Jacob Biamonte

Information

Biography

Building a quantum computer is only half the challenge. The other half is understanding what it can compute. Jacob Biamonte’s work has helped establish the foundations for answering that question. A full professor at ÉTS and holder of the MEIE Principal Research Chair in Quantum Computing, Biamonte is internationally recognized for foundational research that has helped shape several of today’s leading approaches to quantum computing. Using energy-based models, he has shown how physical quantum systems can become programmable, which simple interactions are sufficient for universal computation, and where quantum algorithms may outperform classical ones. His work has given the field both a map and a language: demonstrating that universal computation can arise from physically realistic interactions, developing systematic ways to encode computations in quantum energy landscapes, connecting computational models through tensor networks, and identifying the barriers and shortcuts involved in training variational quantum circuits to recognize patterns and solve problems. As technology companies announce quantum breakthroughs, Biamonte asks the question behind them: What can today’s machines actually do?