Catie LeDesma (PhDPhys’24) has earned the 2026 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize, a national award recognizing early-career researchers advancing quantum information science and engineering. LeDesma, a recent CU Boulder graduate now at JILA, builds programmable atom interferometers using Bose-Einstein condensates in multidimensional optical lattices, a highly specialized approach to quantum sensing. “By precisely controlling ultracold atoms in these engineered environments, we are creating new ways of manipulating and measuring quantum interference,” LeDesma explains, and the prize also acknowledges efforts to increase diversity within the quantum community.
LeDesma Wins Boeing Quantum Creators Prize for Atom Interferometry
The Chicago Quantum Exchange announced the award on October 22, recognizing LeDesma’s work as a significant contribution to quantum information science and engineering. This prize specifically acknowledges early-career researchers and aims to bolster diversity within the field, marking a dual recognition of scientific merit and inclusive practices. LeDesma completed her doctorate in physics at CU Boulder in 2024 before taking a postdoctoral position at JILA, working alongside Murray Holland.
Her research centers on achieving control over ultracold atoms, enabling new methods for manipulating and measuring quantum interference. Holland, who also served as LeDesma’s PhD advisor, noted her exceptional independence and creativity in developing a versatile platform for quantum sensing.
The Boeing Quantum Creators Prize includes a monetary award, and LeDesma will be formally recognized alongside the other eleven recipients at the Q2B26 x Chicago Quantum Summit, scheduled for December 8-10, 2026. “It was a pleasure to receive this award,” LeDesma said, adding that the technical challenges of her experiments demand persistence and that the recognition of her work is particularly encouraging.
She also expressed gratitude for her collaborators and the supportive research environment at JILA and the Department of Physics, which she credits with facilitating her progress. Holland further emphasized the significance of the broader community acknowledging both LeDesma’s accomplishments and the potential impact of her research, stating, “Catie has driven much of this progress with exceptional independence, creativity, and experimental skill, opening up exciting possibilities for quantum sensing.”
Catie has driven much of this progress with exceptional independence, creativity, and experimental skill, opening up exciting possibilities for quantum sensing.
Holland, who also served as LeDesma’s PhD advisor
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