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Elham Kashefi
Elham Kashefi August 2003.jpg
Kashefi in 2003
Education Aboureihan High School
Alma mater Sharif University of Technology (BSc, MSc)
Imperial College London (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields Quantum cloud
Quantum cryptography
Institutions University of Edinburgh
University of Oxford
Sorbonne University
Thesis Complexity Analysis and Semantics for Quantum Computation (2003)
Doctoral advisor Vlatko Vedral
Steffen van Bakel

Elham Kashefi (Persian: الهام کاشفی) is a top computer scientist. She is a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She also works as a researcher at Sorbonne University in France.

Professor Kashefi is famous for her work in quantum computing. She helped create something called "blind quantum computing." This is a special way to keep your computer calculations private. Her research helps make quantum technology safe and useful for everyone.

Becoming a Scientist

Elham Kashefi grew up in Tehran, Iran. She went to Aboureihan High School there. After high school, she studied applied mathematics at Sharif University of Technology. She earned her first degree in 1996 and her master's degree in 1998.

Later, she moved to London, England. She studied at Imperial College London and earned her PhD in 2003. Her studies focused on how quantum computers work.

Her Work in Quantum Computing

After finishing her PhD, Professor Kashefi became a research fellow at Christ Church, Oxford. She studied the basic ideas behind quantum computing. In 2005, she worked at the Institute for Quantum Computing. She then visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. There, she explored how to make quantum calculations faster.

In 2007, she joined the University of Edinburgh. She is now a leading expert in quantum computing there. She also continues her research at Sorbonne University.

Keeping Information Safe

A big part of her work is about quantum cryptography. This is a super-secure way to protect information using quantum physics. She believes that combining regular security methods with quantum ones is key for future communication.

Professor Kashefi also works on checking if quantum computers are working correctly. This is called "verification of quantum computing." It's important to make sure these powerful new machines do what they are supposed to do.

Blind Quantum Computing

One of her most important inventions is "Universal Blind Quantum Computing." Imagine you want a powerful quantum computer to do a calculation for you. But you don't want the computer to know what you are calculating. Blind quantum computing allows you to do this! It keeps your information private while the computer does the work.

Quantum Cloud and Networks

Professor Kashefi has also helped develop "quantum cloud computing." This means you can use a quantum computer over the internet, just like you use cloud storage today.

In 2017, she helped start a company called VeriQloud. This company creates software for quantum networks. She also helped create two big quantum networks in the UK: QUantum OXford Imperial College (QuOxIC) and Quantum Information Scotland Network (QUISCO). These networks bring together scientists to work on quantum science.

In 2022, she became the Chief Scientist at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC). In 2023, she became the director of the NQCC's Quantum Software Lab. This lab is based at the University of Edinburgh.

Awards and Recognition

Professor Kashefi has received many honors for her important work. In 2011, she was chosen for the Young Academy of Scotland. This group recognizes talented young leaders. In 2024, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). This is a very high honor for scientists in Scotland.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Elham Kashefi para niños

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