Trevor Vincent Colloquium
Fri. Oct. 24 12:30 PM
- Fri. Oct. 24 01:20 PM
Location: 3M63
Quantum Computing Applications Software, PsiQuantum, Palo Alto, California & Former University of Winnipeg graduate
My Journey from Academia to Working on Software for Quantum Computers
How does one go from doing undergraduate research in medical physics, to completing a PhD in relativistic astrophysics, and ultimately getting paid to work in quantum computing at one of the world’s leading quantum technology companies?
In this talk, I’ll share the path that led me from academia to industry, highlighting the diverse areas of physics I explored along the way. I’ll discuss areas of the industry open to physicists, what I work on in the quantum computing industry today, key lessons I’ve learned, and practical advice for easing the transition from academia to industry.
BIO: Trevor Vincent completed his Honours Bachelor’s degree at the University of Winnipeg in 2013. As an undergraduate, he conducted research in medical physics with Prof. Melanie Martin and GPU programming with Prof. Chris Bidinosti. From 2014 to 2019, he pursued a PhD in astrophysics under Prof. Harald Pfeiffer, head of numerical relativity within the LIGO gravitational-wave collaboration. During his doctoral studies, he developed next-generation numerical methods for solving the Einstein field equations on supercomputers. From 2019 to present Trevor has been in the quantum computing industry and is currently at one of the leading quantum computing companies, PsiQuantum, based in Palo Alto, California.