Crystal Noel

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Prof. Noel's research interests include both the technology development for scalable ion trap quantum computers, as well as using existing ion trap quantum computers for relevant demonstrations, tests, and simulations.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Member of the Duke Quantum Center

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 701 W Main St, Chesterfield Building, Durham, NC 27701
  • Email Address: crystal.noel@duke.edu
  • Websites:

Education

  • B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013
  • Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2019

Research Interests

Quantum computing and simulation with trapped ions, integrated photonics for scalable trapped ion systems, and electric-field noise from surfaces

Courses Taught

  • PHYSICS 495: Thesis Independent Study
  • PHYSICS 152L9D: Introductory Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics (Discussion Component)
  • ECE 522: Quantum Engineering with Atoms
  • ECE 391: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 270L9: Fields and Waves: Fundamentals of Information Propagation (Lab)
  • ECE 270DL: Fields and Waves: Fundamentals of Information Propagation

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Biswas, Debopriyo, Gong Cheng, Krishnanand Karthikeyan, Diana Muñoz-Valencia, Vincent P. Su, Hrant Gharibyan, Daiwei Zhu, et al. “Observation of gravity-like signatures in holographic codes on a quantum computer,” July 13, 2026.
  • Noel, Crystal. “Reconfigurable quantum computer juggles 98 qubits.” Nature 655, no. 8121 (July 2026): 42–43. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01702-6.
  • Sterk, J. D., M. G. Blain, M. Delaney, R. Haltli, E. Heller, A. L. Holterhoff, T. Jennings, et al. “Design and fabrication of ion traps for low RF power dissipation.” Avs Quantum Science 8, no. 2 (June 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1116/5.0332336.
  • Peaks, Mitchell G., Mia M. Kaarls, and Crystal Noel. “Low-cost Ultra-low Noise DAC System-on-Module for Scalable Ion-Trap Electrode Control,” May 1, 2026.
  • Ryan, J. M., S. Gorbaty, T. J. Kessler, M. G. Peaks, S. W. Teitsworth, and C. Noel. “Experimental measurement of quantum first-passage time distributions.” Physical Review Research 8, no. 2 (April 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1103/p3pl-1m6n.