Quantum information pioneer Raymond Laflamme takes on new chair
When Raymond Laflamme stepped down after 15 years as the director of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo this past summer, he said he was excited to devote himself fully to research again.
A new $8 million research chair at the University of Waterloo will enable him to do just that.
The Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis "John von Neumann" Chair in Quantum Information, announced last week during the Waterloo Innovation Summit, will support Laflamme’s groundbreaking work on quantum error correction.
A pioneer in quantum information theory and experiments, Laflamme's current work explores ways to protect quantum information from phenomena like decoherence and other quantum noise – a vital step towards developing robust quantum computing.
Speaking at the Waterloo Innovation Summit, Perimeter and IQC founder Mike Lazaridis said Laflamme is broadly recognized as a world leader in his field.
"His research contributions have led the development of quantum control, which is a building block to realizing quantum computing," he said.
Laflamme, who is Associate Faculty at Perimeter, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal, and this year won the CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics.
About PI
Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.
