A degree for the quantum age
In 2019, ETH Zurich launched one of the world’s first Master’s degrees in Quantum Engineering. Since then, interest in the programme has soared – and its first graduates are already making their mark in industry.
A hundred years ago, a cadre of the world’s most renowned physicists embarked on a quest that would transform their field. The group – which included Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schr?dinger, Max Born and Wolfgang Pauli – laid the groundwork for quantum mechanics, a theory so radically different from classical physics that its concepts and language can be hard for non-scientists to grasp. In fact, quantum physics is so revolutionary that it even defies principles once regarded as immut?able by classical physicists.
“Much of our current understanding of the world is based on quantum mechanics,” says Martin Frimmer, Professor of Photonics in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. “Take modern microelectronics, for instance it wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the discovery that electrons in semiconductors exhibit wave-like behaviour.” The field of quantum mechanics underpins numerous real-world technologies, he explains, but it also makes predictions about phenomena yet to be observed.
Quantum entanglement – where quantum objects such as electrons, photons or atoms become intrinsically connected – is one ex?ample; another is the idea of quantum teleportation. For decades, these concepts remained confined to theoret?ical thought experiments, and it wasn’t until the early 2000s that scientists were finally able to routinely demonstrate such effects in the lab. “We’ve now reached a stage where we can harness these phenomena for practical applications – and that requires a whole new class of engineers,” says Frimmer. Quantum engineers are a breed apart, he explains: well versed in traditional engineering, but equally comfortable at the cutting edge of quantum science.
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This text appeared in the 25/02 issue of the ETH magazine Globe.
Pioneering programme
Professor Frimmer is programme manager and one of the developers of the two-year ETH Master of Science in Quantum Engineering. When this programme launched in 2019, it was among the first in the world to blend a traditional engineering degree with a specialisation in quantum science. Though officially part of the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, it is run in collaboration with the Department of Physics. That means students can pick lectures from both departments and tailor the course to their individu?al interests.
From the outset, the programme emphasises practical, hands?-?on learning and real-world applications. By the second semester, students are already working on a semester project, spanning several weeks, which they can pursue in a research group at ETH Zurich, at an?other university or with an industry partner. In their second year, students collaborate in teams of four to de?velop their first quantum applications, either in ETH laboratories or with industry partners. Currently, the programme attracts around 30 new students a year, with women making up between 20 and 30 percent of the total.
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Engineering in Milan, Sophie Cavallini became part of one of the first cohorts of the ETH Master’s programme, which she completed last year. “I particularly enjoyed the hands-on approach, which was very different to what I was used to in Italy,” she says. “The projects we worked on were really ambitious, sometimes even a bit futuristic.” For the practical part of her studies, she joined Jonathan Home’s group in the Department of Physics. After graduating, she immediately started her doctoral studies in the same group. “We trap ions with electromagnetic fields and fire lasers at them to change their energy state,” she says, summarising her work.
Her long-term goal is to develop integrated photonic chips that use light instead of electrical current. “The technology we’re working on is not only central to quantum computing but could also, for example, pave the way for a new generation of biosensors,” she explains. During her studies, Cavallini, 24, was heavily involved in the Quantum Engineering Commission, a student association that organises summer barbecues, festive fondues, a weekly journal club where guest researchers can present their latest work, exchanges with other universities, and visits to companies. “I had no idea that socialising with my fellow students was going to be so much fun!” says Cavallini.
Her tasks included helping to organise two quantum hackathons on the H?nggerberg campus. Each was attended by 100 students from across Europe, who spent 48 hours working on a quantum engineering challenge. Throughout the event, they were supported by mentors from the private sector and the world of research. “The best parts are the friendships that you make and the students you meet from other universities,” says Cavallini. “And sometimes you bump into them again at conferences or on training programmes abroad.” Because the hackathon is supported by industry partners, it’s also an easy way to connect with potential future employers.
From Iceland to ETH
One of the first graduates from the Master’s programme was Bj?rn Josteinsson. Since 2022, he’s been working at QZabre, an ETH spin-off that develops quantum microscopes. The company uses nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond to measure magnetic and electric fields, current densities and temperatures at the nanometre scale. “I get to work right at the cutting edge of a groundbreaking technology,” says Josteinsson. “We are developing measurement techniques that open up entirely new realms of possibility.”
Josteinsson, 28, grew up in Iceland and went on to study physics there at university. It was during his undergraduate degree that he first encountered quantum mechanics. “I wanted to delve deeper into quantum theory, but I was also keen to put theory into practice,” he says. That kind of course wasn’t available in Iceland – but Zurich’s offering ticked all the boxes. During his studies, he says, he often felt like a child in a sweet shop: “There are so many labs at ETH working on fascinating quantum experiments, and we were able to get involved in almost all of them. It was fantastic!” His first contact with QZabre was during his student internship. In the meantime, another gradu?ate from the programme has joined the company, and most of QZabre’s interns are also drawn from the ETH Master’s in Quantum Engineering.
Frimmer says the Master’s programme already offers outstanding career prospects. “Almost every major technology company is conducting research into quantum applications,” he says. Google, Microsoft, Amazon and also the chemical and pharmaceutical industries all have teams working in this field. And while products based on quantum engin?eering are still thin on the ground, and a true quantum computer is still some way off, Frimmer notes that interest from industry is growing all the time.
International hub
“When it came to developing the degree programme, we quickly realised that we could count on practical support from outside the university rather than just doing everything ourselves,” says Frimmer. A lot of course and project events are now run in close collabor?ation with industry partners, he adds, and the number of big companies and small start-ups working in the field has transformed Zurich into something of an international quantum hub. For the past three years, he’s observed an increasing number of graduates opting for industry pos?itions rather than pursuing the trad?itional doctorate route. This trend, he argues, demonstrates that quantum mechanics has evolved from purely theoretical research into a mature engineering discipline – a development that would undoubtedly have astonished pioneers like Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schr?dinger.
New physics building
A state-of-the-art physics building is currently taking shape on the H?nggerberg campus. With one-third of its volume above ground and two-thirds below, the building will house offices and teaching spaces, as well as more than 5,400 square metres of highly insulated lab space for some 500 researchers and students. Equipped with ultra-?sensitive equipment for physics experiments, these high-tech labs will be completely shielded from environmental interference. Temperature variations must not exceed 0.01 degrees Celsius, humidity must remain constant, and vibrations must be kept below 0.1 micrometres a second. With this new facility, ETH Zurich aims to further strengthen its position in quantum technologies. The project was made possible thanks to a donation from ETH alumnus and honorary councillor Martin Haefner.
