We are seeking two research associates with experience in the broad area of quantum information science and technology, and an interest in quantum foundations more specifically, to work with Dr Jonte R Hance within the Advanced Model-Based Engineering and Reasoning (AMBER) Research Group in the School of Computing. These positions are funded under Dr Hance’s EPSRC Quantum Technologies Career Acceleration Fellowship, titled “Developing Quantum Advantage by Understanding the Paradoxical Aspects of Measurement in Quantum Systems”.

This project leverages foundations to pave the way for the novel quantum protocols, algorithms, and technologies of the future. You will work closely with internal collaborators, external project partners (including at the University of Bristol, Heriot-Watt University, Northumbria University, and the National Quantum Computing Centre in the UK, and Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Kagawa University, and Hiroshima University in Japan), and new and developing external collaborators. These 5-year fixed-term positions should provide a path to research independence, and Dr Hance will provide support and guidance for applying for independent fellowships and other such opportunities for developing independence throughout the term of the position.

This interdisciplinary project involves applying the quantum formalism (QF) to model experimental observations of human emotional memory performance, and the neural systems that support it, to better understand the interaction between elements. The quantum formalism provides a natural mechanism for modelling combinations of difficult-to-reconcile memory effects, such as the question order effect (where changing question order may change the respondent’s answer) and the response replicability effect (where repeated presentations of a question produce the same response across contexts). Conversely, the paradoxical temporal effects often observed in human memory performance mean it may provide a useful theatre for observing analogies of quantum phenomena we cannot access directly.

Applications are invited for two postdoctoral fellowships in quantum information and foundations at QICI Quantum Information and Computation Initiative, Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong.