Hanhee Paik, a University of Maryland alum, was instrumental in building IBM’s first 16-qubit quantum computer in 2017, a significant development in the field. Paik also helped develop the transmon qubit, a superconducting qubit now widely adopted by numerous quantum computing companies. As director of IBM’s Quantum Algorithm Centers and Academic Collaboration Program, she now leads efforts to maximize the capabilities of increasingly powerful machines; “The IBM Quantum team’s mission is to build a useful quantum computer,” Paik said, adding that IBM has already demonstrated quantum advantage in three scientific applications this year.
Transmon Qubit Pioneering: Paik’s Work at UMD and Yale
The transmon qubit’s now-ubiquitous design owes a significant debt to Hanhee Paik’s research, which improved coherence times by a factor of 100 during her postdoctoral work at Yale University. Paik identified that energy loss at surfaces and interfaces caused rapid decoherence in early transmon qubits. She subsequently engineered a new architecture to minimize this effect by strategically altering energy storage locations within the qubit.
This innovation, developed while investigating decoherence, a process where qubits lose their quantum properties, directly addressed a central challenge limiting the potential of quantum computation. The resulting qubit design remains the standard for major companies like IBM, and Paik described it as “That design is still the canonical design that everyone uses for transmons today.” Paik’s contributions extended beyond theoretical improvements. She directly translated research into hardware as a senior research scientist at IBM starting in 2014.
In 2017, she was instrumental in the construction of IBM’s first 16-qubit computer, named ibm_albatross, marking an important step as it was the first superconducting processor exceeding 10 qubits. This achievement built upon her earlier work at the University of Maryland, where her dissertation focused on enhancing coherence in superconducting qubits through novel designs and materials. The UMD environment, she recalls, supported a supportive atmosphere.
“At UMD, people were so nice and supportive. They provided unwavering support to help young students unleash their full potential.” As IBM’s quantum computers scaled beyond 100 qubits, Paik shifted her focus to maximizing their utility, recognizing that powerful hardware requires equally effective algorithms. “I’d been building quantum computers for almost my entire career, and now that they were becoming more and more useful for addressing scientific problems, I thought I’d really like to try using them,” she explained.
She believes that supporting a collaborative environment is essential for progress. “That sense of community is really important to experience at an early age—especially as a student. It sets your view on life. I treasure those values and want to live them out.” The current focus, she notes, is on “quantum-centric supercomputing and its potential to solve many of the most challenging computational problems that are currently intractable.”
The IBM Quantum team’s mission is to build a useful quantum computer. This year, IBM announced three examples of quantum advantage we achieved with our partners, which show the current state-of-the-art quantum computing systems solving some scientific problems faster, cheaper or easier.
Hanhee Paik, IBM
IBM’s 16-Qubit Computer: Building Early Quantum Processors
The resulting transmon design minimizes energy loss by carefully controlling where energy is stored within the qubit itself, a refinement that allowed for more stable and reliable quantum operations. This focus on qubit quality continued at IBM after she joined the company in 2014 as a senior research scientist, transitioning from building better qubits to exploring how to best use increasingly powerful quantum systems.
Paik’s shift in focus came as quantum computers began to demonstrate potential for solving real-world problems, prompting her to investigate algorithms and applications. This work led to her 2025 appointment as a director of IBM’s Quantum Algorithm Centers, where she now directs collaborative efforts and research institutions.
I’d been building quantum computers for almost my entire career, and now that they were becoming more and more useful for addressing scientific problems, I thought I’d really like to try using them.
Hanhee Paik, IBM
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