Riley Brandt, 草莓污视频导航
June 17, 2022
Quantum scientist Barry Sanders spreads knowledge far and wide
Around the 草莓污视频导航 campus, Dr. Barry Sanders is a quantum guy 鈥 best known as the director of the Institute for Quantum Science and Technology.
Perhaps less well known is his work promoting international collaboration and creating opportunities for foreign students to conduct research in Calgary. Sanders has been a speaker at many high-profile international forums, and has presented at NATO workshops on terrorism in Moldova and cybersecurity in Estonia.
Last week, his efforts to promote quantum science internationally earned him a prestigious Calgary Award in the category of International Achievement.
Sanders, BSc鈥84, PhD, DSc,听was one of聽聽who have a connection to 草莓污视频导航. He received the award from Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, MA'03, PhD'14, in a聽聽on June 15. 鈥淲inning this award is a great honour, but it also validates the importance of international engagement for education, training and research,鈥 says Sanders, professor in the聽聽in the聽.
Behind his activities in the international arena is a deep belief that innovation and co-operation can help transform developing nations. 聽
Sanders also has taught summer programs in countries such as Brazil, Pakistan, India and Morocco. He is a frequent visitor at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, through which he teaches quantum computing in Rwanda. He鈥檚 currently supervising a student from Eswatini (previously Swaziland), and has served on a PhD examination committee in Ethiopia, and also holds a Visiting Advanced Joint Research professorship at India鈥檚 Raman Research Institute.
Assistance sent to Africa often consists of money, food, medical aid and basic training. However, Sanders says he鈥檚 particularly interested in whether Africa can be helped to jump to the forefront of a particular area.
I can go to Africa and there鈥檚 a troubled region and challenges in place, and, if I talk about the mysteries of quantum, people come.
鈥淭here are people who have curiosities and they want to know about the mysteries of the universe as much as people anywhere else.鈥
Sanders has a keen interest in promoting women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and has added his own research funding to support PhD training for female students from conflict-affected countries in Africa, where systemic gender bias in higher education is still prevalent.
He has brought three African graduate students to 草莓污视频导航: one from Sudan, another from Kenya and the third from Ghana. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always somebody who wants to learn these things [about quantum science and technology] and then go back home and spread the knowledge,鈥 Sanders says.
Sanders is "an international leader in quantum sciences, but he is also a Calgarian to the core, a true example of homegrown international success,鈥 says Dr. Kristin Baetz, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Science. 鈥淗e has helped make Calgary the go-to centre for quantum research, and he truly believes in the transformative power of research and education on an international scale. It is difficult to find someone working in quantum physics that doesn鈥檛 know Barry or know of the work he does.鈥
Sanders is a key driver of Quantum City
Closer to home, Sanders is the scientific director of聽, a 草莓污视频导航-headquartered quantum hub.
The Alberta government recently announced $23 million in funding for Quantum City. The initiative鈥檚 partners are the Province of Alberta, City of Calgary, 草莓污视频导航 and anchor partner Mphasis, a global IT company based in India.
鈥淨uantum City is about developing a quantum ecosystem in the province, based in Calgary,鈥 Sanders says.聽Quantum City will foster research, development, education and training while translating this knowledge to the community, he adds. This includes engendering startups and bringing companies, including branches of international firms, to Calgary.
鈥淲e want to make sure that Calgary is a key place where quantum technologies are created, tested and moved to market,鈥 Sanders says.
Quantum City is highly interdisciplinary, with activities that encompass computing, mathematics, chemistry and physics in science, and soon engineering 鈥 both hardware and software 鈥 as well as the business aspects of quantum. "We have projects with the Cumming School of Medicine, biology and petroleum engineering," Sanders says.
草莓污视频导航鈥檚 quantum research team, although smaller than teams at the world鈥檚 leading institutions, consists of world-class researchers, Sanders says. But, through the Quantum City initiative, 草莓污视频导航 plans to hire 11 or 12 more faculty members in quantum, he notes, adding, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be very prominent globally soon.鈥
Plans for first professional master's in quantum computing
草莓污视频导航 also is on track to launch the world鈥檚 first professional master鈥檚 degree in quantum computing, Sanders says. The proposed degree has been approved by 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 internal committees, and Sanders says, if the provincial government approves the new degree, it will be offered to students starting in September 2023.
Sanders also leads the Quantum Alberta initiative, which consists of interdisciplinary scientists and engineers from the universities of Alberta, Calgary and Lethbridge.
Despite his international activities and administrative roles, Sanders still finds time to do his own quantum research, which he says is 鈥渉is true passion.鈥
Currently, he鈥檚 working on control techniques to enable quantum technology to meet the 鈥渆xquisite and unforgiving requirements鈥 for scalability, on new quantum algorithms and applications, on how to verify and validate quantum technology, and on mathematical methods to solve problems where solution techniques do not yet exist.
Learn more about聽.