New at the department: Mariami Gachechiladze

Understanding our nature and the capabilities of our world through quantum technologies

2022/02/01

Since February 1, Mariami Gachechiladze has been an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, heading the quantum computing group. We asked the 30-year-old scientist about her work.

Researching quantum computing at the department since February: Prof. Dr. Mariami Gachechiladze

What is the biggest milestone of your career so far?

Obtaining a Ph.D. in theoretical physics while being a computer scientist by training.

Why should students be interested in your scientific subject? What makes it exciting?

Our world is quantum, and after a little more than a century of hard work, we have managed to uncover some of its exceptional qualities. We know that we can perform exponentially faster calculations than we ever imagined possible; we can teleport quantum states in far distances; we can communicate secretly and, most importantly, that no one can know the message we have sent (not even the universe itself). W hear about the rapid steps taken in academia and industry titans to build powerful quantum computers. We hear about the potential of quantum computing in chemistry, biology, finance, and so on.

On the one hand, quantum technologies promise a new scientific revolution. Still, more significantly (for me), all of these efforts aim at better understanding our nature and our world's true capabilities.

The quantum computing theory that we have now is elegant and approachable to bachelor and master students from many backgrounds (e.g., computer science, mathematics, and physics).

On the other hand, it offers to modify forever how anyone views even the most fundamental aspects of our physical world, as well as computing and its complexity. It's a fantastic journey that I'm eager to embark on with anyone who wants to join me.

Which TU department would you like to spend a day in? Why?

I'd like to spend a day in the biology department learning about current research questions and challenges in the life sciences. The field appears to be vastly and rapidly advancing from the outside, and I want to understand the current state of the art better. Furthermore, there are ongoing discussions regarding the potential uses of quantum physics and computation in biology, which is naturally very intriguing for me.

The perfect balance to a stressful working day is…

… an hour of outdoor sport and spending a relaxing evening with loved ones.