Graduate Harnesses Quantum Engineering Program to Forge a Path Into Research

Devesh Bhosale, 32, always had an interest in science but didn’t seriously consider pursuing study in that field until a career counselor at his MBA program noticed his inclination toward academic research.

“He said I should give it a shot, and so I did,” said Bhosale.

Long story short, Bhosale, whose career until then was in the construction field, enrolled at Stevens Institute of Technology and graduated last year with a master’s degree in Quantum Engineering — the practical application of quantum mechanics, a field of physics that seeks to understand how atoms and subatomic particles behave. 

His productive stint in Stevens' Quantum Engineering program has already opened doors: Bhosale had a physics research paper published in June in the American Institute of Physics science journal Physics of Plasma. He has plans for more papers on the horizon, in addition to attending science conferences that would accelerate his science career. 

“It was great to see that all my hard work paid off,” said Bhosale. “I am excited for the future and where it will take me.”

Bhosale’s winding journey to Stevens and its Quantum Engineering program started in his hometown of Sambhaji Nagar in the western-central state of Maharashtra, India, a place known for Buddhist shrines carved into basalt rock cave walls. Growing up, he had a knack for numbers and taking a creative approach to solving mathematical equations.

He enrolled at the Manipal Institute of Technology in Manipal, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering. Afterward, he worked as an engineer at his family’s construction company and earned his MBA in 2021 at the Bharathidasan Institute of Management Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.

From India to Hoboken

But the hard sciences beckoned. Before Stevens, he had a short stint as a researcher at two Indian science institutes, where he was exposed to physics research, the study of plasma and particle accelerators. 

After that chance talk with his MBA counselor, he waited until graduating to enroll as a master’s degree student in the Department of Physics at Stevens in 2021.

Devesh Bhosale

The program aims to plunge students into a burgeoning field that has the promise to solve intractable, complex problems using quantum mechanics. Practical engineering applications that harness quantum mechanics include developing quantum computers that are more powerful than today’s supercomputers, sensing tools that are more precise than existing technologies, and super fast and secure electronic communications, among other uses. 

Practitioners in sectors such as national security and finance are interested in quantum engineering applications because their industries require precise, powerful tools.

Bhosale loved that the program had both a theoretical and engineering grounding, reflected in Stevens enshrining quantum science and engineering as one of its six important research pillars at the institution. 

During his time in the program, Bhosale not only learned from knowledgeable professors working on the latest in quantum engineering research, but he could also tap the various resources and facilities at the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering at Stevens, adding value to his education.

“My professors were very helpful and my fellow students were also inspiring,” he said.

Due to his time at Stevens, he was invited to submit a paper to the Physics of Plasma on the subject of charged particles. He said the reception of the paper has opened more opportunities for him, such as meeting leading scientists and invitations to write on research — such a sea change from when he was an engineer working in construction.

He’s especially excited that so many countries like the United States and research centers and startups are interested in quantum engineering, making it a field with huge career growth potential.

“I want to be a tech leader in this particular domain,” he said. “Fortunately, Stevens has positioned me to be knowledgeable in this field.”