Bert de Jong

Leadership Track Record

Major Program Leadership

Directing multi-institutional national centers that unite national laboratories, research universities, and industrial partners.

Flagship NQI Center

Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA)

Director & Principal Investigator • 2025–2030 (Recompete Winner)

Led the successful competitive recompete of this flagship $125M / 5 years Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center. Directing 15 partner institutions, 8 commercial industry partners, and 400+ researchers advancing the co-design of algorithms, error correction, and benchmarking across neutral atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting qubits.

15 Partner Institutions 400+ Researchers Hardware and Algorithm Co-Design

DARPA Initiative

DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI)

LBNL Organization Lead, Testing & Evaluation

Directing LBNL's ~40-person testing and evaluation team for DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, performing rigorous cross-platform benchmarking to validate utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing approaches and hardware claims.

40 Staff Members Rigorous Benchmarking Fault-Tolerant Validation

DOE ASCR Quantum Software

MACH-Q Project ↗

Lead Principal Investigator & Project Director

Directing MACH-Q (Modular and Error-Aware Software Stack for Heterogeneous Quantum Computing Ecosystems), a multi-institutional initiative funded by DOE ASCR ($12M over 5 years across 8 partner institutions). Developing modular, extensible, and error-aware quantum software capabilities allowing plug-and-play deployment across emerging heterogeneous quantum-HPC environments.

mach-q.org Error-Aware Software Quantum-HPC Runtime 8 Partner Institutions

Exascale Computing (ECP)

NWChem & NWChemEx

Former Chief Scientist, Capability Lead & Open Source Director

Led the open-sourcing of NWChem, creating a global community of tens of thousands of computational chemists and materials scientists. Served as capability lead for the DOE Exascale Computing Project (ECP) developing NWChemEx to harness GPU-accelerated exascale architectures (Frontier, Aurora, El Capitan) for complex chemical and molecular discovery.

Global User Community GPU Exascale Systems Open Source Ecosystem DOE ECP

Curriculum Vitae

Professional Experience & CV

Toggle between the Leadership Summary for search committees and hiring managers, or the comprehensive academic CV.

Leadership Profile

Quantum computing and quantum information science leader with 10+ years directing federal quantum programs and 25+ years across DOE national laboratories. Direct the $25M/year Quantum Systems Accelerator, spanning 15 institutions, 8 industry partners, and 400+ researchers, with research across neutral-atom, trapped-ion, and superconducting-qubit platforms, quantum error correction, benchmarking, and algorithms. Combines deep HPC and scientific-software expertise with a track record of building open-source developer ecosystems serving thousands of users and translating AI and emerging computing technologies into research workflows across federal labs, universities, and industry.

Quantum Algorithms & Error Handling Quantum Benchmarking (DARPA QBI) HPC, AI & GPU Acceleration Federal Agency Relations (DOE & DARPA) Open-Source Developer Ecosystems Self-Driving Labs & Inverse Design

Selected Leadership Experience

Department Head for Computational Sciences

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

2022 – Present | Berkeley, CA

Manage highly interdisciplinary groups of 45 scientists and engineers, and research programs with over 400 researchers; currently manage ~$45M in programmatic funding.
Won $125M in five-year competitive recompete for the Quantum Systems Accelerator, continuing a $25M/year National Quantum Initiative center spanning 15 institutions and 8 industry partners.
Built LBNL's role in DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) Testing & Evaluation program, establishing a ~40-person effort supported by ~$15M/year.
Lead DOE ASCR quantum software programs spanning 8 institutions and ~40 researchers ($12M MACH-Q program, prior $17M AIDE-QC initiative).

Senior Scientist and Group Lead

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

2013 – Present | Berkeley, CA

Lead the Applied Computing for Scientific Discovery Group (~15 staff scientists and postdocs).
Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences Area Point of Contact for Quantum Programs in DOE ASCR.
LBNL lead on DOE ASCR Exascale Computing Application Project developing NWChemEx for accelerator-based supercomputers.
Led breakthroughs in quantum circuit compilation (AC/DC), zero-noise extrapolation, noise-estimation circuits, and quantum many-body dynamics.

Capability Lead & Scientist V, High-Performance Software Development

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (EMSL / PNNL)

2006 – 2013 | Richland, WA (Concurrent: Acting Assoc. Director 2008–2010)

Built and led the open-source NWChem developer consortium serving thousands of users globally.
Served as Acting Associate Director for Molecular Science Computing at EMSL (2008–2010), developing funding and implementation strategies for HPC center of ~50 staff.
Developed relativistic electronic structure methodologies and supported the Global Arrays Toolkit.

Education

Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemistry • University of Groningen (1998)

Fellowship Netherlands Foundation for Chemical Research (SON); Thesis: "Relativistic Quantum Chemistry Applied"

Master's in Physical Chemistry • University of Groningen (1993)

B.S. in Chemical Engineering • Technical College of Leeuwarden (1990)

Key Distinctions & Advisory

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, 2020)

Senior Member, IEEE and ACM (2024)

Fellow, DOE Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (2023)

Scientific Advisor, Atom Computing and Polariqon

Principal Editor, Journal Computer Physics Communications

Complete Professional Appointments

Department Head for Computational Sciences

Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, LBNL

2022 – Present | Berkeley, CA

Department Head responsible for three groups (~40 people) with diverse research focus areas.
Director, DOE National Quantum Initiative Science Research Center Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA): led successful recompete delivering $125M over 5 years; leading program involving 15 institutions and 400+ researchers.
LBNL Organization lead for DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) Testing & Evaluation contract (~$15M/year supporting ~40 staff).
Director and PI for 2024-2029 DOE ASCR ARQC Project MACH-Q ($12M over 5 years).

Senior Scientist and Group Lead

Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, LBNL

2013 – Present | Berkeley, CA

Lead and manage Applied Computing for Scientific Discovery Group (~15 staff scientists and postdocs).
Principal Investigator and Director of 2019-2024 DOE ASCR AIDE-QC project ($17M over 5 years), and 2016-2019 DOE ASCR Quantum Algorithms Team QAT4Chem.
Co-PI on 4 DOE BES projects in AI/Inverse Design for Carbon Capture and Critical Materials, Quantum Computing for chemistry and materials, and Next-generation methods (SPEC).
LBNL lead on 2016-2023 DOE ASCR Exascale Computing Application Project developing NWChemEx software; Co-PI and LBNL lead on 2012-2017 DOE ASCR SciDAC-3.
Co-PI on HPC4EI program with CRADA to Baker-Hughes on inverse design and AI models for H2 sensors.
Led the CS Postdoc Coordination Program; actively contributing to the CSA Early Career Program and Lab-wide Postdoc Office.

Acting Associate Director for Molecular Science Computing

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), PNNL

2008 – 2010 | Richland, WA

Developed funding and implementation strategies for an HPC center of approximately 50 staff.
Co-lead 2010 "Science Panels on Scientific Computing at the EMSL"; Lead editor of the "Molecular Science Computing: 2010 Greenbook" for DOE OBER.

Scientist V & Capability Lead, High Performance Software Development

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), PNNL

2006 – 2013 | Richland, WA

Managed High Performance Software Development group ($1.85M program) with 7 staff and 2-4 postdocs; supported Global Arrays Toolkit.
Led the process making NWChem open-source; led NWChem Open-Source Consortium.
Developed and led DOE BES Heavy Elements Base Program ($300K/year).
Applications specialist on EMSL HPC procurement team acquiring MSC supercomputers.

Scientist III and IV (Promoted 2002)

MSCF Visualization and User Services, EMSL, PNNL

2000 – 2006 | Richland, WA

Lead on development of relativistic methodologies and properties in NWChem software suite.
Senior scientific consultant for hardware and software user support; lead organizer for user tutorials.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

1998 – 2000 | Richland, WA

Development of relativistic methodologies and properties in NWChem; chemical modeling of Hanford nuclear waste.

Major Funded Research Programs (Over $160M Total)

2025–2030: Director & PI, DOE National Quantum Initiative Center Quantum Systems Accelerator ($25M/year led out of LBNL; $125M total).
2024–Present: PI, DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) Testing & Evaluation Contract (~$15M/year for LBNL staff).
2024–2029: PI & Director, DOE ASCR Project MACH-Q: Modular and Error-Aware Software Stack for Heterogeneous Quantum Computing Ecosystems ($2.4M/year, $900K for LBNL).
2026–2029: Co-PI, ARPA-E QC3 Project for accelerated discovery of bio-electrocatalytic materials for nitrogen fixation ($780K for LBNL).
2024–2026: Co-PI, NA-22 Project Self-Driving Lab for Accelerated Materials Discovery to Close the THz Gap (THz SLAM, $1M/year).
2023–2027: Co-PI, DOE BER Earth Shot Project RESTOR-C: RESTORation of Soil Carbon by Precision Biological Strategies ($5M/year, AI acceleration).
2021–2026: Co-PI, DOE BES Materials and Chemical Sciences Research for Direct Air Capture of CO2 ($1.1M/year, AI acceleration).
2018–2026: Co-PI, DOE BES QIS Project Embedding quantum computing into many-body frameworks ($1.14M/year).
2023–2025: Co-PI, HPC4EnergyInnovation (HPC4EI) Project SENSOR partnering with Baker-Hughes ($300K).
2019–2024: PI & Director, DOE ASCR ARQC Team AIDE-QC Project ($3.4M/year with $1.2M for LBNL; $17M total).
2016–2023: Co-PI & LBNL Lead, DOE ASCR Exascale Computing Project NWChemEx ($2.5M/year).
2016–2019: PI, DOE ASCR Quantum Algorithms Team QAT4Chem ($1.5M/year).
2017–2025: Co-PI & LBNL Lead, DOE Computational Chemistry Center SPEC ($2.2M/year).

Media & Keynotes

Podcasts & Featured Keynotes

Keynotes and podcast discussions exploring quantum computing, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence in physical sciences. Listed most recent first.