Room 406, School of Arts and Sciences
Central Campus
This talk explores unexpected connections between quantum computation, automorphic forms, and arithmetic. After a brief introduction to quantum algorithms and selected examples of our work, we turn to modular forms and Hecke operators. The talk illustrates how quantum computational ideas can provide new perspectives on classical structures in number theory and arithmetic dynamics. This talk was originally presented at the Building Bridges: 7th EU/US Workshop on Automorphic Forms and Related Topics, held at Będlewo Palace, Poland, from 17–21 August 2026. Funds for conference travel were provided by the Office of the Dean, Graduate School and Research, Ahmedabad University.
Alok Shukla is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences division of the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University. He received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, and a MA and PhD in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma, USA. He was selected for several scholarship awards by the Department of Mathematics at Oklahoma during his PhD, including the John Clark Brixey Graduate Scholarship award in 2015, and the Richard V. Andree Memorial Scholarship awards for academic excellence in 2016 and 2017. After receiving his PhD in 2018, Professor Shukla joined the Department of Mathematics at the University of Manitoba, Canada, as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Prior to pursuing his doctoral studies in Mathematics, Professor Shukla worked for HAL (Hindustan Aeronautical Limited) for several years, first on the Avionics system of MiG-27 fighter aircraft, and later in the final assembly section of ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), Dhruv. He learned the basics of Aeronautical Engineering in a special one-semester programme at IIT, Madras in 2004. He has also worked as a software engineer for IBM and TCS, for about a year in each organisation. In addition to research in Mathematics, he enjoys teaching the subject to students. Professor Shukla has organised several maths-popularisation and community outreach events to spread the 'Joy of Mathematics' among young students.