In this episode of ML4Q&A, host Mira Sharma, an associated member of the Matter and Light for Quantum Computing (ML4Q) Cluster, chats with one of the leading voices in experimental quantum optics - Professor Christine Silberhorn from the University of Paderborn. Christine’s groundbreaking work in integrated quantum optical systems has earned her numerous prestigious awards. She’s also a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of North Rhine-Westphalia and was appointed to the German Science Council in 2023. Her research focuses on making photonic quantum computing scalable and practical - using light particles, or "flying qubits," to push the boundaries of quantum communication. In this conversation, Christine shares how photonic quantum systems can be integrated on a chip, why education in quantum science needs fresh thinking as well as her personal journey in academia and research.

In this episode of ML4Q&A, Chris and Mira talk with Alex Altland, theoretical physicist and ML4Q member, about the tension between deep scientific thinking and the administrative reality of coordinating the renewal proposal of ML4Q. As one of the designated spokespersons for ML4Q’s next funding phase, Alex shares behind-the-scenes insights into managing this large-scale effort — just days before the final decision in May 2025. We also explore his enduring fascination with foundational concepts in physics, spanning quantum field theory, quantum chaos, and topological matter. Alongside his research, Alex reflects on the importance of conceptual clarity in teaching, textbook writing, and his path from chemistry (and a brief detour into business consulting) to becoming a deeply theoretical physicist.

In this episode of ML4Q&A, Chris and Mira are joined by ML4Q Professor Mario Berta, who shares his unique journey from ETH Zürich via Imperial College London and Amazon Web Services to RWTH Aachen University. They discuss his work on quantum algorithms, benchmarking, and bridging the gap between theory and industry, as well as insights into starting a research group and teaching theoretical physics. Tune in to explore Mario’s fascinating career path and hear about the quantum version of Stein’s Lemma!

In this special 20th episode of ML4Q&A, Chris and Mira celebrate the journey of the podcast, from its beginnings in 2021 to becoming a platform for exploring quantum careers, research, and innovation. This milestone episode dives into the interplay between academia and industry in quantum technology with two distinguished guests: Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM, and ML4Q Member, Frank Wilhelm-Mauch, researcher at Forschungszentrum Jülich and co-founder of Qruise. Together, they discuss the complementary roles of academia and industry in advancing quantum technology, shedding light on Europe’s pivotal role in the global quantum landscape. Join us as we look back, celebrate the present, and dive into the future of quantum!

In this episode, Mira and Chris speak to Sebastian Hofferberth about his journey through academia as he literally went from Heidelberg to Harvard, to Stuttgart, then Denmark and finally to Bonn where he became member of ML4Q. We talk about the challenges of this nomadic lifestyle, which almost every longtime academic faces. Of course, Sebastian also explains his work in quantum optics with Rydberg atoms and shares his passion for teaching. He discusses how quantum mechanics (can be) seems non-intuitive at first but can be made more approachable.

In this episode, Mira and Chris talk with Markus Müller, a member of ML4Q and Professor at RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. Markus, an expert in quantum error correction, explains its importance in building large-scale quantum computers. He has supported pioneering logical qubit experiments on various platforms, including ion traps and superconducting qubits. They also discuss his recent work on avoiding mid-circuit measurements, a technique that benefits certain architectures and chip designs.

In this episode Mira and Chris talk to Silvia Pappalardi, who joined ML4Q as a junior professor last April. Silvia heads the Qhaos group (spelled with a Q) and introduces our listeners to the topic of quantum chaos which might be a bit intimidating for many of us. So, join Chris and Mira as they get some intuitive explanations from Silvia about concepts like thermalization and ergodicity and understand how these concepts relate to entanglement.

In this episode Chris introduces Mira Sharma, his co-host of the show. Mira is a PhD student at IQI in David DiVincenzo's group. This is their first co-hosted episode, so it is an experiment. For today’s episode Chris and Mira left the cluster bubble on a roadtrip to Siegen where they met Christof Wunderlich. Before recording, they were able to visit Christof's lab where it was fascinating to see the ion traps and have an interactive introduction to trapped ion QC. They also visited EleQtron, Germany’s first QC start-up.

In this episode Chris talks to Gláucia Murta, a postdoc in ML4Q, who was won the cluster's Young Investigator Award. They talk about Gláucia’s passion for fundamental questions, device independence and a great outreach project, the podcast O Q Quantico she just launched in her home country, Brazil.

In this episode Chris talks to Julian Schmitt, leader of the junior research group “Quantum fluids of light” at the University of Bonn. Julian recently received an ERC Starting Grant, the ML4Q Independence Grant and in 2022 he was awarded the ML4Q Young Investigator Award honoring his contribution to the cluster’s program which particularly requires the collaboration between different sites. They talk about Bose-Einstein condensates and the differences between the atomic and the photonic sort. They recap how Julian got into the atomic molecular and optical physics (AMO) research community where major breakthroughs often seem to be possible already with relatively small teams. They also chat about how optical quantum gases can shed new light on exciting open questions in physics, such as grand canonical condensates or the interplay between quantum physics and thermodynamics.

In this episode Chris talks to Steven Koester, Professor of Nanotechnology in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Steve - who is our first external guest on the podcast - is joining us mainly as the Director of the Global Quantum Leap program – a network of networks including ML4Q - which provides an essential linkage between the fields of nanofabrication and quantum information sciences on an international level. They talk about his electrical engineering background, how he got a first taste of quantum devices during his Masters studies at Notre Dame, eventually leading to his PhD work on indium arsenide. They also discuss his industry experience working at IBM. But as a main topic, he introduces the Global Quantum Leap program and the cultural exchange it fosters in order to tackle big global challenges as in the field of quantum computing.

In this episode, Chris talks to Erwann Bocquillon, ML4Q professor at the 2nd Institute of Physics at the University of Cologne who started his group in October 2021. They talk about Erwann’s educational and research journey touching upon differences between studying physics in France and Germany. They also discuss electron quantum optics and learn about Erwann’s best memory from his PhD time.

In this episode, we talk to David DiVincenzo, Director of the Institute of Theoretical Nanoelectronics at Forschungszentrum Jülich & co-founder of the Institute for Quantum Information which is a joint institute of RWTH Aachen and the Forschungszentrum. We start by listening to David's take on different aspects of the fast developments in the field of quantum computing. Then, we take a deep dive into the mid eighties and early ninties and discuss how David started working on quantum computing before Shor’s algorithm and quantum error correction were discovered. Naturally then, him and his collaborators at IBM were ready to contribute to the developing field. We touch upon the DiVincenzo criteria and the Loss-DiVincenzo quantum dot proposal and get to know some of the mentors David was lucky to have had.

We continue our new season by featuring members of the cluster who are working at the intersection with other stakeholders in the larger quantum community. In this episode, we talk to Christian Gogolin and Gian Anselmetti who are in-house scientists at Covestro and associated to ML4Q. We discuss solving chemistry problems with quantum computers, research in a company setting and the PhD student-supervisor-relationship.

In our new season we feature members of the cluster who are working at the intersection to other stakeholders in the larger quantum community. In this episode, we talk to Tommaso Calarco, Director of the PGI Institute for Quantum Control at Forschungszentrum Jülich, professor for Theoretical Physics at the University of Cologne and member of ML4Q. We discuss how he started working on apparently useless science which soon turned out to be the future of quantum. We also talk about many synergies: between theory and experiment, science and government as well as academia and rising startups in the field.

We continue to feature some of our experimental physicists. In this episode, we talk to Jan Klos, PhD student and associated member of ML4Q. Jan - who is almost done with his PhD thesis - performed his project in the group of Hendrik Bluhm and Lars Schreiber at the JARA Institute for Quantum Information. In the episode, Chris talks with Jan about going from a Master project in simulating quantum dot spin qubits to a PhD project fabricating them. They also discuss outreach, student supervision, thesis writing and working with engineers.

We continue to feature some of our experimental physicists. In this episode, we talk to Annika Kurzmann, Junior Principle Investigator at RWTH Aachen and associated member of ML4Q. We talk abour her work on optical quantum dots during her PhD and bilayer graphene quantum dots in her postdoc and how she is now bringing this together to detect single electron dots in graphene. We also discuss the Ruhrgebiet, tenure tracks and starting a lab during the pandemic.

We continue to feature some of our experimental physicists. In this episode, we talk to Beata Kardynal, group leader at Forschungszentrum Jülich and at RWTH Aachen. We discuss her career and her training in electronic devices to using these devices to couple to single photons. She reveals her favorite materials and how she didn't see a strong distinction between physics and engineering from the start.