Jonathan Wurtz

I am a postdoc working on near-term quantum algorithms, such as the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA). My interests are probing the physical and theoretical limits of quantum computers, as well as using insight from classical algorithms to generate robust quantum variants. At a core, I am curious as to where and how quantum computers will get their advantage, especially under physical constraints of noise and competing classical algorithms.

I completed my PhD in May 2020 at Boston University under Anatoli Polkovnikov. My early research focused on semiclassical simulations of spin chains using phase space methods, and later shifted to adiabaticity and thermodynamics in quantum chaotic systems.

In my free time I enjoy gaming, baking, and writing.