Andrew Childs, a professor of computer science at the University of Maryland, will receive the Excellence in Research Award in Computer Science from the Washington Academy of Sciences on May 7, recognizing work that has helped redefine what quantum computers can do and how researchers design algorithms for them.
The award will be presented at the academy’s annual meeting at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia. Since 1940, the Washington Academy of Sciences has honored scientists across the region for achievements in research and leadership, with this award recognizing sustained impact in a field.
Childs is a fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) and a researcher with the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), where he currently serves as interim director. He was cited by the academy for fundamental discoveries in quantum algorithms as well as leadership in building major research collaborations in quantum information science.
His work centers on quantum algorithms—mathematical frameworks that allow quantum computers to solve problems more efficiently than classical machines. Over the past two decades, Childs has developed techniques that are now standard tools in the field, particularly for quantum simulation, which models the behavior of quantum systems such as molecules and materials.
Among those contributions are new ways of using quantum walks, which extend classical random walks into the quantum realm; linear combinations of unitaries, a method for constructing complex quantum operations from simpler ones; and improved bounds on Trotter errors, which help quantify and reduce inaccuracies when simulating natural quantum systems on quantum computers. Together, these approaches have made quantum simulations more precise and practical, and they are now widely used.
Particularly in the case of Trotter errors, Childs’ results challenged prevailing assumptions by showing that quantum computers could perform substantially better than expected. His work has also advanced understanding of quantum speedup—the phenomenon in which quantum systems can solve certain problems exponentially faster than classical computers. While examples such as factoring large numbers and simulating quantum systems are well known, the underlying reasons remain difficult to fully explain, relying on complex properties of quantum superposition and entanglement. Childs is among a small group of researchers who have made sustained progress in clarifying those mechanisms.
“I think it is fair to say that Andrew’s work is paradigm shifting—it has changed the way we think about quantum algorithms,” said Yi-Kai Liu, a theoretical computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a QuICS fellow. Liu noted that Childs’ research not only introduced new techniques but also showed that existing methods could be more powerful than previously understood.
Alongside his scientific work, Childs has played a central role in leading large-scale research efforts during a period of rapid growth in quantum science. He served as co-director of QuICS from its founding in 2014 through 2024, guiding the partnership between UMD and NIST as it grew into an institute with nearly 100 researchers, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. The center was among the first interdisciplinary efforts in the United States focused on quantum computers and quantum networks, bringing together expertise from physics, computer science and engineering.
Managing those collaborations required coordinating researchers across institutions and disciplines as interest and investment in quantum technologies accelerated. Colleagues credit Childs with helping establish QuICS’ structure and research direction and overseeing its continued growth.
“Andrew has always been a model leader—he's mission-focused, quick to respond to communications, and easy to work with,” said Carl Miller, a mathematician at NIST, QuICS fellow, and current co-director of the institute. “Under Andrew's co-directorship, QuICS has become a central part of the vibrant quantum ecosystem in the D.C. area. I hope this arc of discovery will continue for a long time into the future.”
Childs also helped launch the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS), a five-university collaboration led by the University of Maryland. Childs led the successful effort to secure National Science Foundation funding for the institute in 2021 and has served as its director since then. RQS brings together 35 principal investigators with approximately $5 million in annual funding to develop theoretical and experimental techniques for quantum simulation—one of the most promising real-world applications of quantum technology. The institute also supports education and workforce development through initiatives including an annual summer school and a research conference, QSim.
Childs joined the University of Maryland in 2014 after serving on the faculty at the University of Waterloo, where he was also involved in quantum computing research. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology and his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
—Story by UMIACS communications group