Cliff Sun

I am recruiting for PhDs starting in Fall 2027.

I study physics, math, and computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am a 2026 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar (~400 selected nationally) and a 2026 Astronaut Scholar (~70 selected nationally).

Broadly speaking, I’m interested in the synergy of quantum hardware and algorithms towards building a quantum computer. I have 4 papers + 1 filed patent (3 first-author papers) on using 1-D superconductors for digital and quantum logic. Some of my work includes proving a rigorous analogy between superconductors and particle physics, connecting diodes to broken parity and time symmetries (with experimental confirmation), and laying the theoretical foundations for the first ever nanowire transmon qubit.

I also hold a joint research position at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where I’ve worked on problems concerning quantum circuits, algorithms, and sensors. For more information of my APL research, see here. My current interests lie in developing quantum algorithms and an efficient quantum circuit scale-up technique.

In the past, I’ve led a NASA competition team designing a hardware-aware, fault tolerant cryogenic propellent transfer strategy for the Artemis Missions. We were invited to present our work to NASA with concepts integrated into the Artemis mission architecture. In my free time, I love learning, music, lifting, and basketball.

You can reach me at cliffxs2 [at] illinois [dot] edu.