About

I’m a 4th-year Ph.D. student at Caltech, advised by Prof. Garnet Chan and Prof. John Preskill. I’m currently developing quantum algorithms for quantum chemistry and materials science. I’ve also worked on tensor-network methods.

Prior to Caltech, I graduated from UC Irvine in 2022 with B.S. in physics and computer science. I had research experiences with Prof. Steve White on tensor network methods and with Prof. Kieron Burke on density functional theory.

Publications & Preprints

1. Convergence of the cumulant expansion and polynomial-time algorithm for weakly interacting fermions
   Hongrui Chen, Cambyse Rouzé, Jielun Chen, Jiaqing Jiang, Samuel O. Scalet, Yongtao Zhan, Garnet K. Chan, Lexing Ying, Yu Tong [arXiv:2512.12010]
2. A framework for robust quantum speedups in practical correlated electronic structure and dynamics
   Jielun Chen, Garnet K. Chan
   [arXiv:2508.15765] [XPRIZE Finalist (Team Calbee Quantum)]
3. Quantum linear algebra for disordered electrons
   Jielun Chen, Garnet K. Chan
   [arXiv:2411.00434]
4. Positive bias makes tensor-network contraction tractable
   Jiaqing Jiang, Jielun Chen, Norbert Schuch, Dominik Hangleiter
   [QIP 2025] [STOC 2025] [arXiv:2410.05414]
5. Sign problem in tensor network contraction
   Jielun Chen, Jiaqing Jiang, Dominik Hangleiter, Norbert Schuch
   [PRX Quantum 2024] [arXiv:2404.19023]
6. Direct interpolative construction of the discrete Fourier transform as a matrix product operator
   (alphabetical order) Jielun Chen, Michael Lindsey
   [ACHA][arXiv:2404.03182]
7. Quantum Fourier transform has small entanglement
   Jielun Chen, E.M. Stoudenmire, Steven R. White
   [PRX Quantum 2023] [arXiv:2210.08468]
8. How well does Kohn–Sham regularizer work for weakly correlated systems?
   Bhupalee Kalita, Ryan Pederson, Jielun Chen, Li Li, Kieron Burke
   [J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2022] [arXiv:2110.14846]
9. Conditional probability density functional theory
   Ryan Pederson, Jielun Chen, Steven R. White, Kieron Burke
   [Phys. Rev. B 2022] [arXiv:2203.09647]

Talks

(slides may not include latest updates)

• A framework for robust quantum speedups in practical correlated electronic structure and dynamics
  • Kaifeng Bu group meeting, Ohio State University, Nov. 2025
  • AWS quantum algorithm meeting, Pasadena, Sep. 2025
• Complexity of slightly positive tensor networks
  • Center for Computational Quantum Physics at Simons Foundation, New York, Apr. 2025 (slides)
  • QIP 2025, Raleigh, Feb. 2025 (slides) (video)
  • APS March Meeting, Anaheim, Mar. 2025
  • Tensor Network Weekly Meeting hosted by Guifré Vidal, June 2024 (slides)
• Quantized Tensor Train
  • UC Berkeley / Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Applied Mathematics Seminar, Berkeley, Oct. 2023 (slides)
• Quantum Fourier transform has small entanglement
  • Yuehaw Khoo group meeting, University of Chicago, Feb. 2024 (slides)
  • APS March Meeting, Las Vegas, Mar. 2023
  • Quantum Colloquium, Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, Berkeley, Mar. 2023 (slides) (video)
  • Quantum lunch seminar, Los Alamos National Lab, Feb. 2023
  • Tensor Network Weekly Meeting hosted by Guifré Vidal, Nov. 2022
  • Symposium on New Developments in Tensor Networks and Quantum Computation, Flatiron Institute & Initiative for Theoretical Sciences, New York, Nov. 2022