We are opening a new course on Quantum Computing taught by Jakub Mareček and his team from the Optimization group.

The future is quantum! Are we and the future generation of computer scientists and engineers prepared for it? We want to make sure they are. Starting the summer semester 2022/2023, we are opening a brand new course Quantum Computing (B0M34QUA). The course is taught by Jakub Mareček (ex-IBM) and his team from the Optimization research group.

The course is open to all master students and third-year bachelor students. No previous experience with quantum physics or theoretical informatics is required, but interest in these areas is very appreciated. The course is taught in English.

Study targets

The course will focus on quantum computing, quantum mechanics, and computational complexity. Students will get insight into quantum algorithms and how they differ from the classical ones (e.g. dynamic programming, factorizing integers, Monte Carlo integration).

Teachers

  • ‍Jakub Mareček, Ph.D. is the leader of the Optimization group in AIC. The group apart on solution of projects works on quantum computing for financial institutes including Fidelity Investments and HSBC. Till March 2020 Jakub was a co-leader of IBM Research quantum computing community and is co-author of qiskit.org, one of the most used quantum computing packages. All his diplomas are from informatics.
  • Johannes Aspman, Ph.D. since October 2022 is part of the Optimization group in AIC. Previously, he studied quantum field theory at Trinity College in Dublin.
  • ‍Georgios Korpas, Ph.D. since August 2022 is the leader of the quantum computing project at HSBC. Previously, he was a member of the Optimization group in AIC and studied quantum field theory at Trinity College in Dublin.
Jakub Mareček, project's guarantor

Course annotation

Synergies between physics and computer science have been some of the most dominant scientific and technological disciplines in recent times that aided in significant technological advances. Quantum computing is a growing field at the intersection of physics and computer science that is projected to lead to the next computational revolution. Recent computational experiments show that quantum computers are getting close to what we can simulate classically. Combining the existing expertise in both fields proves to be a nontrivial but very exciting interdisciplinary adventure that will benefit students in diverse ways. This course aims to make this cuttingedge discipline broadly accessible to undergraduate students with a background in computer science as well as mathematics and physics.

The course will introduce the students to some of the most fundamental concepts in the field, both from a theoretical point of view, so the students obtain a deep physical understanding of the underlying principles, as well as a practical one such as to be able to apply their newly acquired skills with quantum simulators or by accessing actual quantum devices on the cloud. This course provides an interdisciplinary first introduction to the emerging field of quantum computation building up from the basics of quantum mechanics to quantum computational complexity and quantum algorithms. During the course, special care is given to stress the potential quantum speedups of quantum computers against their classical counterparts. More information on the course website.