Talk archive
Every talk OUQIS has hosted since the society was founded in 2019: 77 talks across 15 terms, from researchers in quantum computing, cryptography, photonics, networks and foundations. Every one of them was free and open to anyone at Oxford.
Last updated: 15 August 2026
Hilary 2026 9 events
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Prof Dominic O'Brien University of Oxford
Quantum Optical Wireless Communications
Professor of Engineering Science at Oxford and Director of the UK National Hub in Quantum Computing and Simulation.
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Prof Andreas Reiserer Technical University of Munich
Scalable Quantum Networks and Distributed Quantum Information Processing
Professor of Quantum Networks at TUM, researching erbium dopants in silicon for scalable quantum networking at telecom wavelengths.
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Prof Mohsen Razavi University of Leeds
Towards Global Quantum Communications Networks: Data Security in the Quantum Era
Professor of Quantum Communications at Leeds, coordinated the EU Innovative Training Network QCALL. PhD from MIT.
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Dr Luca Sapienza University of Cambridge
Integrated Quantum Photonics: from Single-Photon Sources to Bio-Inspired Devices
Associate Professor in Quantum Engineering at Cambridge, leading the Integrated Quantum Photonics research group. Fellow and Director of Studies at Christ's College.
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Prof Alexander Lvovsky University of Oxford
Quantum Processing of Light for Computer Vision and Superresolution Microscopy
Professor of Physics at Oxford specialising in quantum optics and optical computing, with research on optical neural networks for energy-efficient computation and sensing.
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Dr Ross Donaldson Heriot-Watt University
Satellite Platform for Optical Quantum Communications (SPOQC)
Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt specialising in optical and quantum communication technologies. Also Chief Scientific Officer at Lumino Technologies.
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Five quantum technology professionals
Careers in Quantum Tech Panel
An informal panel discussion with quantum professionals across academia, startups, and industry. In collaboration with Oxford Physics Society.
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Prof Tobias Vogl Technical University of Munich
Optical Quantum Technologies Using Room Temperature Solid-State Quantum Systems
Professor at TUM, coordinator of the QUICK3 space mission. Develops quantum emitters in 2D hexagonal boron nitride for room temperature quantum photonics.
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Random Quantum Circuits and Noise Dynamics
Mathematical physicist specialising in foundational structures of quantum generators. PhD from Freie Universitat Berlin, currently postdoc at TUM.
Michaelmas 2025 5 events
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Douglas Spencer & Samuel Nicholls University of Oxford
Graduate Flashtalks: Quantum Machine Learning
Oxford DPhil researchers presenting on adaptive quantum conformal prediction and quantum-enhanced machine learning under realistic hardware noise.
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On Locality, Bell, and Cryptography
Kuypers on local realism and information theory; Bédard on explaining Bell locally; Crépeau on experimental relativistic zero-knowledge proofs. Crépeau is a pioneer in quantum cryptography.
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Nicole Yunger Halpern NIST / QuICS, University of Maryland
Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's Tomorrow
Theoretical physicist pioneering "quantum steampunk", merging quantum information with 19th-century thermodynamics. Author of the book by the same name.
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Dr Zhenyu Cai University of Oxford
An Introduction to Quantum Error Mitigation
EPSRC Quantum Technologies Fellow in Engineering Science at Oxford, leading the Quantum Error Control research group.
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Prof Aleks Kissinger University of Oxford
Quantum Fault-Tolerant Constructions
Professor of Quantum Computing at Oxford. Co-author of "Picturing Quantum Processes" and developer of the ZX Calculus.
Trinity 2025 2 events
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Dr Gabriele Carcassi University of Michigan
The Role of Entropy in Reconstructing Physical Theories
Physicist leading the "Assumptions of Physics" project, deriving physical laws from minimal physically meaningful starting points.
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Debate: Time's Arrow, the Universe, and Quantum Reality
Barbour is an independent physicist and author of "The End of Time", working on shape dynamics. Violaris is a quantum physicist at Oxford Quantum Circuits and OUQIS founder.
Hilary 2024 1 event
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Oxford & Princeton DPhil/PhD students
Graduate Flash Talks: Oxford x Princeton
Joint session with Princeton Students in Quantum, featuring quantum research presentations from both universities.
Hilary 2023 2 events
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Richard Givhan CEO, Haiqu
Building a Quantum Middleware Startup
Co-founder and CEO of Haiqu, a quantum middleware company focused on circuit optimisation and error shielding. Stanford-trained engineer.
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Oxford & Princeton DPhil/PhD students
Graduate Flash Talks: Oxford x Princeton
Joint session with Princeton Students in Quantum. Two students from each university gave 10-minute research presentations.
Michaelmas 2022 6 events
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Ricky Young COO, qBraid
Speaker Event
COO of qBraid, a quantum computing platform providing access to 24+ quantum devices and 18+ quantum SDKs.
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Pizza Social
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Jack Hidary CEO, SandboxAQ
Uniting AI & Quantum Computing: Solving Post-Quantum Cryptography & More
CEO of SandboxAQ and author of "Quantum Computing: An Applied Approach".
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UK Uni Quantum Chess: Intro & Kick-Off
Chess with a quantum twist: using quantum mechanics to defeat opponents and win prizes.
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British Telecom & Quantum Dice
Developments in quantum communication and a live demonstration of Quantum Dice's random number generator device.
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Dr Ana Belén Sainz ICTQT, University of Gdańsk
Speaker Event
Quantum foundations researcher investigating nonclassical physical theories and their information-processing applications.
Trinity 2022 5 events
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Pizza Social
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Prof David Deutsch University of Oxford
Quantum Information in Many-Worlds
Pioneer of quantum computing, originator of foundational quantum algorithms, and champion of the many-worlds interpretation. 2023 Breakthrough Prize laureate.
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Denise Ruffner (CBO) & Robin Coxe (SVP Engineering), Atom Computing
Atom Computing & the Quantum Ecosystem
Ruffner is a quantum industry leader and founder of Women in Quantum. Coxe leads control systems and software engineering at Atom Computing.
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Joint Event with Quantum Conversations
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Flash Talks with Physics DPhil Students
Ernst researches single-atom and single-photon quantum physics. Tibau Vidal works on locality of indistinguishable quantum systems.
Hilary 2022 5 events
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Pub Trip
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Prof Janet Anders University of Exeter
Quantum Thermodynamics
Quantum thermodynamicist specialising in non-equilibrium processes and the thermodynamic behaviour of quantum systems.
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Lia Yeh University of Oxford
Workshop: The ZX Calculus
DPhil student in the Oxford Quantum Group, now a research engineer at Quantinuum, working on ZX-calculus applications to quantum error correction.
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Will Simmons University of Oxford
Workshop: Intro to MBQC
Researcher at Oxford working on measurement-based quantum computation.
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Prof Jonathan Jones University of Oxford
NMR Quantum Computing: Why Bother?
Professor of Physics at Oxford specialising in NMR quantum computation. Fellow of Brasenose College.
Michaelmas 2021 8 events
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Dr Peter Johnson Zapata Computing
Reducing Runtime and Error in VQE Using Deeper and Noisier Quantum Circuits
Lead Research Scientist and co-founder of Zapata Computing, focused on variational quantum algorithms.
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Lia Yeh, Ben Jaderberg, Matthew Wilson (Oxford), Jonathan Gorard Cambridge
Quantum Information Flash Talks
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Pub Trip
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Dr Richard Murray ORCA Computing
The Development of Scalable Quantum Computers
CEO and co-founder of ORCA Computing, a photonic quantum computing startup.
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Prof Jonathan Jones University of Oxford
NMR Quantum Computing: Why Bother?
Professor of Physics at Oxford. Fellow and Tutor at Brasenose College.
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Prof Roderich Tumulka University of Tübingen
GRW Theory and Other Spontaneous Collapse Theories
Professor of Mathematics specialising in GRW wave function collapse theory and relativistic quantum mechanics foundations.
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Prof Sandu Popescu, FRS University of Bristol
A Dynamical Cheshire Cat Effect and Implications for Counterfactual Communications
World-leading expert in quantum information theory. Discovered Popescu-Rohrlich (PR box) correlations.
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Additional Talks
Coecke: Chief Scientist at Quantinuum, pioneered categorical quantum mechanics. Marletto: Research Fellow developing constructor theory with David Deutsch.
Trinity 2021 8 events
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Joseph Tindall, Sam Kuypers, Simone Rijavec Oxford
Quantum Information Flash Talks
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Dr Earl Campbell AWS / University of Sheffield
Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing in Biased Noise Architectures
VP of Quantum Science at Riverlane. Leading expert in quantum error correction.
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Prof Simon Saunders University of Oxford
The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Professor of Philosophy of Physics at Oxford and Fellow of Merton College.
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Prof Carlo Rovelli Centre de Physique Théorique de Luminy
Making Sense of Quantum Theory: The Role of Relations and Information
Founder of loop quantum gravity theory and author of "Seven Brief Lessons on Physics".
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Dr Alba Cervera-Lierta University of Toronto
Talk
Senior Researcher at Barcelona Supercomputing Center working on quantum machine learning.
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Prof Jean Bricmont Catholic University of Louvain
The de Broglie-Bohm Theory as a Rational Completion of Quantum Mechanics
Professor at UCLouvain working on quantum mechanics foundations and a proponent of Bohmian mechanics.
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Dr Dave Bacon, VP of Software IonQ
Talk
Former senior software engineer at Google's quantum team. Co-inventor of the Bacon-Shor Code.
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Prof Nicolas Brunner University of Geneva
Talk
Professor in the Quantum Theory group at Geneva, researching quantum entanglement and nonlocality.
Hilary 2021 7 events
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Cameron Booker, Lewis Anderson, Maria Violaris Oxford
Quantum Information Flash Talks
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Emily Adlam University of Cambridge
Interpreting the Quantum
Researcher working on quantum mechanics foundations and philosophy of physics.
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24th Conference on Quantum Information Processing
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Nicole Yunger Halpern Harvard University
Quantum Steampunk: Quantum Information Meets Thermodynamics
Theoretical physicist at NIST and QuICS who pioneered the field of "quantum steampunk".
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Prof Juan Ignacio Cirac Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics
Talk
Director at MPQ. Pioneer of ion trap quantum computation and quantum simulation.
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Prof Mikhail Lukin Harvard University
Talk
Joshua and Beth Friedman University Professor at Harvard. Co-Director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative.
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Prof Jason Alicea Caltech
Introduction to Topological Quantum Computing
William K. Davis Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, specialising in topological quantum computing.
Michaelmas 2020 8 events
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Pei Zeng (Tsinghua), Brandon Severin (Oxford), Anicet Tibau Vidal Oxford
Quantum Information Flash Talks
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Prof Jonathan Oppenheim University College London
A Post-Quantum Theory of Classical Gravity
Professor at UCL developing a "postquantum theory of classical gravity" proposing spacetime may not be quantum.
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Denise Ruffner Cambridge Quantum Computing
In Conversation with Denise Ruffner
VP of Business Development at IonQ. Former Chief Business Officer of Cambridge Quantum Computing.
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Prof Giuseppe Carleo École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Neural Network Quantum States
Professor and head of the Computational Quantum Science Laboratory at EPFL. Pioneered neural network quantum states.
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Prof Xiongfeng Ma Tsinghua University
From Entanglement to Secure QKD
Professor at Tsinghua's Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, leading quantum cryptography research.
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Piotr Migdal & Klem Jankiewicz Quantum Flytrap
Visualizing Quantum States and Operators
Creators of Quantum Flytrap, interactive quantum mechanics visualisation tools.
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Jessica Pointing University of Oxford
Introduction to Quantum Computing
PhD student in Physics at Oxford. Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science.
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Riverlane
Internship / Quantum Software Talk
Trinity 2020 7 events
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Hlér Kristjansson, Augustin Vanrietvelde
Quantum Information Flash Talks
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Anthony Thompson
Journal Club: "Quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself"
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Dr Chiara Marletto University of Oxford
Quantum Gravity Talk
Research Fellow at Wolfson College developing constructor theory with David Deutsch.
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Prof Alán Aspuru-Guzik University of Toronto
Quarantine Talk
Canada 150 Research Chair, co-founder of Zapata AI. Expert in quantum algorithms for molecular simulation.
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Ben Jaderberg University of Oxford
Quantum Coding Workshop
PhD from Oxford (2022) in quantum computing. Now at IBM Research UK.
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Journal Club
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Prof Scott Aaronson University of Texas at Austin
Q&A with Scott Aaronson
Schlumberger Centennial Chair at UT Austin. ACM Prize winner for contributions to quantum computing theory.
Hilary 2020 1 event
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Quantum Biology Panel Discussion
Hore: physical chemist researching quantum biology and bird magnetoreception. Vedral: Professor of Quantum Information Science.
Michaelmas 2019 Founding term
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Prof Vlatko Vedral University of Oxford
Inaugural Event: Non-Equilibrium Quantum Thermodynamics
Professor of Quantum Information Science at Oxford. Published 500+ papers on quantum computing, cryptography, and thermodynamics.
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Three Oxford DPhil students
Flash Talks
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Marie Curious collaboration · Oxford Physics Department
Quantum Coding Workshop
Quantum coding for 11-year-olds, part of the Marie Curious outreach programme.