The Gen-Q doctoral programme involves 51 doctoral candidates working in the field of quantum science. Get to know them and find out what they are studying below.
University of Amsterdam
Paolo Da Rold
30C. Ion mediated Rydberg quantum computing
- Host organisation: University of Amsterdam, Institute of Physics
- Contact: p.darold@uva.nl
- About me: My background education includes a bachelor's degree in Physics, where I gained an interest in quantum information, and a master's degree in Scientific Computing, where I gained knowledge in quantum computing and machine learning. I completed it with a thesis about a learning model to characterize the noise in quantum devices. After university, I worked for some months in a company as a data scientist. In the meantime, I contributed to a research project with a colleague of mine and other researchers on the application of machine learning techniques to quantum entanglement. We have recently uploaded our work to arXiv.
- Thesis topic: What if two quantum systems could team up to build a better quantum computer and overcome the noise and scale problems? My PhD research on Ion-Mediated Rydberg Quantum Computing explores exactly this. I combine two types of quantum systems: trapped ions, stable and reliable, and Rydberg atoms, powerful but sensitive. By merging these two platforms, I aim to build quantum devices that are both scalable and reliable. A key challenge is noise, which disturbs fragile quantum states. I focus also on tailored strategies to control, mitigate, and correct errors in this new hardware approach, making quantum computers more stable, efficient, and practical.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Arghavan Safavi Naini
Ashar Kamal
29C. Robust state preparations in spin boson systems
- Host organisation: University of Amsterdam, Institute of Physics
- Contact: -
- About me: I am a graduate in theoretical physics from Lund University in Sweden. My academic background is in theoretical particle physics and computational physics, where I focused on studying Beyond the Standard Model theories using numerical methods. After graduation, I took on a couple of shorter research roles, during which my interest in quantum many-body physics and quantum computing began to grow. Before joining Gen-Q, I was working in quantitative risk modelling at a start-up bank in Stockholm. This ultimately led me to pursue a PhD in this field through the Gen-Q programme.
- Thesis topic: Quantum technologies promise powerful new approaches to computing, but building reliable quantum devices requires a better understanding of how complex quantum systems behave. In my PhD, I will develop new theoretical and computational tools to study systems where quantum particles interact with their surrounding environment. These systems are challenging to model because their complexity increases rapidly as the number of particles grows. By combining theoretical ideas with efficient numerical methods, the project aims to create scalable simulation approaches that can describe realistic quantum devices. This will help design robust methods for preparing and controlling delicate quantum states and improve our understanding of how quantum devices behave in the presence of environmental noise. Ultimately, this work contributes to the development of scalable and reliable quantum technologies.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Dr. Arghavan Safavi Naini
Cui Ying
28A. Continuous atomic clocks
- Host organisation: University of Amsterdam
- Contact: y.cui@uva.nl
Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam - About me: My journey in Atomic Physics began during my undergraduate years, where I learned to build the lasers and electronic systems needed to observe quantum phenomena. From cooling atoms to near absolute zero to studying how they synchronize to emit light, my daily work is a combination of engineering and theoretical exploration. I am driven by a simple but meaningful question: how can we use these perfectly controlled, clean systems to understand the secrets of quantum behavior? To me, every laser beam aligned is a step closer to the fundamental physics that govern our universe.
- Thesis topic: Optical clocks are the most precise time measurement devices ever built, losing less than one second over the age of the universe. Such precision enables applications from fundamental physics tests to navigation and geodesy. However, current optical clocks operate in a pulsed manner and require long averaging times to reach the full accuracy. My PhD focuses on developing a new type of optical clock that can operate continuously using superradiance, a form of coherent emission. By reducing interruptions in the measurement process, these clocks can achieve high precision much faster, opening the door to real-time sensing and new applications.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Florian Schreck
Mentor: Anaya Sitaram
University of Basel
Raja Sanwal Farooq
18C. Phonon dynamics and thermal transport in 2D ferroelectric and magnetic materials
- Host organisation: University of Basel, Department of Physics
- Contact: rajasanwal.farooq@unibas.ch
- About me: I am from Islamabad, Pakistan, and I studied Physics at Quaid-i-Azam University, where I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with academic distinction. I have worked in experimental physics labs, focusing on thin-film fabrication, laser-based experiments, and materials characterization to understand how structure influences properties at the nanoscale. I enjoy experimental research because it lets me turn simple questions into careful measurements and real results. This has shaped my interest in how precise control of materials and measurement can improve performance in advanced devices. Alongside research, I enjoy teaching and outreach, and I like explaining physics in a simple way to non-specialists. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing cricket and meeting new people.
- Thesis topic: My PhD research focuses on how heat moves through ultra-thin, two-dimensional materials that have special properties such as ferroelectricity and magnetism. In these materials, heat is carried by tiny atomic vibrations called phonons. By studying how phonons behave and interact in these systems, my work aims to improve understanding of thermal transport at the nanoscale. This knowledge is important not only for fundamental science, but also for future technologies that rely on controlling heat and energy at very small scales.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Prof. Ilaria Zardo
Shahan Hawatian
15A. Hybrids qubits/qudits, topological excitations: Majoranas, parafermions. Interactions and topological effects
- Host organisation: University of Basel, Physics Department
- Contact: -
- About me: My physics education began in Lebanon at the American University of Beirut where I got my BSc in Physics. Afterwards, I joined the Erasmus Mundus Master Program in Quantum Technologies and Engineering (QuanTEEM) which allowed me to study in three different countries: France, Germany and Denmark. My master’s thesis was about topologically protected qubits using Majorana Zero Modes. I have also worked as a research assistant in the Quantum Sensing Group at the American University of Beirut.
- Thesis topic: Quantum computation suffers from the fact that qubits are sensitive to their environment and that qubit operations are faulty. Thus, scientists must come up with ways to make quantum computation less prone to errors. One such way is to utilize “Majorana fermions” to encode what are known as “topologically protected qubits”. Computation requires the modification of information, and for these qubits, this is done by moving certain Majorana fermions around each other, an operation commonly known as “braiding”, which has proven to be a fault tolerant way of performing quantum computation. These Majorana fermions belong to a more general class of quasiparticles called “parafermions”. My PhD project will explore how to realize such parafermions and how to perform operations in this context.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Daniel Loss
Mentor: Jelena Klinovaja
University of Freiburg
University of Haute-Alsace
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań
University of Strasbourg
Ángela Martínez
34B. Electromechanical control of light-matter interactions in van der Waals heterostructures towards quantum sensing
- Host organisation: University of Strasbourg/CNRS/Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS)/Département Magnétisme des Objets NanoStructurés (DMONS)/Nano-optics and low-dimensional materials
- Contact: angela.martinez@ipcms.unistra.fr
- About me: I studied a BSc in Physics at the University of Alicante (Spain) where my bachelor’s thesis focused on developing distributed‑feedback lasers through the study of luminescent organic molecules. I then continued with a MSc in Advanced Physics: Nanophysics and Quantum Materials at the University of Oviedo (Spain) with a master’s thesis on characterizing the optical emission of quantum light emitters at room temperature in Van der Waals materials. Throughout my academic journey, I have gained in-depth knowledge of quantum science and technology. This has allowed me to understand the fundamental importance of the field for the development of quantum information and communication technologies and it has deeply motivated me to embark on a career in this area.
- Thesis topic: The thesis is about electromechanical control of light matter interactions in Van der Waals materials. It aims to design nanomechanical resonators from suspended van der Waals heterostructures in which the light-emission properties are electro-mechanically and opto-mechanically controlled. This system also allows probing and controlling the local mechanical strain as well as the interfacial coupling between the 2D materials forming the heterostructure. It will be studied in a closed-cycle cryostat integrated within an optical set-up that enables optical.
- Individual Training Panel:
Supervisor: Stéphane Berciaud