Fred Sarazin, the newest Ben L. Fryrear Presidential Chair, discusses the different levels of quantum knowledge required by industry today during a recent campus visit by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen.
Frédéric Sarazin has been appointed Ben L. Fryrear Presidential Chair at Colorado School of Mines to further grow the university’s leadership in quantum engineering.
A member of Mines faculty since 2003, Sarazin is Mines’ inaugural director of quantum and previously served as head of the Physics Department. Under his leadership, Mines launched the first undergraduate degree in the U.S. fully dedicated to quantum systems engineering earlier this year, to join Mines’ Master of Science in Quantum Engineering, which was also one of the first programs of its kind when it launched in 2020.
As Fryrear Presidential Chair, Sarazin will focus on accelerating Mines’ combined efforts around quantum education, research and workforce development, including initiatives that connect the Mines’ campus directly to the thriving quantum ecosystem in Colorado, which boasts the highest concentration of quantum companies in the nation.
"Enabling Fred as the newest Fryrear Presidential Chair to focus full-time on the rapidly changing quantum landscape is key to our aspiration to be the top-of-mind university partner to the quantum industry,” said Mines President Paul C. Johnson. “Mines has invested significantly in faculty and facilities, created first-of-their-kind academic programs, and supported our nation's Elevate Quantum tech hub – and Fred has played key leadership roles in all of those efforts, preparing him to have an immense impact as our Fryrear Presidential Chair focused on positioning Mines as a key player and industry partner in the quantum future. Again, we're very grateful to Ben and Judy Fryrear for creating this unique presidential chair program and to Fred for taking on this role."
Sarazin is the second Mines faculty members to be named a Fryrear Presidential Chair, joining Jen Shafer in the new role made possible thanks to a gift from Ben Fryrear ‘62, who previously helped establish the Fryrear Chairs for Innovation and Excellence. Fryrear endowed the new chair to attract and reward faculty who can respond with urgency to time-critical opportunities of strategic importance to Mines, industry and the nation, with the goal of positioning Mines to be a national and global leader in those topics of strategic importance. Shafer was appointed earlier this year to focus on the intersection of energy and commercialization.
A subatomic experimental nuclear and astroparticle physicist, Sarazin’s research spans 14 orders of magnitude in energy, from low-energy nuclear physics to ultra-high energy cosmic rays. He is also the co-founder of the startup OncoPatch, which aims at treating non-melanoma skin cancers with low-energy beta particles. He has served as head of the Mines Physics Department since 2021 and was named full professor in 2014. He holds a PhD in subatomic physics from the University of Caen in France.
As the Fryrear Presidential Chair, Sarazin will ensure Mines continues to work at the speed of industry to advance quantum technologies and train the next generation of quantum engineers. Priorities include Mines’ involvement in Elevate Quantum, a federally designated TechHub and regional consortium of more than 120 organizations in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, as well as Quantum Commons, a 70-acre research park in Arvada owned by Mines and being designed with consortium partners to anchor the region's rapidly growing quantum technology ecosystem. Sarazin will also drive the development of the Colorado Underground Research Institute (CURIE) at the Edgar Experimental Mine, which provides world-class, low-background quantum research facilities shielded from cosmic noise.
“I am deeply honored to be named the Fryrear Presidential Chair for quantum engineering,” Sarazin said. “Quantum is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and Colorado and the Mountain West are well positioned to become the epicenter of the quantum revolution. With our strong tradition of industry partnership and unique assets such as Quantum Commons and CURIE, Mines is poised not only to educate the next generations of quantum engineers but also to accelerate the translation of quantum technologies from laboratory to market. It is a truly exciting moment for Mines, our partners and our state, and I look forward to helping shape that future.”
About Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and innovations to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.
