Perimeter Scholars International, Undergraduates and Career Trajectories

Perimeter Scholars International: Big Picture Thinking

Students from 18 countries graduated from Perimeter’s unique, intense master’s program in theoretical physics this year. The 25 graduates from the one-year program celebrated their collective achievements during a ceremony on June 23. The 13 women and 12 men in this year’s class were selected from over 600 applicants from around the world. The program has been applauded by Perimeter’s Scientific Advisory Committee for being “possibly the most geographically diverse and gender-balanced large master’s training program for theoretical physics in the world.”

Cole Coughlin, a Canadian student, and Raquel Izquierdo Garcia, a student from Spain and winner of this year’s Marsland Family PSI Award, were selected by their peers to speak at this year’s ceremony. The PSI program is offered jointly with the University of Waterloo, the degree-granting institution.

This year saw the graduation of two additional PSI students, who each completed an industry internship as part of their PSI experience. Sofia Gonzalez Garcia spent her internship at Google Quantum AI in Palo Alto, California, and Anna Knörr spent time at QuEra, a quantum computing company in Boston, Massachusetts. The internships were part of a Perimeter pilot program to offer opportunities for industry connection to students and postdocs working and studying at the Institute.

PSI Start: Undergraduate students level up their research skills with PSI Start internships

The leap from undergraduate studies to grad school is no easy thing. The PSI Start Program is designed to take the edge off that leap, easing the transition into the world of graduate-level physics for students nearing the end of their undergrad.

PSI Bridge: Providing Opportunities To Students Facing Challenges

Perimeter recognizes that many promising students face challenges that could, without support, hinder their progression to graduate studies in theoretical physics.

Career Trajectories

A degree in physics opens all kinds of doors, both within academia and throughout the wider world. Perimeter’s Career Trajectories initiatives are designed to help students and early-career researchers, from undergraduates to postdocs, explore the full range of possibilities available to them and find careers that are exciting and fulfilling. Perimeter alumni have gone on to successful careers in a wide range of sectors: from quantum technology, to finance, to data science, and beyond. Career Trajectories offers workshops and networking opportunities, a suite of resources on job hunting and career development, and individual support for resume development and interview skills.

In 2022/23, Perimeter hosted six Career Trajectories events – with a total of 220 participants – including networking events, lunch and learn sessions, and workshops on postdoc and faculty job applications.

Quantum and AI Career Trajectories Mini-Course Connects Students with Industry Experts

Graduate students studying everything from quantum physics to machine learning had an opportunity to find out how to turn their physics skill set into industry careers at a Quantum and AI Career Trajectories mini-course held at Perimeter Institute in May. The week-long event gave students the opportunity to attend lectures on topics relevant to both academic and private sector research, with an emphasis on practical techniques to turn theory and experiment into applications. The students had a chance to meet face to face with quantum start-up founders and industry leaders during tutorials and dedicated networking sessions. Throughout the course, Perimeter Research Associate Faculty member Roger Melko and former PSI student Mohamed Hibat Allah, completing his PhD at the University of Waterloo and Vector Institute at the time, gave lessons on generative modelling, while Martin Ganahl of SandboxAQ taught participants about tensor networks and quantum algorithms. Both are techniques that, via machine learning, can solve complex real-world problems. Students were left with a lot to think about, including the future of quantum and AI technology in Canada and their own place in that future.

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Career Trajectories Events 2022/23

Quantum and AI Networking Event
Including 12 invited company representatives.

Quantum and AI Career Trajectories: Computational Methods and Their Applications

Industry Resume Workshop

Monsters University Mock Job Talk Sessions

Faculty Application Basics Workshop

Monsters University Mock Faculty Application CV Review