New: Call for Posters
The program committee invites submissions of posters. QCCS is a mixed academic and industry venue: we actively encourage contributions from practitioners whose work cannot be published as a conventional paper. Submissions are solicited across the full spectrum of security for quantum computing systems. Please see full Call for Posters PDF for details. Poster sessions will be held in parallel to the invited and contributed presentations.
QCCS 2026
4th Annual Quantum Computer Cybersecurity Symposium
To be held November 11 to 13, 2026 at The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University
QCCS is an annual event co-organized by Prof. Jakub Szefer of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department and the Institute for Quantum Information Research and Engineering (INQUIRE) at Northwestern University.
Pre-QCCS Training:
Nov. 11
The pre-QCCS training will be held at the Cohen Commons. The 2026 program is currently under preparation.
Main Program First Day:
Nov. 12
The main QCCS events will be held at the Guild Lounge. The 2026 program is currently under preparation.
Main Program Second Day:
Nov. 13
The main QCCS events will be held at The Guild Lounge. The 2026 program is currently under preparation.
Sponsors
We are grateful for the sponsorship provided by the below companies.
Quantum Sponsor:
Please contact us about sponsorship options.
Silver Sponsor:
Please contact us about sponsorship options.
Bronze Sponsor:
Please contact us about sponsorship options.
Event Support:
We would like to acknowledge help of Jim Bray, Demetria Giannisis, and K. Michael Brooks from INQUIRE for their assistance in organizing this event.
Join our sister event: Northwestern Quantum Week, April 12 to 16, 2027, at Northwestern University
QCCS Venues
The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University is the main venue for the QCCS events this year. In addition, the pre-QCCS trainings will be located at the nearby Cohen Commons in the Technological Institute.
Physical Location: Please see directions section below for details about locations of both venues and directions.
Remote Participation: Participants will be provided Zoom link by e-mail if they are not able to join in-person.
QCCS Hotel
Recommended Hotel information.
Participants wishing to stay close to campus are suggested to book their rooms at the Hilton Orrington or The Graduate. Both hotels are within 10-minute walking distance of the venues.
For those who will attend other events that are part of the Midwest Quantum Week, Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, can consider staying in Chicago and can easily commute to Evanston from Chicago. Please see directions for information on how to travel to Evanston and our venues if you are staying in a hotel outside of Evanston.
Directions to QCCS
Main events of the QCCS 2026 will be at The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University, located at 601 University Pl, Evanston, IL 60208.
The pre-QCCS trainings will be at Cohen Commons in the Technological Institute at Northwestern University, located at 2145 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, IL 60208.
By Car: participants driving to the venues are encouraged to park at the South Campus Parking Garage located at 1847 Campus Drive which is within about 8 minutes walking distance of the Guild Lounge and about 15 minutes of the Cohen Commons; alternatively, North Campus Parking Garage located at 2311 North Campus Drive is closer to the Cohen Commons, about 5 minutes walking distance, but a little further from the Guild Lounge, about 15 minutes walking distance. The parking garage cost is about $10 per day.
By CTA Train (Purple Line): participants arriving via metro should take the Purple line from Chicago to the Davis station located at 1612 Benson Ave, Evanston, IL; the walking distance from the station is about 15 minutes to either venue.
By Metra Train: participants arriving via train should take the Metra train from Chicago to the Davis Street/Evanston station located at 901 Davis St, Evanston, IL; the walking distance from the station is about 15 minutes to either venue.
By Plane: participants flying to the event can fly to O'Hare (ORD) airport. Lyft or Uber from ORD to the venues should take about 35 minutes if there is no traffic and cost about $50.
Founder and General Chair
QCCS was started in 2023 by Prof. Jakub Szefer.
Prof. Jakub Szefer leads the Computer Architecture and Security Laboratory (CASLAB) at Northwestern University. His research focuses on security of computer systems, architectures, hardware, and cloud cyber-infrastructures. He is pioneering the field of Quantum Computer Security, with extensive prior research on processor security, DRAM security, FPGA security, and Post-Quantum Cryptographic hardware.
Resources
List of Resources Relevant to the Symposium
BibTeX with Relevant Publications: A (naturally incomplete) bibliography file containing references to Quantum Computer Hardware Cybersecurity research papers is available at https://github.com/caslab-code/qc-hardware-cybersecurity-bibtex, the bibliography will be continuously updated.