Meet Students in Quantum

Kewei Zhou

I am a Quantum Engineering MSc student at ETH. My journey with quantum engineering started at a conference I attended during summer research at Harvey Mudd College, where I obtained my bachelor’s degree. One of the talks at the conference was about using quantum algorithms based on near-future quantum computers to calculate fertilizer efficacy. Those 20 minutes showed me the beauty and potential of quantum computing and pivoted my path. Being on the edge between going into physics or math/CS, I discovered that quantum computing would be the perfect solution. In the following summer, I had my first proper encounter with the area at University of Waterloo working on silicon quantum dot simulations, and it eventually led me to Quantum Engineering at ETH. During my master’s studies, I worked on frequency multiplexing of superconducting qubits at QuDev, and I’m currently working on electrode-free local anodic oxidation etching on graphene at the Ensslin lab. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had, and I look forward to more future explorations!

For me, 'quantum' is… something fun that we want to understand, apply and enjoy!

Matteo Stefanini

I am Matteo, a Quantum Engineering MSc student at ETH. Since my Bachelors in physics from the Technical University of Munich left me clueless regarding which direction to specialize in, I decided to go abroad and study in the US for a while. At the University of Illinois, I met an extremely passionate professor whose research group I joined as soon as he offered it. I had the great pleasure to work on a quantum information experiment which aims to perform Bell tests onboard the ISS. As part of the group, I learned about all other applications that might arise from quantum technologies, and decided to focus on it in my Master's degree. The fascinating thing about quantum is its fast evolution: It took less than 100 years from the discovery of quantum theory to the first useful applications, and the horizon of its capabilities is yet to be explored. Now, it is an interdisciplinary field geared towards bringing related technologies to the market, while still employing recent discoveries in fundamental physics. A combination that is very hard to find elsewhere.

For me, 'quantum' is… defeating intuition and paving the way for previously unimaginable opportunities!

Jonathon Knoll 

I am Jona and I am a quantum engineer! During my Physics BSc at ETH, I discovered that while I love the theory and math behind physics, I want to apply it to build something cool and useful. I always enjoyed building something - be it programming websites, apps, and virtual reality games, 3D printing, programming Arduinos and Raspberry Pis or etching PCBs and soldering circuits. When I had my first quantum mechanics class and learned about quantum computing, I realized that it offered the perfect combination of my interests. I admire the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics and I enjoy the daily technical challenges we have to solve in the lab. In my fourth semester, I began working as a Research Assistant in the Hybrid Quantum Systems Group of Prof. Yiwen Chu. The semester after, I did a semester project on the design and simulation of different qubit geometries, and learned a lot about the exciting physical concepts and engineering skills involved in quantum engineering. This convinced me that I wanted to continue working on quantum computers in my masters. Together with starting my Quantum Engineering MSc, I started working in the Quantum Device Lab of Prof. Andreas Wallraff. There, I implemented a database and website to manage our quantum processors, and I developed an API for our measurement framework in Python. I enjoyed the atmosphere in both groups very much and I am happy to have worked together with all these dedicated people. In addition to our labs and courses, the Quantum Engineering Commission is helping to build a strong quantum community in Zurich and beyond.

For me, 'quantum' is… not only a lot of fun, but also a way to shape the future.

Orane Valette

I am a Physics MSc student at ETH. During my Bachelor's studies, I attended a variety of physics courses that were not purely theoretical, and my Bachelor's project was focused on programming and electrical engineering. This made me realize that I liked physics most when it was experimental and computational. When I came to ETH, I was not quite sure which courses I wanted to take, but I knew that I want to study subjects in between physics and computer science. I found that quantum computing was a perfect match and therefore decided to take all the related courses, approaching the subject both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view. Now, I am still in the process of deciding in which subfield of quantum science I’d see myself the most, as there are lots of different options and opportunities for projects and theses in this field here at ETH.

For me, 'quantum' is… the key to solving the problems that we cannot solve with classical methods.

Dario Denora

I am a Quantum Engineering MSc student at ETH. The first time I encountered the beauty of quantum physics was in Turin, where I studied Physical Engineering for my Bachelor’s degree. I have had the feeling to be neither an engineer nor a physicist, and yet I found my ikigai* in exactly this setting during an internship at the Italian National Institute of Metrology working with NV centers: exploiting quantum technology to improve the world. My interest in quantum technology has been growing ever since, perhaps due to the fact that this is a field with an enormous potential and room for creativity – or just because 'quantum' is a cool name. I decided to follow this purpose and currently I am a semester student in the Nanophysics Lab at ETH. I am measuring a double quantum dot capacitively coupled to a superconducting resonator to detect the charge state in a 'non-demolition' way. The road to having full control of this technology is uphill, but I feel that the track is the right one.

For me, 'quantum' is… REVOLUTION!

*ikigai: The Oxford English Dictionary defines ikigai as "a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living". More generally, it may refer to something that brings pleasure or fulfillment.

Odiel Hooybergs

I am a Quantum Engineering MSc student at ETH. I started my university studies back in Belgium in the field of engineering physics. During my Master's the focus is on quantum information processing (QIP) using different platforms. The gap towards useful QIP is one that will need to be closed from both the quantum software and hardware side. I got a grasp of both during a QuanTech workshop at ETH and within a project in the HyQu group on designing a printed circuit board (PCB) for laser-frequency stabilization. During this project I got exposed to the field of quantum transduction. This field grasped my attention because it is at the intersection of so many intriguing topics: superconducting microwave resonators, cryogenics, acousto-mechanics, quantum optics, nano-fabrication, to name a few. So I decided to do my Master's thesis on flux-tunable resonators for quantum transduction at IBM Research. Zurich is an awesome place for people inspired by quantum technologies, thanks to the ETH Quantum Center, the Quantum Engineering Commission, IBM Research, and many others, forming a nice community.

For me, 'quantum' is... breaking the limits of what is possible classically by building on the principles of quantum mechanics.

Simon Schlapansky

I am a MSc student in Chemistry at ETH. I was first introduced to quantum physics at the beginning of my Bachelor's studies at ETH, three and a half years ago. In my general chemistry course the professor taught the fundamentals of quantum mechanics within two quite intense weeks. These were my first lectures as a student. Since then, I have been learning a lot more about quantum science from a chemist’s perspective. In my field, we are mostly interested in practical applications of quantum mechanics, for instance spectroscopy. I am currently working in the area of electron paramagnetic resonance, which uses the magnetic moments of unpaired electrons to determine structures of molecules and solids as well as to understand the reactivity of functional materials.

For me, 'quantum' is... a multidisciplinary research area with many different practical applications.

Kristina Kirova

I am a Physics MSc student at ETH, with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and the University of British Columbia, Canada. My original idea of becoming an astronomer soon gave place to the weirdly beautiful world of quantum physics, after attending the Quantum Information for Developers (QuID) workshop at ETH. Seeing a superconducting chip, simulating a cryptographically secure channel, participating in a quantum hackathon and being surrounded by young and motivated individuals convinced me that this is the field for me. Since then, I’ve done my Bachelor's thesis in quantum theory, a research internship on quantum many-body systems at IST Austria, and numerous courses to deepen my understanding of the field. Currently, I’m investigating noise-assisted variational quantum algorithms under the supervision of Dr. Reiter at the TIQI group and I organise a quantum hackathon at ETH.

For me, 'quantum' is... the perfect combination between all the areas I have a passion for — mathematics, physics, programming, engineering — and, most importantly, a field with inspiring communities.

Luka Milanovic

I am a Quantum Engineering MSc at ETH, coming from a physics background. When I started my Bachelor's studies in physics, I would never have guessed that I'd end up in 'quantum'. Then I found out that quantum science can be the perfect mix of physics and engineering — I was hooked. So far, I have written a semester thesis about quantum computing using hybrid systems, one about a system for spinal-fusion monitoring, and currently I'm working on developing radiation-resistant processors for use around particle accelerators. In my opinion, quantum science is such a broad field that you can end up doing almost anything.

For me, 'quantum' is... interdisciplinary and everywhere!

Florence Berterottière

I am a Quantum Engineering MSc student at ETH. During my Physics Bachelor studies I was initially more interested in theoretical physics, such as particle physics and quantum field theory. However, after digging into those fields, I realized that I was craving for more near-term applications, to see the direct impact of my work. I found that there are near-term applications in the field of quantum physics, where one can imagine applications in the coming 5–10 years with intermediate-scale quantum devices. After a first theoretical internship designing algorithms for these devices, I am now tackling the experimental part at the Quantum Device Lab, in a semester project on the upload of waveforms for driving superconducting qubits.

For me, 'quantum' is... a very exciting field, where so much research is happening right now — something extraordinary must emerge in the next few years!