Kate Smith

Evanston, Illinois, USA · kns{at}northwestern.edu

I'm an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University.

Within the scope of quantum computing, my research interests include system architecture, optimized compilation, context-aware error mitigation, distributed systems, high-dimensional / qudit processing, device characterization, and circuit simulation.


Education

Southern Methodist University

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering
December 2019
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
May 2015
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
May 2014
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
May 2014

Professional Experience

Quantum Software Manager, Compiler Team: Infleqtion

Managed the software engineering team responsible for maintaining Superstaq, a physics-aware quantum compiler. Directed R&D efforts for Superstaq, including techniques implementing dynamical decoupling and low-level operator optimization, that substantially improved quantum program success. Pioneered novel quantum circuit simulation techniques that led to more efficient evaluation on classical hardware.

September 2022 - December 2023
CQE/IBM Postdoctoral Scholar: University of Chicago

Conducted research within the Enabling Practical-scale Quantum Computation (EPiQC) group of the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE). Within the focus of quantum computing, work focused on technology-aware programming, computer architecture, distributed computing, high-dimensional processing, and security.

January 2020 - September 2022
Research Assistant: SMU Quantum Informatics Research Group

Developed quantum logic synthesis and compilation algorithms with an emphasis on technology-dependent mapping and optimization. Researched multiple-valued logic and photonic quantum information processing techniques.

June 2017 - December 2019
Research Assistant: Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security

Studied various topics relating to cybersecurity. Led projects with machine learning and neural networks as well as algorithm development in MATLAB, Python, and C++.

December 2014 - December 2019
Visiting Scholar: EPFL Integrated Systems Laboratory

Hosted by the Integrated Systems Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland with the support of a Swiss National Science Foundation scientific exchange grant. Researched methods for technology-dependent optimization in quantum compilation.

January 2019 - March 2019
Quality Engineer Intern: Texas Instruments

Collaborated with product, application, and test engineers to process customer specifications and returns. Became familiar with a wide range of audio and imaging technologies and products to support device customers.

May 2014 - August 2014
Design Verification Engineer Intern: Texas Instruments

Contributed to projects that ensured quality silicon fabrication and reduced wafer scrap. Developed golden MEBES files for a technology platform with an analog PDK development team.

May 2012 - August 2013

Teaching Experience

University of Chicago Department of Computer Science Co-Instructor

Led curriculum development and in-class instruction for inaugural course, Introduction to Quantum Computing for Everyone. Adapted course material for delivery as a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on edX.org

January 2021 - March 2021
OSP Summer Program Teaching Assistant

Organized lecture material and assignments for the University of Chicago Office of Special Programs (OSP) course Demystifying Quantum Computing. TA responsibilities included tutoring students and providing administrative and technical support during lecture.

June 2020 - August 2020
Digital Design Adjunct Lecturer

Taught courses CS 3381: Digital Logic Design and ECE 2381: Digital Computer Logic to undergraduate students. These courses detail the history of logic and its applications to digital switching circuitry with an emphasis on hardware description languages. Responsiblilities of an adjunct lecturer included organizing lecture material, labs, assignments, and exams.

January 2017 - December 2019
Solid State Devices Teaching Assistant

Directed lab and graded assignments for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in ECE 3311: Solid State Devices. Responsibilities of a TA included teaching diffusion, lithography, chemical etch, and metallization techniques in class 10,000 and class 1,000 clean rooms.

August 2013 - December 2014
Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center Tutor

Tutored undergraduate students in calculus, physics, programming, and introductory engineering courses. Coached students in time management as well as in methods to improve study and test skills.

August 2011 - May 2014

Publications & Presentations

  • S. F. Lin, J. Viszlai, K. N. Smith, G. S. Ravi, C. Yuan, F. T. Chong, and B. J. Brown, Codesign of Quantum Error-correcting Codes and Modular Chiplets in the Presence of Defects, ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS), April 27 - May 1, 2024.
  • S. Dangwal, G. S. Ravi, P. Das, K. N. Smith, J. M. Baker, and F. T. Chong, VarSaw: Application-tailored Measurement Error Mitigation for Variational Quantum Algorithms, ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS), April 27 - May 1, 2024.
  • E. P. Cisneros, V. T. Omole, P. Gokhale, A. Hashim, K. N. Smith, M. Perlin, and R. Rines Average circuit eigenvalue sampling on NISQ devices, American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting, March 4, 2024. (reviewed abstract)
  • F. Qi, K. N. Smith, T. LeCompte, N. Tzeng, X. Yuan, F. T. Chong, and L. Peng, Quantum Vulnerability Analysis to Guide Robust Quantum Computing System Design, IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering, December 2023.
  • F. T. Chong, P. Frederick, P. Goiporia, P. Gokhale, B. Hall, S. Issa, S. Lee, A. Litteken, V. Omole, D. Owusu-Antwi, M. A. Perlin, R. Rines, K. N. Smith, N. Goss, A. Hashim, R. Naik, E. Younis, D. Lobser, C. G. Yale, B. Huang, and J. Liu, Superstaq: Deep Optimization of Quantum Programs, IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE), September 17-22, 2023.
  • K. N. Smith*, M. A. Perlin*, P. Gokhale, P. Frederick, D. Owusu-Antwi, R. Rines, V. Omole, and F. T. Chong, Clifford-based Circuit Cutting for Quantum Simulation, ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA), June 17-21, 2023. (*co-first authors)
  • K. Brown, F. T. Chong, K. N. Smith, T. M. Conte, A. Adams, A. Dalvi, C. Kang, and J. Viszlai, 5 Year Update to the Next Steps in Quantum Computing Report, CCC 5 Year Update to the Next Steps in Quantum Computing Workshop, May 18-19, 2023.
  • K. N. Smith, J. Viszlai, L. M. Seifert, J. M. Baker, J. Szefer, and F. T. Chong, Fast Fingerprinting of Cloud-based NISQ Quantum Computers, IEEE International Symposium on Hardware Oriented Security and Trust (HOST), May 1-4, 2023.
  • G. S. Ravi, K. N. Smith, J. M. Baker, T. Kannan, N. Earnest, A. Javadi-Abhari, H. Hoffmann, and F. T. Chong, Navigating the Dynamic Noise Landscape of Variational Quantum Algorithms with QISMET, ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS), March 25-29, 2023.
  • G. S. Ravi, P. Gokhale, Y. Ding, W. M. Kirby, K. N. Smith, J. M. Baker, P. J. Love, H. Hoffmann, K. R. Brown, and F. T. Chong, CAFQA: A Classical Simulation Bootstrap for Variational Quantum Algorithms, ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS), March 25-29, 2023.
  • P. Gokhale, F. Chong, A. Litteken, D. Owusu-Antwi, M. Perlin, K. N. Smith, P. Goiporia, R. Rines, S. Issa, and V. Omole, Compilation of Quantum Applications to Hardware Primitives, American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting, March 7, 2023. (reviewed abstract)
  • G. S. Ravi, J. M. Baker, K. N. Smith, N. Earnest, A. Javadi-Abhari and F. T. Chong, Quancorde: Boosting Fidelity with Quantum Canary Ordered Diverse Ensembles, IEEE International Conference on Rebooting Computing (ICRC), December 8-9, 2022.
  • K. N. Smith, G. S. Ravi, J. M. Baker, and F. T. Chong, Scaling Superconducting Quantum Computers with Chiplet Architectures, 55th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO 2022), October 1-5 2022.
  • G. De Micheli, J. -H. R. Jiang, R. Rand, K. N. Smith and M. Soeken, Advances in Quantum Computation and Quantum Technologies: A Design Automation Perspective, IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems, September 2022.
  • K. N. Smith, G. S. Ravi, P. Murali, J. M. Baker, N. Earnest, A. Javadi-Abhari, and F. T. Chong, TimeStitch: Exploiting Slack to Mitigate Decoherence in Quantum Circuits, ACM Transactions on Quantum Computing, August 2022.
  • K. N. Smith, G. S. Ravi, T. Alexander, N. T. Bronn, A. Carvalho, A. Cervera-Lierta, F. T. Chong, J. M. Chow, M. Cubeddu, A. Hashim, L. Jiang, O. Lanes, M. J. Otten, D. I. Schuster, P. Gokhale, N. Earnest, and A. Galda, Programming Physical Quantum Systems with Pulse-level Control, Frontiers in Physics, August 2022.
  • T. Tomesh, P. Gokhale, V. Omole, G. S. Ravi, K. N. Smith, J. Viszlai, X. C. Wu, N. Hardavellas, M. Martonosi, and F. T. Chong, SupermarQ: A Scalable Quantum Benchmark Suite, IEEE International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA), February 12-16, 2022. HPCA Best Paper Award & 2023 IEEE Micro Top Picks Honorable Mention.
  • G. S. Ravi*, K. N. Smith*, P. Gokhale, A. Mari, N. Earnest, A. Javadi-Abhari, and F. T. Chong, VAQEM: A Variational Approach to Quantum Error Mitigation, IEEE International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA), February 12-16, 2022. (*co-first authors)
  • G. S. Ravi, K. N. Smith, P. Gokhale, and F. T. Chong, Quantum Computing in the Cloud: Analyzing job and machine characteristics, IEEE International Symposium on Workload Characterization (IISWC), November 7-9, 2021.
  • K. N. Smith, N. LaRacuente, P. Imany, K. L. Silverman, and F. T. Chong, Noise-aware Comparison of Chiplet vs. Monolithic Quantum Computing, Optica Quantum Measurement and Information VI (QIM), November 1-5, 2021. (reviewed abstract)
  • G. S. Ravi, K. N. Smith, P. Murali, and F. T. Chong, Adaptive Job and Resource Management for the Growing Quantum Cloud, 2021 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE), October 17-22, 2021.
  • M. A. Thornton, M. A. Taylor, and K. N. Smith. Detecting Malicious Software using Sensors, U.S. Patent, No. US 11,042,638 B2, published June 22, 2021.
  • N. LaRacuente, K. N. Smith, P. Imany, K. L. Silverman, and F. T. Chong, Modeling Networks of Superconducting Qubit Arrays from the Physical to Processing Layers, American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting, March 19, 2021. (reviewed abstract)
  • K. N. Smith, D. L. MacFarlane, and M. A. Thornton, A Quantum Photonic TRNG based on Quaternary Logic, IEEE International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL), November 9-11, 2020.
  • K. N. Smith, D. M. Miller, and M. A. Thornton, Fast Minimization of Polynomial Decomposition using Fixed-Polarity Pascal Transforms, IEEE International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL), November 9-11, 2020.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Higher Dimension Quantum Entanglement Generators, ACM Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing (JETC), vol. 16, iss. 1, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Entangled State Preparation for Non-Binary Quantum Computing, IEEE International Conference on Rebooting Computing (ICRC), November 6-8, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Fixed Polarity Pascal Transforms with Symbolic Computer Algebra Applications, IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Computers, and Signal Processing (PacRim), August 21 - 23, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Quantum Logic Synthesis with Formal Verification, IEEE Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS), August 4-7, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, A Quantum Computational Compiler and Design Tool for Technology-specific Targets, ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA), June 22-26, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith, M. Soeken, B. Schmitt, G. De Micheli, and M. A. Thornton, Using ZDDs in the Mapping of Quantum Circuits, Quantum Physics and Logic Conference (QPL), June 10-14, 2019.
  • M. A. Thornton and K. N. Smith, Fixed Polarity Pascal Transforms with Computer Algebra Applications, 2019 Reed-Muller Workshop, May 24, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Entanglement in Higher-Radix Quantum Systems, IEEE International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL), May 21-23, 2019.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, An Open-source General Compiler for Quantum Computers, Free and Open Source Developers European Meeting (FOSDEM), February 3, 2019. (reviewed abstract)
  • K. N. Smith, T. P. LaFave, Jr., D. L. MacFarlane, and M. A. Thornton, Higher-radix Chrestenson Gates for Optical Quantum Computation, Journal of Applied Logics, vol. 5, iss. 9, pp. 1781-1798, December 2018.
  • K. N. Smith, T. P. LaFave, Jr., D. L. MacFarlane, and M. A. Thornton, A Radix-4 Chrestenson Gate for Optical Quantum Computation, IEEE International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL), May 16-18, 2018.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, Automated Mapping Methods for the IBM Transmon Devices, International Workshop on Post-Binary ULSI Systems (ULSI-WS), May 15, 2018.
  • K. N. Smith, M. A. Thornton, D. L. MacFarlane, T. P. LaFave, Jr., and W. V. Oxford, Single Qubit Quantum Ring Structures and Applications, Southwest Quantum Information and Technology 20th Annual SQuInT Workshop (SQuInT), February 22-24, 2018. (reviewed abstract and poster presentation)
  • M. A. Taylor, K. N. Smith, and M. A. Thornton, Sensor-Based Ransomware Detection, Future Technologies Conference (FTC), November 29-30, 2017.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, MUSTANG-Q: A Technology Dependent Quantum Logic Synthesis and Compilation Tool, Design Automation for Quantum Computers Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Computer Aided Design (ICCAD-QCEDA), November 13-16, 2017. (reviewed abstract and poster presentation)
  • K. N. Smith, M. A. Taylor, A. A. Carroll, T. W. Manikas, and M. A. Thornton, Automated Markov-chain Based Analysis for Large State Spaces, IEEE International Systems Conference (SYSCON), April 24-27, 2017.
  • K. N. Smith and M. A. Thornton, A Multiple-Valued Logic Synthesis Tool for Optical Computing Elements, IEEE Dallas Circuits and Systems Conference (DCAS), October 12-13, 2015.

  • Preprints

  • H. Kim and K. N. Smith, Interaction Techniques for User-friendly Interfaces for Gate-based Quantum Computing, arXiv:2409.16475, September 24, 2024.
  • J. Gao, J. Liu, A. Gonzales, Z. H. Saleem, N. Hardavellas, and K. N. Smith, Pauli Check Sandwiching for Quantum Characterization and Error Mitigation during Runtime, arXiv:2408.05565, August 10, 2024.
  • Q. Langfitt, J. Liu, B. Huang, A. Gonzales, K. N. Smith, N. Hardavellas, and Z. H. Saleem, Pauli Check Extrapolation for Quantum Error Mitigation, arXiv:2406.14759, June 20, 2024.
  • E. Pelaez, V. Omole, P. Gokhale, R. Rines, K. N. Smith, M. A. Perlin, and A. Hashim, Average Circuit Eigenvalue Sampling on NISQ Devices, arXiv:2403.12857, March 20, 2024.
  • K. N. Smith and P. Gokhale, Trustworthy Quantum Computation through Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions, arXiv:2311.07094, November 13, 2023.
  • P. Gokhale, E. R. Anschuetz, C. Campbell, F. T. Chong, E. D. Dahl, P. Frederick, E. B. Jones, B. Hall, S. Issa, P. Goiporia, S. Lee, P. Noell, V. Omole, D. Owusu-Antwi, M. A. Perlin, R. Rines, M. Saffman, K. N. Smith, and T. Tomesh, SupercheQ: Quantum Advantage for Distributed Databases, arXiv:2212.03850, December 7, 2022.
  • N. LaRacuente*, K. N. Smith*, P. Imany, K. L. Silverman, and F. T. Chong, Short-Range Microwave Networks to Scale Superconducting Quantum Computation, arXiv:2201.08825, January 21, 2022. (*co-first authors)

  • Blogs & Press

  • Emerging Technologies through Engineering the Sub-Atomic Quantum World, Northwestern Engineering News, August 2024.
  • CCC Releases the 5 Year Update to the Next Steps in Quantum Computing Workshop Report, The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Blog, January 2024.
  • Bridging the Quantum Gap: A look back at CCC's 2018 workshop and the evolution of Quantum Computing, The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Blog, January 2024.
  • Northwestern CS Welcomes New Tenure-Track Faculty Members, Northwestern Computer Science Department News, July 2023.
  • Scaling through Small: Applying Modularity toward Practical Quantum Architectures, ACM SIGARCH Blog, January 2023.
  • Women of Quantum Technology: Kate Smith of ColdQuanta, Inside Quantum Technology News, November 2022.
  • From Artsy Kid to Quantum Scientist: The Power of Creativity in Quantum, Qiskit Medium, October 2022.
  • Stairway to Quantum, ACM SIGARCH Blog, February 2021.
  • CQE IBM Postdoc Program Trains Next-Generation Quantum Workforce with Industry, UChicago CS News, May 2020.

  • Awards

  • Outstanding Technical Program Committee Member for the 61st Design Automation Conference (DAC), June 2024.
  • 2023 IEEE Micro Top Picks Honorable Mention. Paper: SupermarQ: A Scalable Quantum Benchmark Suite
  • Rising Star, Princeton Quantum Technology Conference, October 2022.
  • HPCA Best Paper Award, February 2022. Paper: SupermarQ: A Scalable Quantum Benchmark Suite
  • MIT EECS Rising Star, Rising Stars Academic Career Workshop for Women, October 2021.
  • IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Multiple Valued Logic (TC-MVL) Kenneth C. Smith Early Career Award in Microelectronics, May 2021. Achievement: Contributions to Quantum Computing Systems and Circuits
  • Swiss NSF Exchange Scientific Grant, September 2018. Project: Technology-dependent Optimization in Quantum Compilation
  • SMU Research Day Dean’s Award, March 2018. Project: Technology-Dependent Quantum Logic Synthesis with Formal Verification

  • Service

  • Technical Program Committee Member for the 2024 Design Automation Conference (DAC)
  • Program Committee Member for the Young Architect Workshop (YArch), co-located with ASPLOS 2024
  • Program Committee Member for the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration Systems: December 2023
  • Moderator for the 2023 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize Symposium at the 2023 Chicago Quantum Summit: November 2023
  • Technical Judge for the Chicago Quantum Exchange and QuantX Big Q Hackathon: October 2023
  • Program Committee Member for the 2024 Programming Languages for Quantum Computing (PLanQC)
  • Selection Committee Member for ACM Student Research Competition at the 2023 International Conference on Parallel Architectures and Compilation Techniques (PACT)
  • Selection Committee Member for ACM Student Research Competition at the 2023 IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO)
  • Program Committee Member for MICRO 2023
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Computer-aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems: July 2023
  • Member of the “Large scale quantum computations (…and machine learning)” panel at the 2023 International Workshop on Quantum Resource Estimation (QRE)
  • Organizer of the CCC 5 Year Update to the Next Steps in Quantum Computing Workshop: May 2023
  • External Review Committee Member for the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA)
  • Member of “Challenges and Opportunities in Quantum Computer Hardware Cybersecurity” panel during the MICRO 2022 Hardware and Architectural Support for Security and Privacy (HASP) workshop
  • Assisted with “Science: The Final Frontier” quantum outreach booth and demo at the 2022 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2)
  • Program Committee Member for the 2022 IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Computer Architecture Letters: May 2022
  • Program Chair for the 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems: March 2022
  • Guest Editor for 2022 special edition of IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems: Design and Automation for Quantum Computation and Quantum Technologies
  • Selection Committee Member for IEEE Micro “Top Picks from the 2021 Computer Architecture Conferences”
  • External Review Committee Member for the 2022 IEEE International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA)
  • Program Committee Member for the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA)
  • Organizer of the ISCA 2021 “I too can Quantum (I2Q)!” workshop
  • Reviewer for PRX Quantum: June 2021
  • Program Co-Chair for the 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Multiple Valued Logic (ISMVL)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Micro: April 2021
  • Co-Chair for Design, Automation, and Test in Europe (DATE) “The New Frontiers in Scalable Quantum Compilation” session
  • External Review Committee Member for 2021 ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS)
  • Technical Program Committee Member for 2020 IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO)
  • Guest Editor for Multiple-Valued Logic and Applications special issue of the Journal of Applied Logics (JALs-ifCoLog)
  • Volunteer tutor with the University of Chicago Office of Special Programs (OSP)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Computers: June 2020
  • Program Committee Member for 2020 ACM International Conference on Supercomputing (ICS)
  • Program Co-Chair for 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Multiple Valued Logic (ISMVL)
  • President of Lyle Graduate Student Council: 2017-2019