About us
aQa is a team of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students across the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) the Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), the Leiden Institute for Chemistry (LIC), and the Leiden Mathematical Institute (MI). Please see below a list of members, along with personal research topics and contact emails.

Vedran Dunjko - aQa Lead & Founder
Associate Professor - LIACS
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Quantum machine learning
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Quantum heuristics
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Near-term implementation

Evert van Nieuwenburg - aQa PI
Assistant Professor - LION
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Machine Learning for Quantum Systems
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Quantum Games
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Simulation of Quantum Many-Body systems




Jordi Tura - aQa PI
Assistant Professor - LION
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Quantum algorithms
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Near-term implementations
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Device-independent quantum information protocols

Alfons Laarman - aQa PI
Assistant Professor - LIACS
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Simulation of quantum computing
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Parallel computing
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Formal methods



Hao Wang- aQa PI
Assistant Professor - LIACS
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Evolution strategies under uncertainty
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Bayesian optimization
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Natural computing for NISQ devices

Onur Danaci
Postdoctoral researcher - LION
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Quantum optimal control
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Near-term implementations
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Quantum machine learning



Adrián Pérez-Salinas
Postdoctoral researcher - LION
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Quantum machine learning
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Near-term implementations
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Quantum simulations


Patrick Emonts
Postdoctoral researcher - LION
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Tensor Networks
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Lattice Gauge Theories
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Hamiltonian Quantum Field Theories



Xavier Bonet-Monroig
PhD Student - LION
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Quantum error mitigation
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Near-term implementation

Alicja Dutkiewicz



Stefano Polla
PhD Student - LION
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Quantum simulation
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Near-term implementation

David Dechant
PhD Student - LION
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Quantum algorithms
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Near-term implementations
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Quantum finance



Mengyao Hu
PhD Student - LION
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Quantum information processing
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Tensor networks
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Entanglement theory

Yaroslav Herasymenko
PhD Student - LION
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Quantum simulation
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Quantum transport



Casper Gyurik
PhD Student - LIACS
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Quantum data analysis
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Quantum reinforcement learning
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Quantum-enhanced Markov chain Monte Carlo

Emiel Koridon
PhD Student - LION
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Quantum (photo)chemistry and simulation
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Near-term applications
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Hybrid quantum algorithms



Yash Patel
PhD Student - LIACS
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Quantum optimization
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Quantum-enhanced combinatorial optimization
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Industrial applications

Charles Moussa
PhD Student - LIACS
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Near-term implementations
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Industrial applications



Thomas O'Brien
Assistant Professor - LION and Research Scientist - Google Quantum AI
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Quantum chemistry and simulation
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Quantum error correction and mitigation
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Near-term implementation

Thomas Bäck
Professor - LIACS
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Natural computing
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Optimization for quantum computing
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Quantum-enhanced optimization



Francesco Buda
Assistant Professor - LIC
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Quantum chemistry
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Hybrid algorithm development
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Excited state chemistry

Florian Neukart
Assistant Professor - LIACS and Principal Scientist - Volkswagen Group
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Quantum optimization
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Quantum annealing
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Industrial applications



Richard Gill
Emeritus Professor - MI
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Closing loopholes in Bell’s theorem and in Bell experiments
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Quantum state estimation, quantum tomography
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Statistical issues in quantum information and quantum computing

Sheir Yarkoni
PhD Student - LIACS
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Near-term implementations
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Industrial applications



Radoica Draškić
PhD Student - LIACS
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Quantum machine learning
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Near-term implementations
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Quantum optimal control

Michał Pacholski
PhD Student - LION
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Near-term implementations
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Quantum transport



Mathys Rennela
Postdoctoral Researcher - LIACS
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Quantum-enhanced combinatorial optimization
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Quantum reinforcement learning
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Near-term implementation

Cameron Price
PhD Student - LION
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Hybrid algorithm design
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Reduced density matrix theory
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Convex optimization


Eleanor Scerri
Postdoctoral Researcher - LION
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Quantum chemistry and simulation
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Quantum machine learning
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Near-term implementation

Bruno Senjean
Postdoctoral Researcher - LION
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Quantum chemistry
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Molecular embedding
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Hybrid algorithm design



Sebastiaan Brand
PhD Student - LIACS
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Formal methods
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Probabilistic and quantum systems