From chess champion to quantum innovator, physicist is on top of her game

At the age of 12, Dr. Bei Zeng was already the top chess player in her province in China and a prodigy in a family deeply rooted in the game. By the time she turned 17, after witnessing IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer defeat the world’s best chess player, her world — and her future career — would shift.

Today, Zeng is a professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at The University of Texas at Dallas, where she is at the forefront of quantum computing, quantum information science and artificial intelligence (AI) research. Quantum computing is a rapidly emerging technology that uses quantum mechanics — the behavior of particles at the subatomic level — to solve complex computational problems.

Chess Leads to Science

Zeng grew up in a family where chess was more than a game. It was a way of life and a promising profession. Her father, a coach for the Chinese National Chess Team, and her aunt, the first woman Grandmaster in China, shaped her early years and her natural aptitude for the game.

“I picked it up super quickly,” Zeng said. “At 12, I was the youth champion of our city. It wasn’t long before I was No. 1 in my province, even beating adults. At 13, I became the national youth champion, and by 14, I placed third in the international youth championship. My coach was my father, so, of course, I did well.”

In 1997, Zeng’s perspective on chess changed forever when IBM’s Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov, marking a historic moment for AI. For Zeng, it altered the trajectory of her life.

“I didn’t understand how computers could beat humans. When I saw Deep Blue beat Kasparov, it shook me,” she said. “I knew then that I wouldn’t play chess anymore. I needed to understand how computers could do that.”

In 1998, fascinated by the potential for computers to solve complex problems, Zeng enrolled at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China’s premier institution for engineering and computer science.

There, Zeng discovered quantum information science, an emerging field that would become the cornerstone of her career. The allure of quantum mechanics captivated her, and by 2004, she was accepted into the doctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she sought to understand how the fundamental laws of the universe could be harnessed through computation.

In 2009, Zeng became the first graduate to earn a PhD in physics on MIT’s quantum information science track, marking a major milestone in her academic career.

“My time at MIT was transformative,” she said. “It was a thrilling experience to work alongside some of the greatest minds in quantum computing.”

From IBM’s Deep Blue to Quantum AI

In 2008, Zeng joined IBM as an intern involved in quantum computing and AI research. IBM held a chess tournament to celebrate the success of Deep Blue, offering her a rare opportunity to face off against the creators of the iconic computer.

“While I didn’t beat Deep Blue, I beat the people who built it,” she said. “It was a powerful moment, one that symbolized the full-circle evolution of my career.”

After a decade at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and five years as a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Zeng joined UT Dallas in 2024. Her current research focuses on how quantum computing and AI can collaborate to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems.

“AI can help us tackle complex problems in ways that we never could before. In fact, AI is already at the level of a good graduate student, assisting researchers in new ways,” she said.

Her teaching reflects her research and is aimed at expanding quantum computing education through courses such as Introduction to Quantum Information and Quantum Communication and Networks. She also plans to introduce students to quantum chess, which combines the game with lessons on the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics.

“Teaching is something I truly enjoy,” she said. “It affords me the perfect environment to combine my passion for research with my desire to work with the next generation of scientists.”

Dr. David Hyndman, dean of NSM and the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair, said, “Dr. Zeng’s expertise in quantum computational and mathematical physics will undoubtedly enrich our school and inspire new heights of discovery. We are thrilled to have her on our NSM team. She brings a wealth of knowledge, passion and innovation to our academic community.”

Whether through the lens of chess or quantum mechanics, Zeng remains driven by the quest to solve difficult problems.

“AI changed my life,” she said. “It took my job as a chess player, but it opened the door to something far more exciting — the opportunity to help shape the future of quantum computing and scientific discovery. I believe AI is a powerful tool for better science. We are already using it to learn and discover at faster rates than ever before.”

Although she no longer plays competitive chess, Zeng said she still enjoys watching others compete.

“Chess is most fun when it’s about psychology — the people, the decisions, the strategy,” she said. “But I find more joy in research. Science offers me a much broader landscape to apply strategic thinking.”