Benjamin Schiffer - MPQ
1. Briefly describe your current position/project, research focus, and your role within MCQST.
I am a PhD student working in the theory division of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, supervised by Prof. Ignacio Cirac. Our research revolves around the question of how the early quantum devices of the next years may be usefully deployed, in order to help us answer open questions within physics or for applications in industry and society. The advent of quantum machines with more than a hundred quantum bits, especially with arrays of neutral Rydberg atoms, makes this field of research particularly exciting for me right now.
2. This year you were in a video for Quantum Minutes, MCQST's YouTube series explaining quantum topics for the public. What made you want to work on that video, and was that experience like?
In research, we often deal with highly specialised questions, which is why it is also very pleasant to sometimes zoom out and look at the bigger context of our work. Therefore, I was very happy when I was asked to talk about my field of quantum algorithms in the Quantum Minutes video for a wider audience. Besides, since the public funds the basic research we do, it also seems important to communicate our research and its context back to society as well. However, most importantly, producing the video with the MCQST team turned out to be lots of fun!
In research, we often deal with highly specialised questions, which is why it is also very pleasant to sometimes zoom out and look at the bigger context of our work.
3. What is something that you are particularly looking forward to in 2023?
Besides continuing and starting interesting research projects, I am also very much looking forward to events with the IMPRS-QST graduate school. To foster the international scientific exchange of young researchers from Munich, I am co-organizing a joint workshop between PhD students from IMPRS-QST and ICFO, a Spanish research institute working on similar questions in quantum science and technology. The workshop will take place in Barcelona next spring, and I am sure it will be a great experience for young researchers.