Students enrolled at CQT with National Quantum Scholarships
Open to students of all nationalities, the scholarships are so far supporting 14 PhD students at CQT
When Singapore’s National Quantum Strategy was announced in May 2024, there was an emphasis on talent. In his speech launching the strategy, then Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat highlighted there would be investment “to attract, develop, and retain talent to build a quantum-ready workforce”.
A year later, the first PhD students supported under the new National Quantum Scholarships Scheme (NQSS) have begun their research at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT). So far CQT has welcomed 14 students from five different countries.
The NQSS will support up to 100 PhD students and 100 Master’s-level students over the next five years. All NQSS PhD students will be supervised at CQT. “A good candidate for CQT is someone who loves science. Love with a big capital L,” says CQT Director José Ignacio Latorre.
First of a 100
Singaporean Lee Kai Xiang is in the first cohort of NQSS PhD students. He originally came to CQT to complete his final-year project for his bachelor’s degree at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
“I found it really cool how quantum computing is a different way of computing. I also like that you get to innovate and try new things in this field, and I was curious to see other ways you can approach quantum technologies,” says Kai Xiang.
He moved from working on superconducting qubits for that project to building a neutral atom quantum computer for his PhD. He is advised by CQT Principal Investigator David Wilkowski, an Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), and is contributing to work in the National Quantum Processor Initiative.
Kai Xiang has shared more about his experience and interests in a ‘Meet a CQTian’ interview for CQT’s website. You can also read a Q&A with student Tristan Philippe, who has come from France to work on theoretical quantum computing.
Our student population
At CQT, PhD students enrolled through NQSS now form part of the Centre’s some 100-strong student body, joining students under the Centre’s previous PhD programme and supported by other funding.
“We are actively looking out for students who are keen to push themselves, but also who want to build a thriving ecosystem here with us in Singapore,” says CQT Principal Investigator Yvonne Gao, who is a member of the technical committee evaluating NQSS PhD student applications. All prospective students are encouraged to identify a potential supervisor before applying.
PhD students with NQSS support are administered at CQT, and they are matriculated at one of the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, or Singapore University of Technology and Design. CQT is a national centre with groups located in all three universities and at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
The NQSS also provides Master’s scholarships to students accepted into selected Master-by-Research programmes at the three universities. The first cohort of Master’s students will begin their courses later this year.
