Institute for Quantum Computing celebrates Fall 2024 graduates

By Naomi Grosman

Last week, 18 graduates from the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) received their University of Waterloo graduate degrees from engineering, math and science faculties.

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"Congratulations graduates on this career milestone, IQC is proud of you. Your contributions are an example of how our community advances quantum science and technology. The world needs more people like you!”
-  Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus, executive director, IQC.

Megan Byres

Megan Byres

Megan Byres, the 2022 recipient of the Raymond Laflamme and Janice Gregson Graduate Scholarship for Women in Quantum Information Science, was one of the graduates who crossed the convocation stage last week to receive her Master of Science in Physics – Quantum Information.

IQC invited her to share thoughts about her time so far at IQC and why she chose to stay to pursue her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Alan Jamison, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and IQC faculty member.

What initially drew you to study at IQC?

I first learned of IQC from its reputation as an excellent place to study quantum information, but what truly drew me to choose IQC was meeting with my potential supervisor and hearing in detail about the research I could be involved in.

What’s your area of research and why did you decide to pursue your PhD at IQC?

Before coming to IQC I got my bachelor's degree in physics from University Colorado Boulder. My research as an undergraduate was in nuclear physics, but I decided I wanted to switch to quantum information for graduate studies. I studied ultracold molecules as a potential quantum computing platform in my Master, and I intend to continue with this research in my PhD. I chose to stay for a PhD because I'm really interested in continuing the research I started.

Is there anyone from IQC who continues to leave an impact on you?

My supervisor, Alan Jamison, has had the biggest impact on me as he has been instrumental in supporting and advising my research here. The rest of our group and the friends I've made at IQC have also left a lasting impact, and I'm excited to see what the next four years here bring.

Congratulations to IQC’s Fall 2024 graduates

  • Grant Brassem, Physics, MSc
  • Megan Byres, Physics (Quantum Information), MSc
  • Bruno De Souza Leao Torres, Physics (Quantum Information), PhD
  • Paul Del Franco, Physics, MSc
  • Noah Greenberg, Physics, PhD
  • Richard Hahn, Physics (Quantum Information), MSc
  • Lucas Hak, Physics (Quantum Information), MSc
  • Zeyi Liu, Combinatorics & Optimization (Quantum Information), MMath
  • Shayan Majidy, Physics (Quantum Information), PhD
  • Paul Rev (Sung Eun) Oh, Physics, PhD
  • Matthew Piatt, Physics (Quantum Information), MSc
  • Nachiket Sherlekar, Physics (Quantum Information), PhD
  • Namanish Singh, Physics (Quantum Information), MSc
  • Zhiying Yu, Computer Science, MSc
  • Zhuoyang He, Electrical and Computer Engineering, MASc
  • Yuming Zhao, Pure Mathematics, PhD
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