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Nia Rodney-Pollard (Fed)
NRC Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Nia Pollard is a research chemist and NRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where her work focuses on advancing quantum-enabled approaches for materials discovery. Her research integrates quantum computing, density functional theory, and high-performance computing to benchmark the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) for chemical and materials systems, with particular emphasis on nanoscale clusters and strongly correlated phenomena. She is the developer of BenchQC, a benchmarking toolkit designed to systematically evaluate quantum algorithms, circuit architectures, and noise effects for quantum chemistry applications.
Beyond her technical research, Dr. Pollard is deeply committed to mentorship, scientific outreach, and broadening participation in STEM. She actively contributes to professional societies, supports undergraduate research training, and engages in initiatives that promote community building and representation in the chemical sciences. Her work aims to bridge emerging quantum technologies with real-world scientific impact while cultivating the next generation of scientists.