In this episode of The New Quantum Era, Sebastian is joined by Dr. Emily Edwards, a co-founder of the Q12 initiative , an NSF-funded effort aimed at enhancing quantum science education from middle school through early undergraduate levels. Emily brings her expertise in organizing and motivating educators, as well as her passion for science communication. In this episode, we delve into the unique challenges of teaching quantum science and explore effective strategies to make this abstract field m...
Jun 20, 2025•31 min•Ep. 53
In this episode of The New Quantum Era, your host Sebastian Hassinger talks with Dr. Daniel Lidar. Dr. Lidar is a pioneering researcher in quantum computing with over 25 years of experience, currently a professor at the University of Southern California. His work spans quantum algorithms, error correction, and quantum advantage, with significant contributions to understanding quantum annealing and noise suppression techniques. Lidar has been instrumental in exploring practical quantum computing ...
May 19, 2025•43 min•Ep. 52
In this episode, Sebastian Hassinger welcomes back James Wootton, now Chief Science Officer at Moth Quantum, for a fascinating conversation about quantum computing's role in creative applications. This is a return visit from James, having appeared on episode 2, this time to talk about his exciting new role. Previously at IBM Quantum, James has been a pioneer in exploring unconventional applications of quantum computing, particularly in gaming, art, and creative industries. Key Topics Origins of ...
May 12, 2025•34 min•Ep. 51
Introduction: In this milestone 50th episode of The New Quantum Era, your host Sebastian Hassinger welcomes Dr. Anna Grassellino, a leading figure in quantum information science and the director of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center at Fermilab, or SQMS . Dr. Grassellino discusses the center’s mission to advance quantum computing and quantum sensing through innovations in superconducting materials and devices. The conversation explores the intersection of quantum hardware d...
May 02, 2025•27 min•Ep. 50
Introduction In this episode of The New Quantum Era podcast, host Sebastian Hassinger delves into an insightful conversation with Yonatan Cohen , CTO and co-founder of Quantum Machines . As a pioneer in quantum control systems, Quantum Machines is at the forefront of tackling the critical challenges of scaling quantum computing, and they also provided support for my interviews conducted at the American Physical Society’s Global Summit 2025. APS itself also graciously provided support for these e...
Apr 25, 2025•31 min•Ep. 49
Welcome to episode 48 of The New Quantum Era podcast! Another episode recorded at the APS Global Summit in March, today's special guest is true quantum pioneer, John Martinis, co-founder and CTO of QoLab , a superconducting qubit company seeking to build a million qubit device. In this enlightening conversation, we explore the strategic shifts, collaborative efforts, and technological innovations that are pushing the boundaries of quantum computing closer to building scalable, million-qubit syst...
Apr 14, 2025•37 min•Ep. 48
In this episode of The New Quantum Era podcast, your host Sebastian Hassinger interviews two of the field's most well-known figures, John Preskill and Rob Schoelkopf, about the transition of quantum computing into a new phase that John is calling "megaquop," which stands for "a million quantum operations." Our conversation delves into what this new phase entails, the challenges and opportunities it presents, and the innovative approaches being explored to make quantum computing perform better an...
Apr 02, 2025•35 min•Ep. 47
In this episode of The New Quantum Era podcast, host Sebastian Hassinger speaks with Steve Girvin , professor of physics at Yale University, about quantum memory - a critical but often overlooked component of quantum computing architecture. This episode was created with support from the American Physical Society and Quantum Circuits, Inc. Episode Highlights Introduction to Quantum Memory : Steve explains that quantum memory is essential for quantum computers, similar to how RAM functions in clas...
Mar 26, 2025•37 min•Ep. 46
In this episode of The New Quantum Era , host Sebastian Hassinger interviews Professor Will Oliver from MIT about the advancements in fluxonium qubits. The discussion delves into the unique features of fluxonium qubits compared to traditional transmon qubits, highlighting their potential for high fidelity operations and scalability. Oliver shares insights from recent experiments at MIT, where his team achieved nearly five nines fidelity in single-qubit gates, and discusses how these qubits could...
Mar 19, 2025•43 min•Ep. 45
Professor Zoe Holmes from EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, discusses her work on quantum imaginary time evolution and variational techniques for near-term quantum computers. With a background from Imperial College London and Oxford, Holmes explores the limits of what can be achieved with NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) devices. Key topics covered: Quantum Imaginary Time Evolution (QITE) as a cooling-inspired algorithm for finding ground states Comparison of QITE to Variational Quantum Eige...
Mar 06, 2025•35 min•Ep. 44
Welcome to another episode of The New Quantum Era, where we delve into the cutting-edge developments in quantum computing. with your host, Sebastian Hassinger. Today, we have a unique episode featuring representatives from two companies collaborating on groundbreaking quantum algorithms and hardware. Joining us are Sean Weinberg , Director of Quantum Applications at Quantum Circuits Incorporated, and Guillermo Garcia Perez , Chief Science Officer and co-founder at Algorithmiq. Together, they dis...
Feb 18, 2025•34 min•Ep. 43
Welcome back to The New Quantum Era, a podcast by Sebastian Hassinger and Kevin Rowney. After a brief hiatus, we’re excited to bring you a fascinating conversation with a true pioneer in the field of quantum computing, Alán Aspuru-Guzik . Alán is a professor at the University of Toronto and a leading figure in quantum computing, known for his foundational work on the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE). In this episode, we delve into the evolution of VQE and explore Alán’s latest groundbreakin...
Jan 20, 2025•38 min•Ep. 42
Welcome to another episode of The New Quantum Era, hosted by Sebastian Hassinger and Kevin Rowney. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Robert Schoelkopf, Sterling Professor of Applied Physics at Yale, Director of the Yale Quantum Institute, and CTO and co-founder at Quantum Circuits, Inc. Dr. Schoelkopf is a pioneering figure in the field of quantum computing, particularly known for his contributions to the development of the transmon qubit architecture. In this episode, we delve i...
Nov 20, 2024•43 min•Ep. 41
In this episode of The New Quantum Era, Sebastian talks with Martin Schultz, Professor at TU Munich and board member of the Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ) about the critical need to integrate quantum computers with classical supercomputing resources to build practical quantum solutions. They discuss the Munich Quantum Valley initiative, focusing on the challenges and advancements in merging quantum and classical computing. Main Topics Discussed: The Genesis of Munich Quantum Valley: The Mun...
Sep 30, 2024•37 min•Ep. 40
Welcome to The New Quantum Era, a podcast hosted by Sebastian Hassinger and Kevin Rowney. In this episode, we have an insightful conversation with Dr. Toby Cubitt, a pioneer in quantum computing, a professor at UCL, and a co-founder of Phasecraft. Dr. Cubitt shares his deep understanding of the current state of quantum computing, the challenges it faces, and the promising future it holds. He also discusses the unique approach Phasecraft is taking to bridge the gap between theoretical algorithms ...
Sep 11, 2024•49 min•Ep. 39
In this episode of The New Quantum Era podcast, hosts Sebastian Hassinger and Kevin Roney interview Jessica Pointing, a PhD student at Oxford studying quantum machine learning. Classical Machine Learning Context Deep learning has made significant progress, as evidenced by the rapid adoption of ChatGPT Neural networks have a bias towards simple functions, which enables them to generalize well on unseen data despite being highly expressive This “simplicity bias” may explain the success of deep lea...
Aug 26, 2024•44 min•Ep. 38
Sebastian is joined by Susanne Yelin, Professor of Physics in Residence at Harvard University and the University of Connecticut. Susanne's Background: Fellow at the American Physical Society and Optica (formerly the American Optics Society) Background in theoretical AMO (Atomic, Molecular, and Optical) physics and quantum optics Transition to quantum machine learning and quantum computing applications Quantum Machine Learning Challenges Limited to simulating small systems (6-10 qubits) due to la...
Aug 15, 2024•26 min•Ep. 37
Welcome back to The New Quantum Era, the podcast where we explore the cutting-edge developments in quantum computing. In today’s episode, hosts Sebastian Hassinger and Kevin Rowe are joined by Dr. Julien Camirand Lemyre, the CEO and co-founder of Nord Quantique. Nord Quantique is a startup spun out from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, and is making significant strides in the field of quantum error correction using innovative superconducting qubit designs. In this conversation, Dr...
Aug 05, 2024•35 min•Ep. 36
Welcome to another episode of The New Quantum Era! Today, we have a fascinating conversation with Professor Jens Eisert, a veteran in the field of quantum information science. Jens takes us through his journey from his PhD days, delving into the role of entanglement in quantum computing and communication, to leading a team that bridges theoretical and practical aspects of quantum technology. In this episode, we explore the fine line between classical and quantum worlds, the potential and limitat...
Jul 18, 2024•34 min•Ep. 35
Welcome to The New Quantum Era podcast! In today’s episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of quantum computing and the broader tech landscape with Anastasia Marchenkova , who has a unique blend of experiences in startups, academia, and venture capital. Join us as we explore the intersections of technology, business, and education, and uncover the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the quantum era. Highlights from the Interview: Journey into Quantum Computing : Learn how our...
Jun 26, 2024•46 min•Ep. 34
In this episode of The New Quantum Era, Kevin and Sebastian are joined by a special guest, Paul Cadden-Zemansky, Associate Professor of Physics at Bard College and Director of the Physics Program. Paul is also on the Executive Committee for the International Year of Quantum at the American Physical Society and has been actively involved in the UN’s recent declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. With the UN resolution now official, Paul joins us to discuss...
Jun 11, 2024•39 min•Ep. 33
In this episode of The New Quantum Era, host Sebastian Hassinger comes to you again from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, during their launch event in April 2024 for the deployment of an IBM System One quantum computer on their campus. RPI invited me to lead a panel discussion with members of their faculty and IT team, and provided a podcast studio for my use for the remainder of the week, where he recorded a series of interviews. In this episode Sebastian interviews Di Fang, an assistant profe...
May 14, 2024•36 min•Ep. 32
In this episode of The New Quantum Era, we're diving deep into the intersection of quantum computing and chemistry with Jamie Garcia, Technical Program Director for Algorithms and Scientific Partnerships Group with IBM Quantum. Jamie brings a unique perspective, having transitioned from a background in chemistry to the forefront of quantum computing. At the heart of our discussion is the deployment of the IBM Quantum computer at RPI, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind on a ...
May 09, 2024•34 min•Ep. 31
Sebastian interviews Professor Lin Lin during the System One ribbon cutting event at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Professor Lin Lin's journey from computational mathematics to quantum chemistry has been driven by his fascination with modeling nature through computation. As a student at Peking University, he was intrigued by the concept of first principles modeling, which aims to simulate chemical systems using minimal information such as atomic species and positions. Lin Lin pur...
Apr 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 30
Sebastian is joined by Olivia Lanes, Global Lead for Education and Learning, IBM Quantum to discuss quantum education, IBM's efforts to provide resources for workforce development, the importance of diversity and equality in STEM, and her own personal journey from experimental physics to community building and content creation. Recorded on the RPI campus during the launch event of their IBM System One quantum computer. Key Topics: - Olivia's background in experimental quantum physics and transit...
Apr 22, 2024•36 min•Ep. 29
For this episode, Sebastian is on his own, as Kevin is taking a break. Sebastian accepted a gracious invite to the ribbon cutting event at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where the university was launching their on-campus IBM System One -- the first commercial quantum computer on a university campus! This week, the episode is a recording a live event hosted by Sebastian. The panel of RPI faculty and staff talk about their decision to deploy a quantum computer in their own computing...
Apr 17, 2024•58 min•Ep. 28
Dr. Martin Savage is a professor of nuclear theory and quantum informatics at the University of Washington. His research explores using quantum computing to investigate high energy physics and quantum chromodynamics. Dr. Savage transitioned from experimental nuclear physics to theoretical particle physics in his early career. Around 2017-2018, limitations in classical computing for certain nuclear physics problems led him to explore quantum computing. In December 2022, Dr. Savage's team used 112...
Apr 08, 2024•36 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, Sebastian and Kevin interview Professor Yufei Ding, an associate professor at UC San Diego, who specializes in the intersection of theoretical physics and computer science. They discuss Dr. Ding's research on system architecture in quantum computing and the potential impact of AI on the field. Dr. Ding's work aims to replicate the critical stages of classical computing development in the context of quantum computing. The conversation explores the challenges and opportunities in ...
Mar 26, 2024•36 min•Ep. 26
In this special solo episode recorded at Q2B Paris 2024 , Sebastian talks with Houlong Zhuang , assistant professor at Arizona State University, about his work in material science. Dr. Zhuang discusses his research on using quantum computing and machine learning to simulate high entropy alloy materials. The goal is to efficiently predict material properties and discover new material compositions. Density functional theory (DFT) is a commonly used classical computational method for materials simu...
Mar 12, 2024•34 min•Ep. 25
No guest this episode! Instead, Kevin and Sebastian have a conversation looking back on the events of 2023 in quantum computing, wiht a particular focus on three trends: some waning of enthusiasm in the private sector, a surge of investments from the public sector as national and regional governments invest in the quantum computing value chain and the shift from a focus on NISQ to logical qubits. Qureca's overview of public sector quantum initiatives in 2023 Preskill's NISQ paper from 2018 (yes,...
Feb 26, 2024•35 min•Ep. 24
