by a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to bolster research in quantum science and artificial intelligence.

Over the next five years, the NSF’s National Research Traineeship grant will prepare these MTSU graduate students to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals experienced in quantum computing and AI. Trainees receive $16,000 in tuition assistance, a host of professional development opportunities, and a $37,000 stipend for eligible students.