Gretchen Campbell

Gretchen Campbell serves as Associate Vice President for Quantum Research and Education at the University of Maryland. In this role, she collaborate with faculty, students and campus partners to further UMD's prominence in quantum science and technology. Her position focuses on shaping UMD’s strategic vision for quantum research; advancing the Maryland statewide vision for transforming the state and region into the global Capital of Quantum; expanding quantum curricula for K-12 through graduate programs; and forging strategic partnerships that position Maryland at the forefront of quantum research, education and innovation.

Previously, she served as assistant director for quantum information science and director of the National Quantum Coordination Office in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In that role, she coordinated federal quantum efforts across government, industry and academia and co-chaired the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, providing insight and recommendations to the President, Congress and the National Science and Technology Council.

In addition to her work with OSTP, Campbell held multiple leadership roles at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she led the Laser Cooling and Trapping Group in the Quantum Measurement Division. From 2016 to 2025, she was co-director of the Joint Quantum Institute, a partnership between UMD, NIST and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, and she has been an adjunct professor in UMD's Department of Physics since 2009.

A pioneering experimental physicist, Campbell’s research includes work on Bose-Einstein condensates, ultra-precise atomic clocks and the creation of the first atomtronic circuits. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering, the Arthur Flemming Award that honors outstanding federal employees, the Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the American Physical Society and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics’ Young Scientist Prize.

Campbell earned her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College.