- The word “quantum” conjures images of particle accelerators, physics blackboards covered in equations and technologies so complex they border on the otherworldly. At Northern Illinois University, however, quantum is increasingly a practical, institutional priority—one that has been building for decades in the labs around campus and is now extending into the College of Law.
That expansion is a strategic next step in a broader NIU story: quantum has been gaining momentum at the university for years through faculty research, regional partnerships and academic program development, and law students are now becoming part of that evolution.
Richard Mocarski, NIU’s vice president for research and innovation partnerships, has worked to connect the talent of NIU faculty and students with organizations leading the quantum effort.
“We’re not investing in something new,” Mocarski said. “We’re doubling down on something we’ve been strong in.”
According to Mocarski, more than 30 faculty members across roughly eight departments are engaged in quantum-related research, including those recognized as national experts in their fields. NIU is a named partner with Fermilab’s the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, and users of Argonne National Laboratory’s Q-Next, one of five national quantum information science research centers.
In April of this year, NIU signed an agreement to offer a joint master’s program in Quantum Science and Technology with Fermilab, a program that requires students to complete internships at Fermi or at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park and is among only a handful of its kind in the country. As NIU moves steadily from exploration to real-world applications, legal and policy considerations emerge.
The Chicago Connection: What Is the Chicago Quantum Exchange?
Chicago has rapidly become one of the world’s leading centers for quantum science and technology, with approximately $1 billion in state investment catalyzing research, commercialization and talent development across the region.
Related to this expansion is the Chicago Quantum Exchange—a hub for advancing quantum science and developing quantum technologies with real-world applications. One of the CQE’s most consequential recent initiatives is the Quantum Law Navigator, published in November 2025 in partnership with Barnes & Thornburg LLP, one of the nation’s largest law firms.
Barnes & Thornburg co-created the Quantum Law Navigator through its Quantum Technology Industry Group, co-chaired by partners Robert Karr and Martín Montes. In describing the firm’s approach, Montes characterized Barnes & Thornburg as standing “at the intersection of law, policy and innovation, guiding quantum technology companies, research institutions and investors as they move from scientific discovery to market adoption.”
The QLN is organized around safeguarding national security while fostering innovation, securing adequate and sustained funding, solving the growing shortage of skilled quantum professionals, and reducing supply chain vulnerabilities. The QLN identifies the central problem clearly: “Scientists and technologists do not always understand the law, and lawmakers and lawyers do not always understand the science. This disconnect could hinder the development of a robust, sustainable US quantum economy by favoring large institutions who can afford legal teams while discouraging smaller, less-resourced institutions and innovators.”
Montes notes that quantum does not require entirely new legal frameworks, “there are existing frameworks that will apply in the quantum space,” but that the intersection of these disciplines creates complexity that most practitioners are not yet equipped to navigate.
The connection to NIU came through the university’s existing quantum partnerships. As Montes described it:
“We became aware of NIU’s broader focus on quantum and its partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab. From there, we partnered with the college to present the Quantum Law Navigator to law students, NIU faculty and staff and the law school leadership team.”
A course in Quantum Law, set to be taught by Karr and Montes, is currently under development and expected to be available to NIU law students beginning in fall 2027.
The College of Law Enters the Conversation
In February 2026, NIU’s College of Law hosted a campus-wide presentation featuring Karr and Montes. Titled “How Quantum is Changing Jobs, Industries and Opportunities,” the event drew students, faculty and staff from across disciplines and signaled the law school’s intent to position itself as an active participant in the quantum ecosystem.
NIU’s Director of Faculty and Academic Affairs at the College of Law, Daniel S. McConkie, Jr., is involved in the effort to build that institutional bridge. McConkie describes the core legal stakes in accessible terms.
“The technology used to protect our information is currently sufficient because the method they use far exceeds the ability of any existing computer to crack, but a quantum computer could crack virtually any code we use within a couple of days.”
That single fact raises an enormous range of legal questions related to national security regulation, export controls on quantum hardware, intellectual property rights and the strategic investment in creating immigration pathways for skilled technical workers.
According to the CQE, the region could expect 200,000 new jobs by 2035. This means that legal professionals are needed at every level of that growth, from advising startups on venture capital structures to helping employers navigate immigration law to bring in specialized talent.
Associate Dean Heidi Frostestad, who oversees technology and AI-related curriculum at the College of Law, brings a different vantage point to the quantum conversation—one grounded in the school’s existing strengths and its mission as a public institution.
Quantum law, in her view, is a natural extension of NIU’s strong interdisciplinary profile, as law intersects many disciplines across campus. It offers another avenue for students to flourish and build cross-campus partnerships.
For first-year law students who might wonder why quantum matters to them, Frostestad notes that the large projected regional job growth will require lawyers to advise on hiring, governance and local and national law.
“AI and quantum law will be in the future, and we will provide access to the technology resources necessary to equip our students with this next industrial revolution.”
What Comes Next
NIU continues to explore and develop interdisciplinary frameworks across the university’s colleges, including law, policy, education, business and the sciences to connect faculty, students and external partners across the quantum ecosystem.
For the College of Law, the immediate priorities are curriculum development, student engagement and deepening the partnerships with the CQE and organizations like Barnes & Thornburg.
From intellectual property and cybersecurity to business regulation and ethics, the rise of quantum technology is expected to reshape the legal landscape.
“There are going to be numerous impacts with the development of the quantum law initiative,” Frostestad said.
If the quantum era requires lawyers, and by all indications it will require a great many of them, Northern Illinois University intends to be the institution that trains them.