Alumna Secures Direct Admit to University of Oxford's Doctoral Programme for Advanced Quantum Research

Entering the world of quantum algorithms is Freya Shah, a Class of 2025 graduate who completed a rigorous undergraduate programme with a major in Computer Science and double minors in Physics and Mathematics. She has been accepted as a direct admit to pursue her doctoral studies at the University of Oxford.

At the University of Oxford, Freya will study different quantum algorithms and explore how to employ machine learning to enhance these algorithms for specific applications in chemistry or material science.

Her journey began in 12th grade when she stumbled upon an eight-month course introducing her to quantum algorithms. Studying alongside people from around the world, she was exposed to concepts in a beginner-friendly way, which opened her eyes to various perspectives and possibilities. This experience sparked her interest in Computer Science, though she also wanted to pursue Physics and Mathematics.

The flexibility to choose what she wants to learn made Ahmedabad University an ideal choice for Freya. "The flexible academic framework allowed me to study Computer Science, Physics, and Math together, an opportunity not available elsewhere. This interdisciplinary approach was perfect for my research interests at the intersection of physics and computer science."

Her undergraduate journey was not limited to coursework. Freya collaborated with professors on multiple research projects, resulting in three published papers, two of which she first-authored. "That hands-on research experience was key," she says. "It helped me clarify what I wanted to study and made a strong case for my PhD application.

At the University of Oxford, Freya will explore different kinds of machine learning-enhanced quantum algorithms. She will analyse their potential for specific applications in chemistry and materials science, aiming to determine if they offer a significant quantum advantage over classical algorithms.

This project is a collaboration with IBM, where she will use their hardware to run experiments with real-world data. Her work will focus on identifying if a quantum advantage exists in these fields and determining which types of problems and algorithms are most effective.

Freya mentions how the undergraduate research thesis, a unique component of Ahmedabad University pedagogy wherein a student works alongside a professor on a research problem, deepened her existing research experience and affirmed her decision to explore the world of research. She worked with Professor Alok Shukla from the School of Arts and Sciences on a project in quantum cryptography for her undergraduate thesis.

Professor Shukla had previously developed two key algorithms: the probabilistic Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm, which can identify multiple secret keys that remain indistinguishable to classical algorithms, and another on an algorithm for generating uniform superposition states with exponential speedup.

Freya’s thesis combined these two approaches to create a more efficient and scalable variant of the generalised probabilistic BV algorithm and explored its applications in cryptography.

Freya, a recipient of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), also has an internship experience with Harvard. Her project there was at the intersection of quantum computing and quantum optics, where she explored a new type of hardware for quantum computation. The project focused on using subwavelength atomic arrays with embedded impurities to serve as qubits.

The research group had already shown that these impurities have longer coherence times, meaning they can maintain their quantum state for extended periods. This is a crucial breakthrough, as one of the biggest challenges in quantum computing is that environmental noise quickly disrupts qubit stability.

Freya worked to determine how to perform universal quantum computation on this new hardware. This involved figuring out how to create a specific set of quantum gates that could then be used to perform any other desired computation or algorithm. She worked on a theoretical level, designing these gates, and investigating how to control the qubits to create two- and three-qubit entangled states. She also analysed their fidelities to see how well they would perform in a practical setting. Her work was to prove the feasibility of this hardware for building a functional quantum computer.

As Freya begins her doctoral research on quantum algorithms with real-world impact, she carries forward not only the rigour and depth of her academic training, but also the spirit of curiosity and collaboration fostered during her undergraduate years.