Quantum Information Science and Technology

Luke Mauritsen is the Founder of Montana Instruments. He is a business leader, innovator, and engineer who has beeninvolved in the Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) supply chain for over 15 years.

Beginning with his initial job out of school, Luke developed the first mobile and deployable cryogenic system to enable radar and signals intelligence processing for defense applications, an experience that led to the insight that cryogenics is a major bottleneck for materials and device characterization. To address this bottleneck, Luke founded Montana Instruments in 2010, which is credited with re-inventing cryogenics to accelerate progress in quantum materials research and the nascent QIST industry.

Serving on the technical advisory committee for the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), Luke initiated and chaired the QED-C Cryogenics for QIST Workshop in Bozeman in 2019 that convened industry, academia, and government experts for the purpose of building the first U.S. Cryogenics Roadmap for QIST.

In 2020, Luke was appointed to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC), advising the White House and Department of Energy on quantum industry strategy. In addition, he has developed a high-tech apprenticeship program for high school and college age technical workforce development, as well as recently authored a chapter in the first edition 2020 textbook, Cryogenic Engineering and Technologies: Principles and Applications of Cryogen-Free Systems.

Luke has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University and graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Babson College in Boston, MA, in 2014. He and his wife, June, have three children.