IonQ Expands Engineering Leadership Team, Hiring Rick Muller as Vice President of Quantum Systems

July 21, 2025 at 07:05 AM EDT

Former director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) brings decades of R&D leadership and systems engineering expertise to accelerate IonQ’s technology roadmap

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, today announced the appointment of Dr. Rick Muller as Vice President of Quantum Systems. Muller, who joins this month, will lead IonQ’s quantum computing systems development team.

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Rick Muller, Vice President of Quantum Systems at IonQ

Muller will be an integral member of the team tasked with delivering on the company’s intent to build the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030. His deep technical expertise will also strengthen IonQ’s role as a trusted partner for commercial and federal quantum applications.

Muller brings decades of experience to IonQ, including his recent work at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), an organization within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) that conducts research to address the most difficult challenges faced by the U.S. intelligence community. Muller has also held senior positions at Sandia National Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology.

“Rick brings an exceptional blend of scientific insight and federal systems engineering experience, precisely the kind of leadership IonQ needs as we scale toward operational quantum advantage,” said Dr. Dean Kassmann, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at IonQ. “His track record leading transformative R&D efforts will be instrumental as we expand our quantum computing system capabilities and deepen our partnerships across both commercial and government sectors.”

As Director of IARPA, Muller was responsible for implementing research programs in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, biometrics, and text analytics for the U.S. intelligence community. Prior to that, he led the Quantum and Advanced Microsystems group at Sandia National Laboratories and directed the Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator, one of the flagship centers established under the National Quantum Initiative.

Earlier in his career, Muller led the drive for advanced computational capabilities for national security as part of the Joint Program Office for the National Strategic Computing Initiative. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a B.A. from Rice University, also in chemistry.

“IonQ is at the forefront of evolving quantum computing from research concepts into leading commercial applications,” said Muller. “Joining IonQ gives me the opportunity to help scale technology that can solve meaningful problems across science, security, and industry. I’m excited to contribute to the next generation of systems that will continue to make quantum computing impactful.”

Muller’s appointment follows a national search led by PSIRCH, IonQ’s executive search partner of record.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, delivering high-performance systems aimed at solving the world’s most complex problems. IonQ’s current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results.

The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ’s advancements in quantum networking also positions the company as a leader in building the quantum internet.

The company’s innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Newsweek’s 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes’ 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In’s 2025 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.

IonQ Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words “accelerate,” “accelerating,” “accessible,” “advancements,” “advancing,” “aimed,” “building,” “can,” “deepen,” “delivering,” “evolving,” “expand,” “intends,” “intent,” “scale,” “will,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to IonQ’s quantum computing capabilities and plans; IonQ’s technology driving quantum advantage or delivering scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing in the future; the future impacts of IonQ’s offerings; and the scalability, performance, impact, and commercial-readiness of IonQ’s offerings. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: IonQ’s ability to implement its technical roadmap; changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, including development of competing technologies; IonQ’s ability to deliver, and customers’ ability to generate, value from IonQ’s offerings; IonQ’s inability to attract and retain key personnel; or IonQ’s inability to effectively integrate its acquisitions of Qubitekk, Inc., Lightsynq Technologies, Inc., and Capella Space Corporation and close its acquisitions of Oxford Ionics Limited and ID Quantique, SA. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company’s filings, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” section of IonQ's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.