Alec Yen

Alec Yen

MIT PhD Student in EECS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I’m a final-year PhD candidate in MIT’s EECS department, where I focus on developing faster and more scalable ways to measure superconducting qubits. My research brings together circuit design, device physics, and system-level engineering to address some of the biggest bottlenecks in quantum computing hardware.

The projects I’ve led balance fundamental physics with practical engineering, each targeting real scaling challenges:

  • Directional readout resonators that improve uniformity and scalability
  • Interferometric Purcell filters that reduce overhead through built-in interference
  • Arm qubit measurement — a new architecture enabling high-fidelity, high-QND readout in tens of nanoseconds

As I approach graduation next year, I’m excited to apply this experience in industry, contributing to the development of large-scale quantum systems that can move beyond the lab and bring fault-tolerant quantum computing closer to reality.

Research Projects

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Ultrafast quantum measurement
High-fidelity, high-QND qubit readout in tens of nanoseconds.
Ultrafast quantum measurement
Qubit protection using interference
Built-in suppression of spontaneous emission in a planar architecture.
Qubit protection using interference
Scaling quantum measurement
A superconducting resonator that directionally emits measurement photons encoded with qubit information.
Scaling quantum measurement
Terahertz circuits to enable integrated molecular clocks
A 220-320 GHz waveguide made from a silicon wafer.
Terahertz circuits to enable integrated molecular clocks
Fast and efficient integrated circuits
A new and improved low-power op amp in a 180nm CMOS process.
Fast and efficient integrated circuits
Neuromorphic self-balancing robot
Two-wheeled self-balancing robot using spiking neural networks and evolutionary optimization.
Neuromorphic self-balancing robot
Through-the-windshield driver recognition
Driver recognition using RCNN, GAN, HDR imaging, and image fusion.
Through-the-windshield driver recognition

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
MIT
PhD Student
MIT
August 2020 – Present Cambridge, MA
Designing superconducting quantum hardware for fast, high-fidelity operations, enabling scalable quantum error correction.
 
 
 
 
 
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Undergraduate Researcher
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
August 2017 – August 2020 Knoxville, TN
Specialized in RF/analog circuit design and electromagnetic simulation.
 
 
 
 
 
Garmin International
Design Intern
Garmin International
May 2019 – August 2019 Olathe, KS
Designing power electronics and RF circuits for Aviation and Avionics Group.
 
 
 
 
 
TENNLab Research Center
Undergraduate Researcher
TENNLab Research Center
August 2018 – May 2019 Knoxville, TN
Designed and built the fully neuromorphic two-wheeled, self-balancing robot.
 
 
 
 
 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Research Intern
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
June 2018 – August 2019 Oak Ridge, TN
Specialized in facial recognition and computer vision. Designed and implemented fast-moving vehicle security portal.

Recent Publications

Near-ultrastrong nonlinear light-matter coupling in superconducting circuits
Near-ultrastrong nonlinear light-matter coupling in superconducting circuits
Interferometric Purcell suppression of spontaneous emission in a superconducting qubit
In superconducting qubits, suppression of spontaneous emission is essential to achieve fast dispersive measurement and reset without …
Interferometric Purcell suppression of spontaneous emission in a superconducting qubit
Directional emission of a readout resonator for qubit measurement
We propose and demonstrate transmission-based dispersive readout of a superconducting qubit using an all-pass resonator, which …
Directional emission of a readout resonator for qubit measurement

Contact Me

alecyen@mit.edu