María Rosa Preciado Rivas
PhD student, Institute for Quantum Computing
Department of Applied Math, and the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, University of Waterloo
María Rosa Preciado Rivas didn’t meet a feminine scientist till she began her undergraduate diploma at Yachay Tech University in Ecuador. Joining IQC’s staff of outreach volunteers in 2023, she grew to become impressed to be the position mannequin for budding scientists she didn’t have rising up.
Beyond reaching younger science fans, she has discovered that introducing quantum science at a fundamental degree additionally engages mother and father, packing extra punch in every outreach activation.
“I’m thankful for the recognition and hope more people join IQC’s outreach team because it’s not just fun; it feels like I’m making a difference,” Preciado Rivas says. “Science communication skills are useful beyond engaging the public. As a quantum information researcher, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision on niche topics but outreach helps me take a step back, see the bigger picture and use these communication skills to explain complex concepts to professors and peers outside my research area.”
When Preciado Rivas joined the University of Waterloo, she hadn’t deliberate for an instructional profession in quantum data science. What felt complicated in regards to the self-discipline throughout her undergraduate diploma grew to become clearer throughout her quantum data programs at Waterloo.
Having the precise instruments to comprehend and study quantum mechanics made her “fall in love with quantum” and alter her area of examine.
Now she’s in her final yr of PhD research in Applied Math. Her analysis focuses on how quantum mechanics and common relativity intersect revealing fascinating phenomena that would inform what benefit quantum computer systems may have over classical.