insideQuantum

How is quantum information connected with thermodynamics, and what can it tell us about the inner workings of quantum computers? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 12 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Jake Xuereb, a PhD student at the Technical University of Vienna, tells us all about his work in quantum thermodynamics and the deep links with quantum information and computing, as well as the importance of geographic diversity in science.Jake Xuereb obtained his Bachelors degree from the University of Malta, followed by a Masters at the University of Malta with visits to University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, and is now a PhD student in the group of Marcus Huber at the Technical University of Vienna.

How can we use quantum mechanics to generate unbreakable encryption? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 11 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Mina Doosti, a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, tells us all about her work in quantum cryptography, and what it will take to make the communications systems of the future quantum secure.Dr Doosti obtained her undergraduate degree from the Sharif University of Technology, followed by a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, and she is now a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh in the School of Informatics.

How could quantum mechanics revolutionalise our communications? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 10 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Sumeet Khatri, a postdoctoral researcher at Freie Universität Berlin, tells us all about the fast-paced research area of quantum communications, and explains to us how science-fiction-sounding concepts like teleportation actually arise in real-life quantum communication systems.Dr Sumeet Khatri obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo, followed by a PhD at Louisiana State University and a postdoctoral position at Freie Universität Berlin.

What are the obstacles on the path towards finding practical uses for quantum computers?  Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 9 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Alex Moylett, a Senior Quantum Scientist at Riverlane, tells us all about their work in determining what current-generation quantum computers are good for, and which problems might see a computational advantage on quantum hardware.Dr Alex Moylett obtained an MEng in Computer Science from the University of Bristol, followed by a PhD at the Quantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training, also at the University of Bristol. They then joined Riverlane, where they are now a Senior Quantum Scientist working on applications for near-term quantum computers.

What can complexity theory tell us about the capabilities of near-future quantum devices? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 8 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Henry Yuen, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University tells us all about his work in complexity theory, how concepts from complexity theory can be modified to be applicable to quantum systems, and how these concepts can be used to tell us what near-term quantum computers can and can’t do.Dr Henry Yuen obtained a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Southern California, followed by a PhD in Computer Science from MIT. He has since held positions as a Postdoctoral Associate in Computer Science at UC Berkeley, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and is now an Assistant Professor at Columbia University in the Department of Computer Science.This episode was hosted by Dr Yihui Quek, and primarily edited by Jonáš Fuksa.

What can quantum mechanics bring to machine learning? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 7 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Kosuke Mitarai (御手洗光祐) tells us about his experience at the cutting edge of quantum machine learning, the development of quantum circuit learning and being a co-founder of the startup QunaSys.Dr Kosuke Mitarai obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Osaka University, followed by a Masters degree and a PhD at the same university, and is now an assistant professor at Osaka University.

How can we create the community of talented people who will build, program, and use the next generation of quantum computers? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 6 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Junye Huang (黄俊晔) tells us about his journey from materials science to quantum computer – as well as his experience making quantum games – and how this all led up to his current role as a Quantum Developer Advocate for IBM Quantum.Junye Huang obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, followed by a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree from the National University of Singapore, before joining the IBM Quantum team in Singapore in March 2020, and moving to IBM Quantum in Madrid in July 2022.Junye is also very involved in the Qiskit Advocate Program - applications for the 2023 cycle are open from June 1st to July 1st. For more details, you can check out Qiskit on Twitter, YouTube or find out more from IBM Quantum on LinkedIn.

Do superconducting qubits hold the solution to making quantum computing practical? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 5 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Yvonne Gao explains one of the key technologies behind the latest developments in quantum computing, and tells us why superconducting qubits have become a widely-used platform that has allowed for the recent rapid progress.Dr Gao studied at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD at Yale University and some time as a Research Scientist at A*STAR before starting her own research group as an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore.

What can quantum computers really do for us? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 4 of insideQuantum to find out!This week, Dr Oliver Brown takes us on a journey through the hype surrounding quantum computing and find out just what they can and can’t do - and why they’ll never entirely replace classical computers.Dr Brown obtained his PhD from Heriot-Watt University, and is now a Chancellor’s Fellow at the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) and the University of Edinburgh. (At the time of recording, Dr Brown was a Quantum Software Architect at EPCC, but has since been awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Fellowship.)Audio editing for this episode by Jonáš Fuksa.

What does it take to make the materials that next-generation quantum technologies will be made of? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 3 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we're featuring Dr Jennifer Fowlie, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University and the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science part of the SLAC National Lab. Dr Fowlie obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of St Andrews, followed by a PhD and postdoctoral position at the University of Geneva, before taking up her current postdoctoral position.

How can a completely random process be used to test the accuracy of quantum computers?This week we're featuring Dr Ellen Derbyshire, a postdoctoral researcher at the Dahlem Centre for Complex Quantum Systems, Freie Universität Berlin. Dr Derbyshire obtained her PhD from the University of Edinburgh before taking up her current postdoctoral position.Photo credit: Ezekial (Ezy) Galan (http://www.ezekialgalan.com/photography).

What are exactly solvable quantum systems, and why are they interesting? Take a listen to Season 2, Episode 1 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we're featuring Dr Pieter Claeys, a research group leader in the Dynamics of Quantum Information Group at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden. Pieter obtained his PhD from the University of Ghent, with a brief stay at the University of Amsterdam, and completed postdoctoral positions at Boston University and the University of Cambridge before taking up his current role.

In this special episode of insideQuantum, we look back on our first season and take another listen to highlights of the 12 episodes that made up Season 1. We've come a long way in such a short space of time - thank you so much to everyone who's listened and made our first series such a success. We hope you're looking forward to Season 2!Featuring:Dr Yihui QuekDr Philippe FaistDr Lídia del RioProf. Román OrúsDr Elliot BentineDr Monica KangIeva ČepaitėDr Tiffany HarteDr Viviana VillafañeDr Araceli Venegas-GomezDr Alba Cervera-LiertaDr Stefanie Czischek

Many machine learning techniques have been developed to run in an efficient way on classical computers, but what could we gain from designing them around biological brains instead, and how might these methods tell us something new about quantum systems? Take a listen to Episode 12 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we’re featuring Dr Stefanie Czischek, an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. Dr Czischek obtained her PhD from the University of Heidelberg and did a postdoctoral position in the Perimeter Institute Quantum Intelligence Lab, before taking up her current position.

How can quantum computers be combined with conventional supercomputing facilities, and where will the infrastructure come from to support the future quantum computing ecosystem? Take a listen to Episode 11 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we’re featuring Dr Alba Cervera-Lierta, a Senior Researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) and coordinator of the Quantum Spain project. Dr Cervera-Lierta obtained her PhD from the University of Barcelona, followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of Toronto, before returning to Barcelona to take up her current role.

How can industry learn how to speak the language of quantum physics, and where will businesses of the future find people to work in the rapidly growing number of quantum technology jobs? Take a listen to Episode 10 of insideQuantum to find out! This week we're featuring Dr Araceli Venegas-Gomez, the founder of Quantum Resources and Careers (QURECA), a company focused on bridging the gap between quantum physics in academia and industry. Dr Venegas-Gomez was originally an aerospace engineer before deciding to study quantum physics. She obtained her PhD from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, and started the company QURECA immediately afterwards. 

How will quantum technologies revolutionise our communications, and what will the quantum internet look like? Take a listen to Episode 9 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we’re featuring Dr Viviana Villafañe, a George Foster Research Fellow at the Walter Schottky Institute and part of the Munich Centre for Quantum Science and Technology. Dr Villafañe obtained her PhD from the Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica in Argentina, followed by postdoctoral work at the Walter Schottky Institute in Germany.

How can cutting-edge quantum technologies designed for quantum simulation of materials be used to detect dark matter and gravitational waves? Take a listen to Episode 8 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we're featuring Dr Tiffany Harte, a Senior Research Associate in the Many-Body Quantum Dynamics group at the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, and also an affiliate of King's College, as well as a highly active and experienced science communicator. Dr Harte obtained her MPhys degree at the University of St Andrews, followed by a DPhil at the University of Oxford.

What will it take to make quantum computing practical, and how can we make the most of different types of hardware for solving different problems? Take a listen to Episode 7 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we’re featuring Ieva Čepaitė, a PhD student at the University of Strathclyde in the Quantum Optics and Quantum Many-Body Systems (QOQMS) group, working on algorithms for near-term quantum devices. Ieva obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh, and is a contributing writer for Physics World magazine.

What do black holes have in common with quantum error correction? Take a listen to Episode 6 of insideQuantum to find out!This week we're featuring Dr Monica Kang, a Sherman Fairchild Postdoctoral Fellow at California Institute of Technology in the Particle Theory Group and Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics. Dr Kang obtained her Bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley, followed by a PhD at Harvard University.Some of the concepts in this episode are a little different that those we usually cover, so please do check out the full transcript of the interview on our website insidequantum.org for links to further explanations of some of the terms that are discussed.For more information and a full audio transcript, see our website insidequantum.org.