With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Tang of the University of Utah is studying building blocks for quantum computing comprised of silicon nanocrystals, also called quantum dots (QDs), and organic radical compounds. These novel hybrid nanostructures have great potential for quantum information science (QIS) for two key reasons. Firstly, these quantum bits (qubits) can be initiated with light; and secondly, they can support long-lived, coherent spin-active states. The latter is important for information storage at the quantum level and is enabled by the fact that carbon and silicon are light elements with low spin-orbit coupling. Professor Tang and her team will vary the electronic coupling between the silicon QD and organic radical by molecularly engineering their covalent bridge, as well as the conjugated framework of the radical. This synthetic flexibility may allow experimental access to new physics and advance the field by establishing the physical parameters affecting the exchange coupling between the nanocrystal and radical needed to create higher order excited states useful as qubits. Importantly, students working on this project will be exposed to a broad swath of experiments with state-of-the-art equipment conducting spectroscopic and structural characterization in an interdisciplinary environment. This rigorous training is valuable for a career in science and engineering, critical fo