QCCS 2026
4th Annual Quantum Computer Cybersecurity Symposium
To be held November 11 and 12, 2026 at The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University
QCCS is an annual event co-organized by Prof. Jakub Szefer and (since 2025) the Institute for Quantum Information Research and Engineering (INQUIRE) at Northwestern University.
Program First Day: Nov. 11
The 2026 program is currenlty under preparation.
Program Second Day: Nov. 7
The 2026 program is currenlty 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.
Venue
The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University
Physical Location: Scott Hall is located at 601 University Pl, Evanston, IL 60208. Please follow directions for getting to the venue.
Remote Participation: Participants will be provided Zoom link by e-mail if they are not able to join in-person.
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 venue.
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 venue if you are staying in a hotel outside of Evanston.
Directions
QCCS 2026 will be at The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall at Northwestern University, located at 601 University Pl, Evanston, IL 60208.
By Car: participants driving to the venue are encouraged to park at the South Campus Parking Garage located at 1847 Campus Drive which is within about 8 minutes walking distance to the venue; alternatively, North Campus Parking Garage located at 2311 North Campus Drive is within about 15 minutes walking distance to the venue. The parking garage cost is about 10$ per day.
By Metro: 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 13 minutes.
By 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 14 minutes.
By Plane: participants flying to the event can fly to O'Hare (ORD) airport. Lyft or Uber from ORD to the venue should take about 35 minutes if there is not 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.