Four Perimeter researchers awarded NSERC Discovery Grants

Four Perimeter Institute researchers have been awarded Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The grants will be used to fund cutting-edge research into topics in quantum computing, quantum gravity, cryptography, and more.

Alex May, recently named the inaugural Murray Gell-Mann Chair in Theoretical Physics at Perimeter, will continue his research in quantum gravity and its links to quantum cryptography. Specifically, May’s Discovery Grant will support research into quantum position-verification, a cryptographic protocol for verifying the location of an untrusted party. While classical cryptography leaves position verification open to manipulation, quantum mechanics can provide security guarantees. May’s research will continue to develop the security and practicality of position-verification schemes.

Aldo Riello, teaching faculty at Perimeter, received a grant to push scientists’ understanding of the role of locality in fundamental theories, such as those that describe the nature of light, space, and time. Physicists often assume that a system can be studied in isolation, but these assumptions can break down when dealing with electromagnetism or gravity. In those cases, what happens inside a system is linked to what happens far away. It’s a phenomenon captured by Gauss’s law and in the concept of holography, where all information about a system is stored on a surrounding surface, like a hologram. Riello will continue exploring how these far-reaching connections show up not only in the quantum but also in the classical realm to better understand how a system interacts with the rest of the universe and how its information might be stored or lost.

Erik Schnetter, Research Technologies Group Lead at Perimeter, will develop novel computational tools, along with efficient and easy-to-use simulation codes, to study astrophysical systems like black holes and neutron stars. Schnetter’s work comes at a critical time for instruments like LIGO, which looks for gravitational waves. While instrument hardware is more accurate and sensitive than ever, software has not kept up in its efficiency. This leads to issues where important computational work, like calculating Einstein equations, has become too demanding on modern computers. Schnetter’s research is working to increase efficiencies by developing new computational tools and algorithms that will be freely available to anyone.

Sisi Zhou, research faculty at Perimeter, will continue her research into a central problem in quantum computing: noise. As quantum sensing and computing begins scaling up, noise can completely undo the technology’s advantages. One way to counteract this is by developing tools that can retain the advantages of quantum phenomenon in noisy environments. Zhou’s research will build up a foundation of general noise reduction techniques for quantum sensors and guide the development of next generation quantum-enhanced sensors, motivating future research on noise reduction techniques for specific applications like computer benchmarking and more.

NSERC Discovery Grants are an important tool for pushing research forward and training young scientists in research areas critical to Canada’s future, including quantum technology and more. These grants ensure Perimeter can continue fostering research excellence among young scientists so they can tackle tomorrow’s problems.

Find the complete list of NSERC Discovery Grant winners.