Category: General

[:en]Items of general "quantum" interest.[:]

Celebrating Excellence in Computer Science at Stellenbosch University

We highlight William Marais, one of the top Computer Science Honours students at Stellenbosch University. After completing his Honours degree with an impressive 84% average, William has continued into advanced research under the supervision of Francesco Petruccione. His research lies at the intersection of quantum computing and machine learning, focusing on the use of evolutionary …

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MSc Position in Experimental Optical Quantum Computing at Stellenbosch University (1-2 Years)

📢 MSc Position in Experimental Optical Quantum Computing (1-2 Years) at Stellenbosch University. This opportunity focuses on photonics-based quantum computing within an international, industry-linked collaboration. If you have a strong background in physics, programming, and an interest in experimental optics, this could be a great fit. A full bursary is available, with applications considered on a …

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Quantum Effects in Microtubules: A NITheCS & QSUN Seminar

Dr Lea Gassab gave us a fascinating dive into Quantum Effects in Microtubules this week, exploring how tiny quantum phenomena could play a role in biology. The spotlight was on tryptophan, an amino acid that lights up under UV at 280 nm. Its  transition  has the dipole moment  which makes it a perfect candidate for …

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Exploring Algorithms at the 16th CHPC & 8th NITheCS Coding Summer School

At the 16th CHPC & 8th NITheCS Coding Summer School on day 6, Prof Francesco Petruccione and Dipika Ramjugernath presented a session to participants and explored the core strategies that computer scientists use to solve complex computational problems efficiently. The presenters made a note to participants that not all computational problems are straightforward. Difficulty of …

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Inside the QWorld Annual Meeting: Connecting a Global Quantum Community

The second QWorld Annual Meeting convened participants from around the world to discuss the growth and coordination of the QWorld network. Chairperson PaweĹ‚ GĂłra opened the meeting by outlining its purpose: presenting QWorld and its regional “QWorld Cousins,” exploring the opportunities for quantum initiatives, and fostering community integration. The two-day event’s programme featured presentations from …

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How Symmetry Helps Scientists Solve Difficult Wave Equation

Understanding the Challenge At the Dynamic Systems Workshop at Stellenbosch University, Dr Ali Raza explained how mathematicians solve the most complex wave equations in physics. These equations describe how vibrations, signals, and energy move in different environments. The problem is that once the wave equations become “nonlinear” the classic mathematical tricks no longer work.   …

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Shaping the Future of Mathematics and AI: Professor Moyo Opens the Workshop

A Warm Welcome to a Growing Community Stellenbosch University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Professor Cebisa Moyo, opened the Dynamical Systems Theory and Modelling with AI Workshop with energy and purpose. Speaking to participants from South Africa, Thailand, Greece and beyond, she highlighted the importance of bringing mathematicians, physicists, engineers and computer …

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Quantum@SUN Students attend the 15th International High Performance Computing Summer School in Lisbon

[:en]          From 6-11 July 2025, Tristen Gwynn (Quantum@SUN PhD student) and I (Dhiya Dharampal, Quantum@SUN Masters student) attended the 15th International High Performance Computing (HPC) Summer School in Lisbon, Portugal, where we enjoyed an incredible week filled with parallel programming, PastĂ©is de Nata and wonderful company from all over the world. …

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NITheCS Winter Internship Programme – July 2025 at Stellenbosch University

Introducing the Next Generation of Quantum Scientists: This July, Stellenbosch University proudly hosted the NITheCS Winter Internship Programme 2025, welcoming talented Honours students from across South Africa to participate in a unique and intensive project titled “Introduction to Quantum Computing.” Under the guidance of Prof Francesco Petruccione and mentorship by Abbas (Omid) Hassasfar (main mentor), …

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Welcome to new Master student Dhiya Dharampal

[:en]We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Dhiya Dharampal as our new Master’s student at Quantum@SUN, starting in February 2025. Dhiya holds a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Astronomy and Physics, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), where she graduated in 2023. In 2024, she completed her Honour’s degree in Physics at UKZN, where she did a …

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