My name is Shayan Majidy, and I’m a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Misha Lukin and Michael Gullans.

My research interests lie in two connected areas: quantum computing and quantum error correction, and quantum thermodynamics and many-body physics. Currently, I’m focused on advancing quantum algorithm implementation and exploring many-body dynamics through logical circuit design. This involves developing and optimizing protocols for simulating many-body quantum phenomena on NISQ (noisy intermediate-scale quantum) and early-stage fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Previously, I completed my PhD in 2024 at the University of Waterloo, where my research focused on understanding the effects of noncommuting charges in quantum information and thermodynamics. During my PhD, I received Canada’s prestigious Vanier Scholarship, as well as the John Brodie Memorial Award and the IQC Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding contributions in quantum information science at the Perimeter Institute and the Institute for Quantum Computing. I also co-authored the textbook Building Quantum Computers, published by Cambridge University Press.

Education & Academic Positions

Harvard University
Banting Postdoctoral Fellow
2024-

University of Waterloo
Ph.D in Physics
2019-2024

University of Waterloo
M.Sc. in Physics
2018-2019

University of Guelph
B.Sc. in Theoretical Physics
2011-2015

Publications

See Google Scholar for a possibly more updated list that also includes preprints.

1. Building Quantum Computers: A Practical Introduction
   Shayan Majidy, Christopher Wilson, Raymond Laflamme
   Cambridge University Press (2024). [Available for purchase September 2024]

2. Noncommuting charges can remove non-stationary quantum many-body dynamics
   Shayan Majidy
   Nature Communications (2024). [arXiv pdf]

3. Noncommuting conserved charges in quantum thermodynamics and beyond
   Shayan Majidy, William F Braasch Jr, Aleksander Lasek, Twesh Upadhyaya, Amir Kalev, Nicole Yunger Halpern
   Nature Reviews Physics (2023). [arXiv pdf]

4. A unification of the coding theory and OAQEC perspectives on hybrid codes
   Shayan Majidy
   International Journal of Theoretical Physics (2023). [arXiv pdf]

5. Critical phase and spin sharpening in SU (2)-symmetric monitored quantum circuits
   Shayan Majidy, Utkarsh Agrawal, Sarang Gopalakrishnan, Andrew C Potter, Romain Vasseur, Nicole Yunger Halpern
   Physical Review B (2023). [arXiv pdf]

6. Non-Abelian symmetry can increase entanglement entropy
   Shayan Majidy, Aleksander Lasek, David A Huse, Nicole Yunger Halpern
   Physical Review B (2023). [arXiv pdf]

7. How to build Hamiltonians that transport noncommuting charges in quantum thermodynamics
   Nicole Yunger Halpern, Shayan Majidy
   npj Quantum Information (2022). [arXiv pdf]

8. Detecting violations of macrorealism when the original Leggett-Garg inequalities are satisfied
   Shayan Majidy, Jonathan J Halliwell, Raymond Laflamme
   Physical Review A (2021). [arXiv pdf]

9. Exploration of an augmented set of Leggett-Garg inequalities using a noninvasive continuous-in-time velocity measurement
   Shayan Majidy, Hemant Katiyar, Galit Anikeeva, Jonathan Halliwell, Raymond Laflamme
   Physical Review A (2019). [arXiv pdf]

Oot and Aboot

Hover over the photos for context.

Recieving the John Brodie (May 21, 2024)

YQI Talk, Yale (Jam 16, 2024)

I was on CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks (Dec 30, 2023)

From my semester as a visiting student in Sarang's group, Princeton (Sep 14, 2023)

Dinner with Raymond Laflamme and John Preskill (Aug 1, 2023)

I had the pleasure of organizing Ray's birthday conference, University of Waterloo (July 17, 2023)

RQS annual workshop, University of Maryland (June 22, 2023)

InfoQ Seminar, Institut Quantique (Mar 28, 2023)

Visiting Xiaoliang Qi's Group, Stanford (Feb 24, 2023)

After my Redwood seminar, Berkeley (Feb 22, 2023)

CQIQC seminar, University of Toronto (Feb 3, 2023)

Post talk hike, Telluride (July 22, 2022)

RQS seminar, University of Maryland (Aug 2, 2022)