Skip to main content

Andrew Childs

Senior Investigator

University of Maryland

RQS Senior Investigator
Portrait of Andrew Childs

Contact Information

Additional Information

Bio

Andrew Childs is a professor of computer science at the University of Maryland. He previously served as the inaugural director of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation during its first five years, as well as interim director of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, where he continues to hold an appointment. Additionally, Childs is a fellow in the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science and served as its co-director from 2014–2024. His main research interests are in the theory of quantum information processing, especially quantum algorithms. Childs received his doctorate in physics from MIT in 2004.

Recent Publications

Research Group

Affiliated Research Centers

Recent News

  • A square microchip with etched circuits illuminated inside a glass container with vibrant red and golden reflections.

    NSF Renews Maryland-Led Quantum Simulation Institute’s Funding

    August 25, 2026

    The five-year award expected to total $37.5M supports the institute’s next phase of research, education and workforce development.

  • Andrew Childs stands in front of a white board with equations.

    RQS Director Honored for Research That Reshaped Quantum Algorithms

    April 10, 2026

    Andrew Childs will honored by the Washington Academy of Sciences on May 7 with its Excellence in Research Award in Computer Science.

  • A photo of Andrew Childs standing in front of a whiteboard covered with numerous handwritten equations.

    Andrew Childs Named Interim Director of UMIACS

    June 30, 2025

    He is the director of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation and was a co-director of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science from 2014 to 2024.