CV

Curriculum Vitae [PDF]

Education

• Ph.D Physics, University of Waterloo, 2020-Present
• Affiliated graduate researcher at Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, 2020-2025
• Ph.D Physics, ETH Zürich, 2016-2018 (changed research field from experimental to theoretical quantum computing)
• M.Sc. Physics, Ulm University, 2014-2016
• B.Sc. Physics, Computer Science, Lahore University of Management Sciences, 2009-2013

Work experience

• Visiting graduate researcher, Jens Eisert Group, Freie University Berlin. January to April 2024
• Graduate researcher, Theory division, LANL. September to December 2023
• Intern Quantum Computing Summer school, LANL. June to August 2023
• Quantum machine learning scientist at Xanadu. September 2019 to August 2020
• Quantum machine learning intern at Xanadu. May 2019 to August 2019
• Research assistant with Prof. Fedor Jelezko, Institute for Quantum Optics, Ulm University. May 2015 to August 2016
• Research assistant with Department of Physics, Lahore University of Management Sciences. July 2013 to June 2014
• Research intern with Department of Computer Science, Lahore University of Management Sciences. June 2012 to December 2012

Awards

• Marie Curie Graduate Student Award (upto CAD 10000/Year), University of Waterloo, 2020-2025
• Vector Research Grant (CAD 6000/year), Vector Institute, 2021-2024
• Xanadu QHACK 2021: 3rd position
• Marie Curie Young Researcher Fellowship, ETH Zürich, 2016-2018 (news release)
• Degree Scholarship for 1500 Euros, Ulm University, 2015
• Merit scholarship award for PKR 219000, Lahore University of Management Sciences (not availed), 2014-2015
• 100% Honor Roll Scholarship, Lahore Grammar School, 2007-2009

Community Engagement

• Host of QML meet up: Amira Abaas, I and Antal Szava host QML researchers and discuss cutting-edge research contributions.
• Mentor: QOSF mentorship program 2020
• Keynote speaker: Canadian Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics(CCUWIP) Toronto 2020
• Speaker: Physics camp for Girls 2021
• Speaker: International Women’s Day Conference 2022
• Speaker: Research To Reality Symposium 2022
• Speaker: EQAI 2023
• Lecturer and Panelist: Quantum Barsaat 2024

Academic Services

• Journal Reviewer:
  • QTML 2023, QTML 2022, QTML 2021, QTML 2020
  • PRX Quantum
  • PRL
• Software contributions:
  • PennyLane
  • Strawberry Fields
• Patent:
  • Co-inventor with Seth Lloyd and Maria Schuld: US Patent Application 17,118,004 “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR QUANTUM COMPUTIING WITH PRE TRAINING”

Cities I have lived in

• Lahore, Pakistan
• Ulm, Germany
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Toronto, Canada
• Los Alamos, USA
• Berlin, Germany
• Oxford, UK

Miscellaneous Interests

• Sports: Badminton, Tennis, Squash, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Football

• Music: Heavy, death, progressive, and Avant-Garde metal. Some of my favorite bands: Sepultura, Gojira, Opeth, Tool, Lamb of God, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Acrassicauda, Death, Blind Guardian, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Porcupine Tree, Megadeth

• Reading: Classics and fiction like Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Thomas Hardy, Albert Camus, Bohumil Hrabal, JRR Tolkien, Joseph Conrad, Vsevolod Garshin

• Dancing: Salsa, Swing, Tango, Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata, Bhangra

• Other interests: Drums, Existentialism, Absurdism, Sociology, Behavioral Psychology, History, Literature, painting, martial arts