Urmila Mahadev facts for kids
Urmila Mahadev is an American mathematician and computer scientist. She is known for her important work in quantum computing and quantum cryptography. These are special areas of computer science that use the rules of quantum physics.
Her Journey in Science
Urmila Mahadev grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her parents are doctors. She became very interested in quantum computing while studying at the University of Southern California. She took a class with a professor named Leonard Adleman. She finished her studies there in 2010.
After that, she went to the University of California, Berkeley for more advanced studies. She even received a special scholarship to help her with her research.
At Berkeley, she worked with her professor, Umesh Vazirani. Here, Urmila made a big discovery! She found a way to check if a quantum computer was working correctly. Imagine you have a super-fast quantum computer. Her method, called an interactive proof system, lets a regular computer confirm that the quantum computer did its job right. This is a very important step for making quantum computers reliable.
She earned her Ph.D. degree in 2018. After doing more research at Berkeley, she became a professor. Now, she teaches at the California Institute of Technology.
Awards and Recognition
Urmila Mahadev has received special awards for her amazing work.
- In 2018, she won the Machtey Award. She received this at a big meeting called the Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science. This award was for her work on checking quantum computers.
- In 2021, she won one of the first Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes. This award celebrates the achievements of women mathematicians who are early in their careers.
Her discoveries are helping to build the future of computing!
