Cameron Calcluth awarded the Wenner-Gren fellowship

The Wenner-Gren fellowship is the most exclusive program offered by the Wenner-Gren Foundations and aims at supporting international scientific exchange. More specifically, the fellowship gives young researchers the opportunity to receive qualified postdoctoral training abroad for three years and an additional two years of research activities in Sweden. As one of only seven recipients in Sweden 2025, Cameron Calcuth, PhD student at the Division of Applied Quantum Physics at Chalmers, will now get funding for three years’ independent research at the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford, as well as for two years’ research activities at the Department of Computer Science at KTH, Stockholm.

Hi Cameron - congratulations! What was your spontaneous reaction when you found out you would be awarded this fellowship? 
“I was ecstatic! I was also in some disbelief - the first thing I did was ask my partner to read the email to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood! To me, it’s a major boost towards my ultimate career dream of becoming an academic. The fellowship will give me the time and freedom to work for five years on research that I am truly passionate about, and not have to spend time on applications for funding for a long time. I also immediately shared the news with my PhD supervisor, Giulia Ferrini, to express my gratitude for her guidance and support through the application process. The news also made me even more excited about my proposed research, now that I will be able to turn my ideas into reality!”

What research topic will you be focusing on in the next coming years?
“The research I have proposed will combine ideas from mathematics, physics, and computer science to explore the true potential of quantum computers. I will compare two quantum computer models: the qubit model, which uses binary quantum bits, and one that gives an infinite range of measurement values. Although both are expected to solve certain problems much faster than classical computers, we currently don’t know how their abilities compare. By understanding the difference between the two, my research will aim to design new quantum algorithms for both platforms, potentially useful for both science and industry.”

What made you choose Oxford for this work? 
“Oxford hosts one of Europe’s largest quantum research centres and hosts around 60 researchers working on quantum technology. During the fellowship, I will collaborate with Prof. Bálint Koczor, who is a world expert in mathematical techniques for understanding quantum computers, which will be crucial for the theoretical foundations of my project. Then, for the next two years, Prof. Stefano Markidis will host me at KTH’s computer science department, where I will develop new quantum algorithms based on the ideas developed at Oxford.”

Do you have any thoughts on why your application was awarded the fellowship? 
“I think that the panel recognised the exciting potential of my project: if successful, it will unlock new algorithms that could be useful across a wide variety of fields. The panel also seemed excited by the interdisciplinary and international approach of my project. I have already spent significant time at four different universities around the world and taken courses from another three. In addition, the fellowship lies at the intersection of three different subjects: my background is in theoretical physics, and the fellowship will take me to the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford and the Department of Computer Science at KTH.”
 

Thanks and congratulations, Cameron!