Adam Kaufman
The CU Boulder neutral atom physicist whose hire in March 2026 marked Google's entry into neutral atom quantum computing, and Google's first permanent quantum research presence in Colorado.
Adam Kaufman led one of the most influential neutral atom quantum research groups at CU Boulder and JILA before being hired by Google Quantum AI in March 2026 to open a Boulder research lab. His group is one of the leading academic teams on neutral atom qubits, the same modality used commercially by Atom Computing and (separately) Infleqtion.
The Google hire was widely read by the Colorado ecosystem as validation rather than competition. Google had previously focused its quantum work on superconducting qubits via the Willow chip (announced December 2024). The Boulder lab represents Google's entry into the neutral atom race and its first permanent quantum research presence in Colorado.
Kaufman's group conducts foundational neutral atom research that is expected to feed into Google's long-term quantum computing roadmap alongside the superconducting program.