Two faculty joining the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
© 2022 EPFL
The EPFL Center for Quantum Science and Engineering (QSE) is excited to welcome two new faculty members this year: Zoë Holmes as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Physics and Vladimir Manucharyan as an Associate Professor of Physics, both at the School of Basic Sciences (SB).
These new faculty will support QSE's theoretical and experimental quantum computing activities and will teach courses in EPFL’s new Master’s of Quantum Science and Engineering.
Zoë Holmes currently holds a post-doc position at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, USA. Her research focuses on different areas of quantum computing, and she has already made important contributions to quantum thermodynamics and fluctuation theory. She works on coming up with what she describes as “cunning schemes” to try and make the most of the quantum computers that are currently available.
“I'm particularly interested in investigating how best to use quantum hardware to simulate complex quantum systems,” Holmes says. “If we crack this, it could transform not just basic science, but have applications in a diverse range of areas from pharmaceutical development to transitioning to green energy.”
As an EPFL professor, she will strengthen collaboration with other EPFL schools, such as the School of Computer Sciences, in order to solve pressing scientific problems. In her free time, Holmes rock climbs, skis, and hikes, so she’s especially excited to come to EPFL and Switzerland for the mountains. Before working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, she completed a post-doc at the University of Exeter and earned her PhD from Imperial College London.
Vladimir Manucharyan is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, USA. His main research focus is quantum information processing with superconducting circuits, and he is one of the chief architects of developing a new type of qubit, or quantum bit, known as the fluxonium qubit. He is also a pioneer in the application of superconductors in the field. His work will help solve major challenges in quantum physics and facilitate the development of quantum algorithms.
At EPFL, his main project will be to construct on campus a large-scale quantum computer from quantum bits.
“I envision that this project would employ and educate young talents coming from a broad variety of backgrounds, from electrical engineers and theoretical physicists to nano-fabrication specialists and computer scientists,” Manucharyan says.
In coming to EPFL, he’s most excited about the Swiss Alpine views, learning a new language, and helping to further transform EPFL into a key player in the world of quantum technology. Manucharyan earned his Ph.D. from Yale in 2012, was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University, and received a Sloan Research Fellowship and an NSF CAREER Award. He also won a DARPA Young Investigator Award in 2017, a DOE Early Career Award in 2019, and a Google Faculty Research Award in 2019 and 2020.
These new appointments will further solidify EPFL’s status as a world-class institution for quantum science, and will greatly contribute to the QSE Center’s mission of interdisciplinary quantum research and education.