Joint workshop held for Singapore and Munich quantum researchers
The four-day workshop planned by postdocs and PhD students attracted over 150 participants
The quantum research communities of Munich and Singapore were brought into superposition at a workshop held from 13 to 16 May at the National University of Singapore.
Some 30 researchers from the German city mingled with researchers from Singapore at the first Joint Workshop of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), the International Max Planck Research School for Quantum Science and Technology and the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST). The event drew around 130 local participants over its four days.
The programme featured talks on a wide variety of quantum topics, poster sessions, lab tours and informal networking over local food, impromptu karaoke and a walking tour of downtown Singapore.
Driven by young researchers
Planned by committees in both countries of postdocs and PhD students with support from the centres’ administrators, the workshop’s aim was to exchange ideas and promote scientific collaboration.
“Organising the first CQTxMCQST workshop has been a truly rewarding experience,” says Anindya Banerji, a CQT Senior Research Fellow who was part of the committee in Singapore.
Singapore and Munich’s quantum centres already had strong links at senior levels. CQT’s Scientific Advisory Board has often included a perspective from Munich. Immanuel Bloch, Scientific Director of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) and a co-coordinator for MCQST, is a current member. Previously Ignacio Cirac, now Managing Director of MPQ, was a CQT advisor from 2007 to 2020. Both gave invited lectures during the workshop.
Altogether, the event offered 16 invited talks by senior members of the centres, 26 short talks by postdocs and PhD students and 47 poster presentations.
Special sessions included a panel discussion with Immanuel Bloch and his MCQST colleague Eva Weig, a Professor at the Technical University of Munich, and CQT Principal Investigators Alexander Ling and Patrick Rebentrost, both faculty at the National University of Singapore. This session gave participants an opportunity to ask about careers in academia.
Singapore’s Quantum Young Researchers’ Association and Munich-based student club PushQuantum also presented about their community-building efforts.
Bridging communities
“It is a great opportunity to connect with a community that is otherwise very far from us. We have lots of fun here and an amazing experience,” said Jorge Moreno and Esther Cruz Rico, two researchers attending from MPQ.
The organisers hope to continue the exchange by planning a workshop in Munich in the future.
Anindya says “It was truly a privilege to work closely with my colleagues from both the institutes to bring this workshop to fruition. I hope this workshop marks the beginning of a series of such joint initiatives between the two institutes, paving the way for deeper collaboration and continued exchange.”
