Computer programming

Interview with Jay Gambetta, Vice President for Quantum Computing at IBM. Gambetta recalls his childhood in Queensland, Australia, and his early inclinations toward science and math. He discusses his doctoral work at Griffith University under Howard Wiseman, where his thesis dealt with the possibility of distinguishing different interpretations of quantum mechanics. Gambetta describes his introduction to quantum computing and his move to Yale. He reflects on his time at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in Canada, as well as the formation of the quantum team at IBM, which he joined in 2011. Gambetta provides an overview of the history of IBM’s interest in quantum computing, the continuing growth of their efforts, and the impact of the leadership of IBM Quantum under Dario Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at IBM. Other topics include Gambetta and the IBM team's work to put a quantum computer on the cloud, the development of Qiskit, IBM’s quantum software platform, and his thoughts on benchmarking quantum computing capabilities. The interview concludes with Gambetta’s thoughts on the impact of the National Quantum Initiative and the changing needs of education in quantum computing.

In this interview with Krysta Svore, Technical Fellow in Microsoft’s Advanced Quantum Development Team, she reflects on the development of her work on quantum algorithms and leadership role in Microsoft’s quantum computing efforts. She discusses her undergraduate education in mathematics at Princeton University, doctoral education in computer science at Columbia University, postdoctoral work at MIT, and an internship at IBM. She recalls working with figures such as Isaac Chuang, John Preskill, David DiVincenzo, and Barbara Terhal, and gaining an understanding of the practicalities of constructing quantum computers. Svore explains the origins of Microsoft’s efforts in quantum computing with Michael Freedman and Staton Q, and she discusses her own efforts to develop software in tandem with the company’s efforts to develop quantum computing hardware. She reviews the effort to integrate quantum computing into Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, the roles of the Q# programming language and the company’s partnerships, and how Microsoft benchmarks quantum technology. The interview concludes with her reflections on the status of women in the field of quantum computing.

Interview with Russell Alan Hulse, American physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. This is a four-part interview, and Hulse is joined by his wife, Jeanne Kuhlman, throughout. Kristen Frederick-Frost and Roger Sherman (Curators, Division of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History) were also present for this interview. Part 1 covers Hulse’s childhood in the Bronx, his family life, and his early interest in science. Hulse discusses skipping a few grades in elementary school and being accepted at the Bronx High School of Science. He describes his time as a physics major at Cooper Union and his graduate studies at University of Massachusetts, where he studied radio astronomy with Joe Taylor. Hulse talks about his early experience with computers, programming, and his growing technical expertise. In Part 2, Hulse and Kuhlman discuss their relationship over the years and their common interest in science. Hulse goes into detail about his time at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, working on scientific computer modeling.  He also talks about his consulting work after earning the Nobel Prize. Part 3 of the interview covers Hulse’s time at UMass, building the radio astronomy program. He also discusses his work leading to the discovery of the binary pulsar. Part 4 focuses on Hulse’s outreach efforts, such as working with local public libraries and schools to promote science education, as well as his work at the University of Texas.

Interview with Paul Sanchez, senior research associate at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research at University of Colorado, Boulder. Sanchez recounts his childhood in Ecuador, where be discovered an early interest in math and attended a military academy for high school. He describes attending the National Polytechnic School in Ecuador and choosing to focus on physics. Sanchez then discusses his decision to pursue a PhD at the University of Nottingham, originally to work on superconductivity but shifted focus to materials sciences and granular matter. Sanchez talks about wanting to return to Ecuador after completing his PhD, but describes the difficulties in finding a job in his home country due to the relative lack of a robust scientific tradition. He recounts his decision to accept a postdoctoral position at University of Rennes 1 in France, where he worked on super stable heaps. Sanchez then describes the events leading him to the University of Colorado. He ends the interview by emphasizing the importance of being willing to learn and adapt as you navigate a career in the sciences.