Donovan 
is a third-year PhD student as of early 2025, working in the field of quantum machine learning (QML), which sits at the intersection of quantum computing and machine learning. He is particularly interested in applying QML to astrophysical and astronomical datasets, exploring tasks such as classification, clustering, and anomaly detection of celestial objects.
He began his physics journey in 2017 at the University of Pretoria (Tuks), where he majored in physics and minored in mathematics and radio astronomy. During his Honours year, he was introduced to quantum computing and completed an introductory project on Grover’s algorithm, which sparked his interest in quantum technology and led him to pursue postgraduate studies in the field.
This decision led him to the University of the Witwatersrand, where he joined the Wits Structured Light Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Forbes. He submitted his Master’s thesis in early 2022, titled High-Dimensional Entanglement in the Spatial Basis. His research explored how entangled photon pairs could be experimentally generated and manipulated for applications such as quantum key distribution.
Wanting to return to a more computationally focused research topic, he decided to shift his focus entirely to quantum computing. He volunteered part-time at IBMQ Research South Africa, working on introductory quantum chemistry problems before ultimately committing to a full-time PhD in quantum machine learning under the supervision of Prof. Francesco Petruccione at Stellenbosch University.
Outside of research, Donovan is a passionate football fan and an amateur field hockey player. He also occasionally plays chess and squash. And above all, he absolutely loves ice cream.
Workshops and Conferences:
Quantinuum Quantum Computing Hackathon
In April 2023, Donovan was part of a team that traveled to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, to participate in a quantum computing hackathon hosted by Quantinuum Quantum Computing. Their project focused on predicting solar cell output based on two input features using Quantum Machine Learning techniques.
Horizon Quantum Computing Hackathon
Later in 2023, Donovan took part in another hackathon hosted by Horizon Quantum Computing in Bali, Indonesia. For this competition, his team worked on an introductory project in Quantum Error Correction.
International High-Performance Computing Summer School
In 2024, as part of a two-person team, Donovan attended the International High-Performance Computing Summer School (IHPCSS) in Kobe, Japan. This intensive week-long program covered topics in parallel computing, including OpenMP and MPI.
Quantum Techniques in Machine Learning
Donovan presented a poster on his image anomaly detection project at QTML 2024. His poster, titled Pulsar Anomaly Detection: QOCSVM with CAE-Extracted Features, showcased his work on quantum-enhanced outlier detection for pulsar data. QTML is an annual conference dedicated to the intersection of quantum computing and machine learning.
National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS)
Donovan is also a volunteer with NITheCS and occasionally assists with its colloquia, seminars, workshops, and schools in various capacities.