Christine Muschik

Faculty, Associate Professor

Christine Muschik
  • Email: cmuschik@uwaterloo.ca
  • Office: QNC 4122
  • Office Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 30228
  • Research Group Manager: Dave Jepson (Dave.Jepson@uwaterloo.ca)
  • Website: quantum-interactions.com
  • All office related emails should be sent to: 
    muschik.office@uwaterloo.ca
  • All confidential emails should be sent to:
    cmuschik@uwaterloo.ca

Prof. Christine Muschik holds a University Research Chair at the University of Waterloo. She holds a faculty position at the Institute for Quantum Computing and an associate faculty position at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Christine Muschik received a number of awards for her work on quantum computers, including an Ontario Early Researcher Award, a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Fellowship for “Research Leaders of Tomorrow”, and a Sloan Fellowship for outstanding early career researchers.

Her work on using quantum systems to perform hard calculations is internationally recognised and has been featured by Scientific American and Forbes. In 2016, her results on programming quantum computers to solve problems in particle physics has been named as one of the “Top 10 breakthroughs in Physics” of this year. Today she pushes the frontier of scientific computing by developing new hybrid methods in which a regular computer and a quantum co-processor work in tandem.

Scholarly Research

Dr. Muschik leads the quantum-interactions group based in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo.

The group develops novel tools in the field of theoretical quantum information science. Their work involves close collaborations with experimental groups and focuses particularly on

  • Quantum simulations of models from particle physics
  • Hybrid quantum-classical computing

Education

  • 2006, Master of Science (MSc) Physics, Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany
  • 2011, Doctorate Physics, Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany

Awards

  • 2022 Ontario Early Researcher Award
  • 2021 President’s Research Excellence Award of the University of Waterloo
  • 2020 President’s Research Excellence Award of the University of Waterloo
  • 2020 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Fellowship “Research Leaders of Tomorrow”
  • 2019 Sloan Fellowship for outstanding early career
  • 2018 Emmy Noether Fellowship for faculty-level scientists
  • 2016 Award of the city of Innsbruck for scientific research
  • 2016 First-author paper [Nature 534, 516-519 (2016)] selected by Physics World as one of the Top 10 breakthroughs in physics 2016
  • 2016 Award of the City of Innsbruck for Scientific Research
  • Feodor Lynen research fellowship for postdoctoral researchers by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2011-2013)
  • Scholarship by the International PhD program of excellence: Quantum Computing, Control and Communication supported by the ENB (Elite Network of Bavaria) (2006-2010)

Affiliations

  • University Research Chair, University of Waterloo
  • Faculty member, Institute for Quantum Computing
  • Associate faculty member, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Current projects and research expertise

  • Quantum networks
  • Quantum sensing
  • Quantum simulations
  • High-energy physics simulation with quantum computers

Selected publications

Degrees

  • PhD in Physics, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität, 2006-2011
  • Master’s in Physics, Minor in Mathematics, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität, 2004
  • Bachelor’s in Physics, Minor in Computer Science, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität, 2001

In The News

Awards & honours

  • Ontario Early Researcher Award (2022)
  • President’s Research Excellence Award of the University of Waterloo (2021)
  • President’s Research Excellence Award of the University of Waterloo (2020)
  • CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Fellowship “Research Leaders of Tomorrow” (2020)
  • Sloan Research fellowship for outstanding early-career researchers (2019)
  • Emmy Noether fellowship for faculty-level scientists (2018)
  • Award of the city of Innsbruck for scientific research (2016)
  • First-author paper [Nature 534, 516-519] selected by Physics World as one of the Top 10 breakthroughs in physics (2016)
  • Feodor Lynen research fellowship for postdoctoral researchers by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2011-2013)
  • Scholarship by the International PhD program of excellence: Quantum Computing, Control and Communication supported by the ENB (Elite Network of Bavaria) (2006-2010)

Major Positions

Title Location When
Associate Professor Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo 2022- Present
Assistant Professor Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo 2017- 2022
University assistant Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria October 2016-2017
Postdoctoral position Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck 2014-2016
Postdoctoral position ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Castelldefels, Barcelona 2013-2014
Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Castelldefels, Barcelona 2011-2013