Greater Chattanooga Is Building the Talent Engine to Drive the Quantum Age 

EPB

For companies moving into quantum technology, finding the right people to run it, grow it and keep it working is key – and challenging. In Greater Chattanooga, two universities are meeting that challenge. 

UTC Builds the Foundation and Network Access 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) launched the state’s first interdisciplinary quantum information science and technology certificate, along with Tennessee’s first undergraduate degree in quantum physics in 2024, with a doctoral program in quantum information science now in development. 

UTC is also the first university in the country with a permanent node on a commercial quantum network, EPB Quantum Network, wired right into campus. Its Quantum Center works across computing, networking and sensing, focusing on energy, transportation and logistics challenges that Chattanooga companies actually face. 

Students train on the same infrastructure local employers use, while UTC’s Center for Professional Education offers short, noncredit courses to upskill the existing workforce. In May 2026, EPB committed $3.4 million to add as many as 240 quantum-focused faculty, staff and students at UTC over the next five years. 

“For the past four years, UTC has pursued a strategy designed to build talent prepared to power the quantum economy,” says Lori Mann Bruce, UTC chancellor. “Through our doctoral, master’s, undergraduate degree and certificate programs, and our research and industry collaborations at the UTC Quantum Center, we are combining rigorous academic preparation with hands-on access to a quantum network. The result is a growing pipeline of talent that enables people to build careers, drive innovation and launch companies that will help position Chattanooga and our state as a leader in quantum.” 

Vanderbilt Adds Graduate Firepower and Research Scope 

Vanderbilt University is adding graduate-level firepower. In December 2025, it joined EPB to establish the Institute for Quantum Innovation and announced plans to open a research campus in Chattanooga, placing faculty, staff and graduate students on the ground, pending accreditation. 

The program pairs Vanderbilt’s research strength with hands-on access to the EPB Quantum Center, offering industry-integrated training aimed at workforce demand across energy, health, logistics and cybersecurity. 

“Vanderbilt University’s collaboration with EPB brings more top-notch faculty and students to Chattanooga,” says Padma Raghavan, chancellor’s executive director for science and technology strategy at Vanderbilt University. “Together, we’ll drive quantum technology inventions by leveraging EPB’s state-of-the-art network and collaborating with universities in the region. The result will be rapid economic development.” 

A peer-reviewed study projects EPB’s quantum investments – including EPB Quantum Network and an IonQ Forte Enterprise quantum computer – will generate roughly $1 billion in value for the local community over the next decade. 

Together, the two schools cover the full arc of talent, from undergraduates earning their first quantum credentials to the engineers and software developers who further the development of real-world applications. Both are rooted in Chattanooga by design, so the talent they produce stays, along with the jobs, investments and the opportunities they create.