Week 1
Monday 2th June
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Welcome & Orientation
Join us for the Orientation Session as we kick off 8 weeks of groundbreaking learning, discovery, and collaboration.
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Get an overview of the program structure
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Meet the WISER & Womanium team and fellow participants
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Learn how to navigate lectures, tutorials, and projects
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Hear what to expect from speakers and more
This session will set the stage for your journey into quantum computing, and algorithms for differential equations.
Wednesday 4th June
10:30am -12:30 ET [time zone converter]
Session
Foundations of Quantum Computing
Dr. Jibran Rashid - QWorld
Get grounded in the fundamentals of quantum computing across these two beginner-friendly sessions. We’ll introduce the mathematical foundations (state spaces, tensors, and computational complexity), core quantum operations (gates, circuits, measurement), and essential principles like superposition, entanglement, and the no-cloning theorem. You'll also explore basic programming concepts to understand how quantum algorithms are structured. These sessions are ideal for newcomers or anyone looking to refresh their foundations.
Week 2
Monday 9th June
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Why quantum algorithms matter now
Keynote
10:300 - 11:00 | Dr Travis Scholten - IBM
This session explores why quantum algorithms are critical today, how IBM is working to bring useful QC to the world and what this means for researchers, developers, and industries preparing for a quantum future.
Quantum Teleportation and Grover's algorithm Speaker
Bootcamp
11:00 - 12:00 | Dr Rumlah Amer - QWorld
This session explores how quantum teleportation enables the transfer of quantum states without moving particles, and how Grover’s algorithm offers a powerful way to speed up search problems.
Wednesday 11th June
An Introduction to Quantum Fourier Transform and Phase Estimation
Join this hands-on session to explore the Hadamard test, Quantum Phase Estimation (QPE), and the Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT). You’ll get a practical tutorial using Qiskit or Cirq, and learn how QPE could power real-world breakthroughs like drug discovery and factoring with Shor’s Algorithm.
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Jerimiah Wright - Womanium
Bootcamp
Friday, 13th June
Getting Started with Pennylane
This session offers a practical introduction to PennyLane, a leading software library for quantum computing and machine learning. We’ll cover how to build and run quantum circuits, set up a basic environment, and explore simple examples to get you familiar with the interface. Whether you're new to PennyLane or looking for a quick refresher, this session will help you get comfortable programming with PennyLane.
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Dr. Ben Lau - Xanadu
Bootcamp
Week 3
Monday 16th June
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Project Orientation (part 1)
Session
Dr. Vardaan Sahgal - WISER, Dr. Brian McDermott - NNL, and Dr. Abhishek Chopra- BQP
High-level introduction to the industry projects for the participants from our partners. Participants will learn how the skills they learn this summer will be applied directly to industry applications by the completion of the training program. After the training, all participants will move on to participate in these industry projects, and the best teams will proceed to win QSL fellowships for the next 6 months.
Wednesday 18th June
Project Orientation (part 2)
High-level introduction to the industry projects for the participants from our partners. Participants will learn how the skills they learn this summer will be applied directly to industry applications by the completion of the training program. After the training, all participants will move on to participate in these industry projects, and the best teams will proceed to win QSL fellowships for the next 6 months.
10:00am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
10:00 - 10:30 | Dr. Bimal Mehta - Vanguard
Session
Comparing Functional Quantum Linear Solvers
10:30 - 12:00 | Andreea-Iulia Lefterovici - Leibniz Universität Hannover
Session
This session introduces a hybrid benchmarking study of quantum linear solvers, comparing exact query complexity across HHL, QLS-Fourier, QLS-Chebyshev, and QLS-QSVT on both synthetic and real-world instances, revealing when Chebyshev-based methods outperform others, and why HHL may no longer be reasonable in practice.
Week 4
Monday 23rd June
09:30am -11:00 ET [time zone converter]
Solving Partial Differential Equations on Quantum Computers
Session
Dr. Nana Liu - Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Many natural and engineered systems — from quantum mechanics to fluid dynamics — are governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). Efficiently solving these equations is central to scientific discovery and technological progress. In this tutorial, we’ll explore various quantum algorithmic approaches to solving PDEs, and discuss how these techniques could offer advantages over classical methods.
Lecture
Fireside Chat
Wednesday 25th June
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Elevate Region: Quantum Entrepreneurship in Focus
10:30 - 11:30 | Wendy Lea - Elevate Quantum, Dr. Sristy Agrawal - Mesa Quantum, and Dr. Fateme Mahdikhany - Icarus Quantum
This fireside chat will spotlight the thriving quantum entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Elevate region. We’ll explore the unique challenges and opportunities quantum startups face, from early-stage research to bringing technologies to market. Join us for a conversation with key players in the quantum space as they share insights on how they’ve navigated the entrepreneurial journey, fostered innovation, and contributed to the growing quantum landscape. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about the business side of quantum, this session offers valuable perspectives on how quantum startups are shaping the future
Quantum Networking: using single photons to link trapped ion quantum computers
Lab Tour
Step inside the Ion-Photon lab, where they research how to scale up trapped ion quantum computers using single photons!
In order for quantum computers to successfully tackle hard problems, they need hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of qubits. Trapped ion quantum computers typically trap long chains of ions (each ion represents a qubit), but if you continue to add ions to the chain, it becomes more difficult to individually control the ions. In this lab tour you'll learn how they are adopting a modular approach in which they connect smaller trapped ion modules, or "nodes", via photonic interconnects. The single photons act as information links between the modules, enabling remote entanglement of spatially separated ions.
11:30 - 12:00 | Isabella Goetting - Duke Quantum Center (DQC)
Dr. Guilermo Alonso-Linaje - Xanadu
Friday 27th June
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Bootcamp
The Art of Block Encoding
This session unpacks two powerful techniques at the heart of many modern quantum algorithms — Linear Combination of Unitaries (LCU) and block encoding. We’ll walk through how these methods let us represent complex matrix operations with efficient quantum circuits, and how they’re used in areas like Hamiltonian simulation and solving linear systems. Whether you're seeing these tools for the first time or need a refresher, this tutorial-style session will get you hands-on with the core ideas.
Week 5
Monday 30th June
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Bootcamp
Quantum Simulation and Lie Theory
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Korbinian Kottmann - Xanadu
Lie algebras offer a powerful and elegant lens for understanding quantum systems. Long central to high-energy and condensed matter physics, they’re now becoming increasingly relevant in quantum computing. In this tutorial, we’ll introduce core Lie-theoretic ideas behind recent advances in quantum simulation, including shadow and fixed-depth Hamiltonian simulation techniques. Whether you’re curious about the theory or looking for new algorithmic tools, this session offers a fresh perspective at the intersection of physics, math, and quantum computing.
The State of Quantum Optimization in Practical Applications
Keynote
11:30 - 12:00 | Dr. Pascal Halffmann - Fraunhofer ITWM
Explore how quantum computing is being applied to real-world optimization challenges. This session will cover emerging use cases, best practices across quantum methods and hardware, and what makes an optimization problem a good fit for quantum approaches. You'll also gain insight into how to choose the right technique for solving different classes of problems, and what’s coming next in the field.
Fireside Chat
Wednesday 2nd July
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Quantum Advantage: Are Our Algorithms Ready?
10:30am - 11:30am | Prof. Andrew Childs - University of Maryland , Herman Øie Kolden - Aviant, and Hari Krovi - IBM
This session offers an open conversation on the future of quantum algorithm development, with a focus on differential equations and scientific computing. The discussion will explore whether current quantum algorithms are sufficient to deliver practical advantages on large-scale quantum hardware, and how researchers should think about closing the gap between theoretical progress and real-world applications. Designed as an interactive dialogue, this session will bring together diverse perspectives on where the field is headed — and what it will take to get there.
Future of HPC, Quantum Computing, and AI
Keynote
11:30am - 12:00am | Dr. Stefan Kister - ParTech
This keynote examines the evolving relationship between quantum computing, high-performance computing (HPC), and artificial intelligence (AI), and how these technologies are increasingly working in tandem to tackle today’s most demanding computational challenges. Join us for a forward-looking discussion on the architectures, algorithms, and breakthroughs shaping the future of computational science.
Week 6
Monday 7th July
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Efficient Quantum Access Models of Sparse Structured Matrices using Linear Combination of “Things”
Keynote
Dr. Amit Surana - RTX Technology Research Center
A deep dive into structure-aware quantum algorithm design, grounded in practical applications like the heat equation. This keynote introduces a new approach to applying quantum linear solvers that takes advantage of the structure and sparsity in PDE-derived matrices. A fresh look at how clever algorithm design can push quantum efficiency further.
Wednesday 9th July
Quantum Algorithms for Nonlinear Differential Equations
Nonlinear differential equations are everywhere — and solving them on quantum computers is no small feat. This session looks at how techniques like Carleman linearization and Koopman operator theory can help translate nonlinear problems into linear ones that quantum algorithms can handle. We’ll also dive into recent improvements that make these methods more practical, including higher-order solvers, smarter rescaling, and tighter error bounds.
Dr. Pedro C. S Costa - BQPhy
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Bootcamp
Week 7
Monday 14th July
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Variational Quantum Algorithms for Nonlinear Problems
Keynote
10:30- 11:30 | Dr. Michael Lubasch - Quantinuum
This keynote explores a different angle on tackling nonlinearity. By using multiple copies of quantum states and introducing Quantum Nonlinear Processing Units (QNPUs), the approach offers a flexible framework for solving nonlinear PDEs. With a blend of tensor networks, numerical benchmarks, and early hardware results, this talk highlights new possibilities for solving nonlinear problems on quantum devices.
Harnessing Quantum Computing for Weather Modeling
Keynote
11:30- 12:00 | Dr. Reuben Demirdjian - U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Weather prediction requires modeling scales from the molecular up to the planetary, exceeding the capabilities of even the most powerful supercomputers to explicitly resolve all physical processes. This talk explores a potential approach for quantum computers to accelerate solutions of differential equations, which are fundamental for weather prediction. A novel method for efficiently loading classical data onto a quantum computer will be presented as a key step towards this goal.
Wednesday 16th July
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Quantum algorithms for linear differential equations: near-optimal scaling and fast-forwarding
Simulating non-unitary dynamics is a central challenge in quantum algorithm design — and this session introduces a flexible and efficient approach that makes it more tractable. By expressing solutions as a linear combination of Hamiltonian simulations (LCHS), we can bypass the need for spectral mapping and complex quantum linear system solvers. The method keeps state preparation costs low, simplifies circuit construction, and scales well. A practical and powerful tool for those thinking ahead to early fault-tolerant quantum hardware.
Bootcamp
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Dong An - Peking University
Quantum Hardware Demystified
11:30 - 12:00 | Dr. Josh Mutus - Rigetti Computing
A beginner-friendly introduction to the fabrication of Rigetti's quantum processors, including visuals of cleanroom facilities and hardware assembly. This session explores key challenges - scalability, error rates, and material limits - and highlights how Rigetti is addressing them. It will conclude by connecting hardware advances to real-world gains in quantum algorithm performance.
Keynote
Friday 18th July
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Keynote
Adaptive Interpolation for Tensor Networks
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Hessam Babaee - University of Pittsburgh
Solving nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) remains one of the most challenging tasks in scientific computing, especially at scale. This session introduces a quantum-inspired framework based on tensor networks for efficiently representing and solving nonlinear PDEs.
Week 8
Monday 21st July
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Fireside Chat
Fireside chat: Quantum Chemistry on Quantum Computers
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Mario Szegedy - Rutgers University, Dr. Kirstin Doney - Lockheed Martin, Dr. Robert Ledoux - ARPA-E, and Dr. Kubra Yeter Aydeniz -The MITRE Corporation
In this session, we’ll explore the intersection of quantum computing and quantum chemistry. Leading experts will discuss how quantum algorithms are being developed to solve complex problems in chemistry that are intractable for classical computers. Designed as an interactive dialogue, this session will bring together different perspectives on how quantum computers could transform chemistry, from drug discovery to material science, and what still needs to be done to make this vision a reality.
Quantum Computing for Chemistry: From Promise to Applications
Keynote
11:30 - 12:00 | Dr. Nicole Holtzmann - PsiQuantum
This keynote session will highlight how scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing could unlock accurate simulations of complex molecular systems, with far-reaching implications for materials science, pharmaceuticals, and beyond.
Wednesday 23rd July
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
H-DES: A Hybrid Quantum-Classical Solver for Partial Differential Equations
Keynote
10:30am -11:30 ET | Dr. Aoife Boyle - Colibritd
ColibriTD’s H-DES is a universal quantum solver designed to tackle partial differential equations for real-world applications like fluid dynamics, combustion, mechanics, and climate modeling. Built as a hybrid quantum-classical solver based on a variational quantum algorithm (VQA), H-DES works on both current and future quantum devices. The session will also touch on future advancements, as H-DES is poised to tackle more complex PDEs and pave the way for large-scale quantum simulations.
An Introduction to Cat Qubits
Keynote
11:30am -12:00 ET | Thiziri Aissaoui - Alice & Bob
Current implementations of qubits continue to exhibit too many errors to be scaled into useful quantum machines. An emerging approach is to encode quantum information in the two metastable states of an oscillator exchanging pairs of photons with its environment, a mechanism shown to provide protection against bit flips, at the modest cost of a linear deterioration of phase flips. In this talk, we will introduce the concept of this so-called dissipative cat qubit and explore how it can be implemented in the context of superconducting circuits.
Dr. Juan Jose Mendoza Arenas -University of Pittsburgh
Friday 25th July
10:30am -11:30 ET [time zone converter]
Quantum-inspired Algorithms for Computational Fluid Dynamics
Keynote
Turbulence is one of the most complex and fascinating phenomena in classical physics, influencing everything from weather systems to aircraft design. This session explores a novel approach to analyzing and simulating turbulent flows using tools inspired by quantum many-body physics and tensor networks.
Week 9
Monday 28th July
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Where Quantum Meets HPC: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Road Ahead
Fireside Chat
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Sara Marzella - CINECA
In this session we’ll dive into the exciting intersection of quantum computing and high-performance computing (HPC). The discussion will cover the challenges of integrating quantum algorithms into existing HPC workflows, the opportunities for synergy between the two, and what the future holds as quantum technology matures. Our panel will share insights on how we can bridge the gap and leverage the strengths of both quantum and classical computing to solve some of the most complex problems in science and industry.
QAOA for order fulfillment
Keynote
11:30 - 12:00 | Yancho Gerdjikov - Nestle
Join us hear how Nestlé is exploring the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) to enhance order fulfillment processes. Discover how one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies is using quantum.
Wednesday 30th July
10:30am -12:00 ET [time zone converter]
Quantum for CFD @ QubitSolve
Bootcamp
We'll explore QubitSolve's approach to advancing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with quantum computing. By developing innovative quantum algorithms to solve the Navier-Stokes equations, QubitSolve aims to overcome the limitations of classical CFD simulations, potentially revolutionizing industries like aerospace, automotive, and energy where CFD is essential for optimizing designs and minimizing the need for expensive physical prototypes.
10:30 - 11:30 | Dr. Madhava Syamlal - QubitSolve