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On paper, Aagnik “Nick” Pant’s academic path may not make him an obvious fit for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Davis, which he joins as an assistant professor this fall.  

Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Aagnik “Nick” Pant (Mario Rodriguez/UC Davis)

Nathan Gonzalez, a doctoral student studying quantum information science in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis, has received a UC Noyce Graduate Student Fellowship. 

UC Noyce launched the fellowship program in spring 2026 to support doctoral students working at the forefront of digital innovation in computational health, quantum information science and cybersecurity.  

Five researchers from the University of California, Davis, were among the recipients of the inaugural awards through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Genesis Mission — a national program leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security.

Inside a 3,000-square-foot space adjacent to the UC Davis Physics Building, Nancy Aggarwal is building a lab to detect invisible ripples and substances in the fabric of space-time. (Courtesy of Nancy Aggarwal)

Isaac Kim, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been named as a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Kim is among 126 new fellows announced today (Feb. 17). Fellows receive a two-year, $75,000 award to further their work.

Kim’s research is in quantum entanglement, a necessary step to developing quantum computers and information systems.

Pranta Saha, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, is among the recipients of the inaugural Costas John Spanos Semiconductor Manufacturing Awards, presented by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute, or CITRIS. 

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Marina Radulaski is among this year’s class of Chancellor’s Fellows at the University of California, Davis. The distinction is given annually to early-career academics who are doing exemplary work in their fields.  

For the uninitiated, quantum mechanics are ostensibly non-physical, existing more in theory than in actuality. The classic quantum thought experiment, Schrödinger’s Cat, underscores this: How can a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead inside a box be anything more than a philosophical plaything?

A lot more. In fact, our world depends on it. Without quantum mechanics, atoms would fall apart, collapsing into nothingness. Without quantum mechanics, we would not have the modern world we have today.

Materials Today has honored Marina Radulaski, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, with a Rising Star Award for her outstanding research and promise for continued leadership in quantum materials and electronics.

UC Davis Quantum Information Science and Technology programs have trained hundreds of students, from high school to postdoctoral stage. We asked a few graduating students to reflect on their QuIST experiences. Here is what they had to say.

Physics Ph.D. graduate now at the University of Cambridge