Graduate studies news

The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) has appointed Dr. John Watrous, former IQC faculty member and interim executive director, in a new director role set to expand the institute's educational programs.

IQC celebrates our community's many accomplishments in research, training, outreach and commercialization in 2025. 

Angéline Lafleur, a current IQC PhD student and former QSYS participant, has been named one of 14 recipients of the Order of the White Rose scholarship, valued at $50,000.

Every year since 2012, IQC has brought together some of the brightest young researchers in quantum information science for the week-long Quantum Innovators (QI) workshop. 

Dr. José Polo-Gómez has won the American Physical Society’s (APS) 2026 Irwin Oppenheim Award for his research.

Ten IQC graduates received their University of Waterloo graduate degrees from math and science faculties at fall 2025 convocation.

IQC PhD students, María Rosa Preciado Rivas and Benjamin MacLellan, have received the 2025 David Johnston Award for Scientific Outreach.

How Waterloo became a global hub for quantum science and technology

Snapshots of IQC 

IQC member Ahmed Shahin awarded 2025 Vanier Scholarship 

Institute for Quantum Computing celebrates spring 2025 graduates

IQC graduate Dr. Shayan Majidy is the recipient of this year’s W.B. Pearson Medal, awarded by the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Science, which honours creative research presented in students’ theses.

Yawen Peng, a PhD candidate in electrical and computer engineering, is the first recipient of the new Samit & Reshma Sharma foundation scholarship.

A new Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC)-Mitacs paid internship program can help bridge the gap between industry and academia allowing students to diversify their skills. 

IQC PhD students Sarah Odinotski and Jack DeGooyer are working on designing sensors capable of detecting single photons, the smallest unit of light.

Graduates and program leaders of IQC's Master of Science degree in Physics with a specialization in Quantum Technology explain the purpose and benefits of the program.

Institute for Quantum Computing celebrates fall 2024 graduates

This week, 24 graduates from the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) will cross the stage at convocation, earning their University of Waterloo graduate degrees from engineering, math and science.

The year-long, worldwide initiative aims to celebrate the contributions of quantum science to technological progress over the past century, raise global awareness of its importance to sustainable development in the 21st century, and ensure that all nations have access to quantum education and opportunities.

IQC is proud to congratulate Jack deGooyer, Caroline de Lima Vargas Simões and Sarah Odinotski, IQC PhD students who were awarded the 2024 Vanier Scholarship, one of the most competitive and prestigious scholarships available in Canada for PhD students.