Pranet Sharma ⚛️
Pranet Sharma

Physics, Economics, and Computer Science

Hi! I’m Pranet, an undergraduate student pursuing a double degree at Yale University in Physics and Economics with a certificate in Computer Science. I’m deeply interested in quantum technology and its applications to society.

I have years of experience in physics and engineering research, as well as leadership and deep domain knowledge in emerging technology markets. I look to work at the intersection of physics, entrepreneurship, and computation, using cross-functional skills to advance technology and bring it to the world.

Experience

  1. AMO Quantum Engineering Researcher

    Yale Ultracold Quantum Matter Lab

    Researcher at the Yale UQM Lab. Building a first-of-its-kind neutral atom quantum computer using Strontium. Pioneering novel experimental design for optical tweezer construction and leading polarization spectroscopy for 689nm laser. Developing applications in computation, metrology, sensing, and qECA.

    PI: Professor Nir Navon

  2. Quantum Software Engineer • Product Manager

    qBraid, Inc.

    Quantum Software Engineer at qBraid. Using Python for API management and SDK development. Maintaining and upgrading quantum device access, as well as backend-agnostic transpiling. Working on in-house kernel and quantum environment management, as well as API gateway construction to diverse hardware providers.

    Quantum Product Management intern at qBraid. Working on business development to improve customer retention and facilitate revenue growth through strategic partnerships. Managing corporate partnerships across technologies (IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, Wolfram) to widen the user base. Developing resources and notebooks to demonstrate how qBraid’s resources can be leveraged to engineer novel quantum solutions. Increasing community engagement through outreach and communication.

  3. NSF Hardware Security Researcher

    Yale/Northwestern Computer Architecture and Security Lab

    Researcher at Yale/Northwestern CASLAB. Developed a novel security algorithm implementing a “moving target defense” on multimodal quantum computer hardware, maximizing circuit depth while minimizing fidelity lost through SWAP insertion, preventing cross-talk attacks. Paper submitted to IEEE EuroS&P.

    Developed a novel quantum architecture schematic to optimize job delivery algorithms, working with Microsoft Azure Quantum. Creating versatile datasets for novel models predicting efficiency and reducing decoherence and gate-level delays. Leveraged Clifford-group randomized benchmarking techniques with our schematic to enhance result precision for quantum backends.

    PI: Professor Jakub Szefer

  4. Venture Capital Scout • Consultant

    10vc
    Venture Scout and Scientific Consultant for 10vc. Connecting emerging technology startups in New England with the venture capital ecosystem in Silicon Valley. Aiding with due diligence and advising the firm on investments and product feasibility.

Education

  1. B.S. Physics, B.A. Economics; Computer Science

    Yale University

    Pursuing a double degree in Physics (Intensive) and Economics, with a Certificate in Computer Science.

    Member of the Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee for the Yale Department of Physics. Responsible for continued improvement of the Physics program at Yale through collaboration with Department Chair Karsten Heeger. Spearheading innovation entrepreneurship collaborations with the Yale School of Management and Yale Ventures.

    Activities and Societies: Co-President of the Yale Undergraduate Quantum Computing Group; Founder and Director of YQuantum, Yale’s biggest hackathon. Leader for the Yale First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trips. Dancer with Yale Jashan Bhangra.

    Relevant Coursework: PHYS 440/441 Quantum Mechanics and Natural Phenomena, CPSC 439: Quantum Information Systems, APHY 194 Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, PHYS 345: Introduction to Quantum Information Science, CPSC 223: Data Structures, ECON 425: Algorithmic Game Theory, ECON 117: Econometrics, MATH 226 Intensive Linear Algebra, CPSC 439 Software Engineering

  2. B.A. Economics

    London School of Economics and Political Science

    Accepted at and attended the London School of Economics Summer School, achieving credits for the Economics degree at Yale University. Achieved First Class Honors.

    Relevant Coursework: Global Financial Markets: Bubbles, Booms, and Crashes; Introduction to Behavioral Economics

  3. Diploma

    North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

    GPA: 4.0/4.0

    Activities and societies: Science Olympiad (Captain); Physics Team (Captain); National Ethics Bowl (Captain); National History Day (Co-President); Varsity Swimming & Diving; Research and Innovation Leader; Research in Physics; Research in Humanities

Awards
2x MIT Quantum Hackathon Winner
Massachusetts Institute of Technology • IBM Quantum ∙ January 2024

Won First Prize at MIT iQuHACK 2023 for the IBM Quantum x Covalent challenge. Combined QML and chaos engineering to design consumption calculation and node failure contingency mechanisms for energy grid optimization.

Winner, IBM Quantum Challenge, iQuHACK 2024. Developed a platform empowering users to construct customizable quantum algorithms that can outperform classical computers through QSVTs. Achieved first successful implementation.

CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Nomination
Microsoft Research • CRA ∙ March 2023
Nominated for the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for contributions to quantum architecture and security.
Yale Hackathon Winner
Yale University ∙ January 2024
Won Sustainability Track Prize at YHack 2024 for machine-learning enhanced irrigation efficiency planner. Won ActualFood Special Prize for applications to hunger mitigation.
IBM Quantum Challenge
IBM Quantum ∙ January 2023
Demonstrated proficiency in quantum software development, algorithm analysis, intelligent circuit transpilation, and oracle applicability.
See certificate
Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award
Bausch & Lomb ∙ June 2022
Nominated and awarded Bausch + Lomb honor for science achievement for extensive research and commitment to science.