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Hello, I'm

Jacob Beckey

Postdoctoral Fellow @ UIUC

My Google scholar page My LinkedIn profile My non-profit's website

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About me

Jacob presenting at education conference
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Education

Ph.D. Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2019-2024
M.S. Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2019-2022
MRes Quantum Technology, University of Birmingham, 2018-2019
B.S. Physics and Math, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 2015-2018

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Fellowship and Award Highlights

NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 2024-2027
Illinois Quantum Information Center Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2024-2027
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2019-2022
Fulbright - University of Birmingham Postgraduate Award, 2018-2019

I am currently an NSF Mathematical Sciences and IQUIST Postdoctoral Fellow advised by Felix Leditzky in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Before this, I completed my Ph.D. in physics advised by Graeme Smith at JILA/University of Colorado, Boulder. My current research interests lie at the intersection of entanglement theory and quantum learning theory. Through my academic career, I have been dedicated to teaching, mentorship, and outreach at the university and beyond. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I co-founded the Idealized Science Institute — an educational non-profit creating free, high-quality educational resources and training to STEM teachers.

Read more about my current

Activities

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Research

My current research utilizes tools from math, physics, and computer science to prove how efficient (or inefficient) quantum algorithms are when subjected to restrictions on the allowed measurements.

Project 2

Teaching

In the Fall 2025 semester, I will be teaching MATH 416: Abstract Linear Algebra. If you are in that class, or are just interested in learning more, click below!

Project 3

Outreach

I am currently leading two outreach efforts that provide professional development for math and science teachers. Read more via the link below!

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