Quantum Careers for Gen Z with Deeya Viradia
Welcome back to the New Quantum Era, the podcast exploring the frontiers of quantum science and technology and the people shaping its future. I'm your host, Sebastian Hassinger. If you listen to the podcast before, you know that for the most part, I'm talking with principal investigators and group leaders and postdocs and often pioneers of the field. In other words, very seasoned researchers with a ton of experience. I started off this way on purpose, in fact, because I was really desperate to learn more about the origin stories of these technologies from the people who were often closest to them.
Sebastian Hassinger:I've tried more and more to balance things out a little bit with rising stars like Charlotte Buchter and Yvonne Gao most recently to sort of bounce off the the veterans. A few weeks back, I I got a message on LinkedIn from today's guest, Dia Varadia. She had some very nice things to say about the podcast and and suggested that I might try to have some representation on the show from Gen z, people at the earliest stages of exploring the field and defining their own path in it, people like herself. I've always been really passionate about doing what I can to help people understand how they can have a career in quantum technologies. You heard some of that in my conversation with Emily Edwards from Duke who runs the q 12 initiative, a few episodes ago.
Sebastian Hassinger:I've always loved how much, for example, the IBM Quantum team has invested in education and outreach, and I feel the same for others with the same dedication. So I was immediately bought in to Dia's idea, and then I skimmed her LinkedIn profile and quickly realized she's an exceptional example of a highly motivated young person who no doubt will find a valuable role to play in the future. She's an undergraduate at UC Berkeley and a rising voice in the quantum community, gaining recognition of the quantum hackathons at MIT and Yale, and has even started her own quantum computing club, Qubit, at Berkeley, focused on making the field accessible to newcomers. She's already conducted research at places like, the Slack National Accelerator Laboratory and Berkeley's Quantum Device Group. And in our conversation, we dive into what draws her and so many others to the unknowns of quantum physics, how she's navigating the choices between theory and experiment, and why she sees community building and entrepreneurship as essential parts of the next quantum era.
Sebastian Hassinger:Dia's passion for both the scientific mystery and the potential real world of impact of quantum technologies is energizing and inspiring. If you're a student or early career professional, maybe quantum curious but unsure where to start, this episode's for you. And for the rest of us, Dia's story is a reminder that the next wave of breakthroughs in quantum science may come from the most unexpected directions. Stay tuned for a lively and honest look at what it's like to be at the starting line of quantum's next revolution and where it might take all of us next.
Sebastian Hassinger:Hi, Dia. How are you?
Deeya Viradia:I'm doing great. How are you?
Sebastian Hassinger:I'm doing very well.
Sebastian Hassinger:Thank you. Thanks for joining us. I've been looking forward to this conversation. I think, you know, you contacted me on LinkedIn and suggested that I should have more Gen Z voices on the show, and I think that was exactly correct. I try to sort of balance, you know, the the people who've who've had longer careers and can provide some historical perspective with people who are earlier in their career.
Sebastian Hassinger:But frankly, you're earlier in your career than anybody else I've had on the show. So can you describe a little bit about where you, you know, where where you sort of made the beginning of your journey into into quantum computing and where you are right now?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. Sure. And thank you so much for having me. I have been a big fan of this podcast for a while, and I think just having younger voices in that representation is very important so that everyone can get involved in this field. But I guess I can give a little bit of background about myself.
Deeya Viradia:But my interest in science actually started in a really funny way, I would say. Back when I was really little, before I would go to school, I'd watch this TV show called Martha Speaks. I don't know if anyone else is familiar with that. But they had this one episode with Neil deGrasse Tyson giving a seminar. And something about that just clicked for me, and it really sparked my interest in, at that time, astronomy and space science.
Deeya Viradia:But I think really what drew me to that field is that it was really unknown. There's so much that we don't know about space. It's a very unexplored frontier and that we're just beginning to breach. And I think similarly, that's what drew me to quantum because of how unknown and novel this field is, I think there's so many opportunities to explore and make really cool discoveries. So I think that, at least in college, I chose to major in engineering physics because I wanted to be in the space really where theory and application meet.
Deeya Viradia:And in college, I found quantum computing through the IBM Qiskit summer school. Started that actually the summer before I started college. Realized how cool this was.
Sebastian Hassinger:Mhmm.
Deeya Viradia:And since then, I've been really exploring it from every angle I can. Currently doing research at SLAC and Berkeley's Quantum Devices Group. I've also explored more of the quantum material side through the DOD's Quest Lab. Also applications of algorithms through hackathons, etcetera, really trying to explore the space and make the best use of it as I can.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. I mean, I I was really struck by, you know, our initial exchange, but also your LinkedIn page sort of lists all of these experiences. It they're really diverse. You've you've gone, you know, UC Berkeley, Slack at Stanford, the the Kisuke summer camp, the the army research office. You know?
Sebastian Hassinger:How how did you find all of those those different opportunities? What was the sort of the the method behind that?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. I mean, I think my experiences are definitely diverse in the sense that I'm trying to figure out what part of this field I really wanna pursue in the future. People say quantum computing or just quantum generally is a very niche field, but that's certainly not true. It's just a way to describe the size of a field. And in a sense, there are so many different things from algorithms to more of the hardware material side.
Deeya Viradia:But in terms of actually finding these opportunities, as I mentioned, the first thing I did was actually do IBM's Qiskit summer school. And I feel like there are ways to get involved through that, but also just seeing what resources are out there for undergrads. Even though this is a field that is mainly geared towards grad students and people early in their career, there are definitely lots of opportunities to get involved. One thing that I've made good use of is quantum hackathons. So I participate in both the MIT iQuHack, Yale's Y Quantum, and there are other hackathons.
Deeya Viradia:Like, I know there's, Qiskit hackathons, and really just hackathons
Sebastian Hassinger:across foundation has a hackathon. There are a
Deeya Viradia:ton of Yeah.
Sebastian Hassinger:And did you go into that with some degree of programming skills, but but no particular domain knowledge in quantum computing itself?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. So the first time that I actually participated in the hackathon was this past year. And it was this February earlier this year, and I had programming experience in Python, but not so the
Sebastian Hassinger:Qiskit summer camp.
Deeya Viradia:So I had done the Qiskit summer camp. I knew a little bit about how gates and operations worked. Right. But, really, I think that was a good chance for me to explore the applications and see, okay. I have these building blocks, but how can I use them to actually produce something valuable and meaningful?
Deeya Viradia:And both those hackathons and every hackathon in general has different tracks that you can explore. So there's maybe some that are more on the theory side and some that are applications. So Right. For the MIT hackathon, I explored, Linbladean Hamiltonian simulations and understanding open versus closed quantum systems. Whereas y quantum was more, I would say, application based and seeing how we could use, different quantum algorithms in order to simulate disaster response.
Deeya Viradia:And so I think both of those were different flavors of ways that quantum computing can be explored. And I think there are definitely many opportunities for students to explore those different avenues.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. And were those in person or or entirely online or some hybrid?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. So I attended both of those in person. Yeah. But there are opportunities. I know why quantum was hybrid.
Deeya Viradia:I believe MIT also had a hybrid option. Okay. It's all about, obviously, what is most convenient for you. But if you do have the opportunity and the resources to be able to go in person, I think it's really great to just be able to meet other people in the field, make those connections. Actually, MIT's hackathon, I went in with no team.
Deeya Viradia:Really just met my teammates there. And they were amazing, and I actually got to network and meet other people in this community and especially other students because those are kind of not the voices you normally hear.
Sebastian Hassinger:Right. And and you you've also just recently started a aquatic computing club at UC Berkeley. Right?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. So I started a club along with a couple of my other friends called Qubit at Berkeley. And the goal of that is really to be able to explore more of the application side of quantum computing through partnerships with industry and really learning about the different applications of this field. And so it's been a good opportunity for, one, us to get new members involved, who have little to no quantum experience, just heard about this field and think it's interesting, and giving them the skills and the tools to be able to learn more and really contribute an interesting project. So That's great.
Deeya Viradia:There's so many resources out there. Q-Ctrl has a great just basic intro to quantum computing. It's just about finding those resources and joining things like clubs that can really help provide those resources and just create a community of students that are interested.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. And I'd I'd mentioned Qubit by Qubit as well has got some great online resources, and they do a summer camp, I think, or or a pre periodic online class. And q twelve, of course, the NSF funded project that Emily Edwards leads is sort of a central sort of clearinghouse for either self paced or online education resources. So there's a lot of starting points. But it's interesting, like you were saying about hackathon, the theory side of it, maybe algorithmic side of it, and then the application side.
Sebastian Hassinger:Do you really do you think that there is this sort of bifurcated view of sort of what quantum computing eventually will be good for in an industrial setting versus the the scientific exploration that's that's required to make it work better, basically, and what we can learn from it?
Deeya Viradia:I think right now, the general attitude has kind of been a little bit segmented. But my personal perspective is that those are quite entangled, so to say. But
Sebastian Hassinger:The puns are unavoidable, I would
Deeya Viradia:say. The puns are unavoidable when you're in this field. But I really do feel like there's a lot of overlap between the two. When we look at even just the algorithm side, being able to understand the different gates and understand how algorithms work is very important. But in order to do the application side, you need to understand that theory in the first place.
Deeya Viradia:So for example, a very common optimization algorithm is CUBO and using QAOA. But in order to understand why those optimization algorithms are useful and how they're better than maybe classical algorithms, you have to understand a little bit of the theory and of the background. And then understanding noisy versus non noisy simulations too. All of these, I think, are very important foundational aspects that are more associated in right now with more of just, like, the academia algorithm side. But I think when we're looking into applications and especially seeing whether this field is gonna become commercializable in the next couple of years, think I it's very important to have that background, and to understand more of that side as well.
Sebastian Hassinger:Right. That's interesting. I guess in a sense of, you know, the what's unique about quantum computing versus classical computing is that it is using the physics to do the computation directly rather than this sort of completely created symbolic layer like we have in classical computing. So you're right. It makes a lot of sense that you, you know, you actually have to understand the physics to understand what the computational tools are to a certain degree.
Deeya Viradia:Exactly.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. That's interesting. And then the other the other sort of thing that's often cast as as duality that you're sort of it sounds like you're kind of blurring the lines between is is theory and experiment. Right? I mean, the the club you founded is experimental physicists, but you're you're also doing a lot of work in in algorithms.
Sebastian Hassinger:So do do you think of those as two sides of the same coin, or or how do you think about that that relationship?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. I think theory and experiment has always been something that people have said, pick a track. Right. Either you're gonna become a theorist or you're gonna become experimentalist. And I feel like people decide that pretty early on, and then they stick to one of those two tracks.
Deeya Viradia:But at least from my experience, I've really wanted to explore both sides of the coin, understand both the theory and the experiment. And I've also found that similarly, they are very similar and you need to understand elements of both. So for example, when I'm working more on the experimental side, here at SLAC, I'm actually working with a dilution fridge and being able to conduct experiments on superconducting qubits. But in order to do that experiment, you have to kind of understand the algorithm side as well. What are qubits useful for?
Deeya Viradia:Why are we actually doing all these experiments in terms of readout? How will that actually help quantum computing and help our algorithm development? And so being able to understand the theory behind the experiment is very important to be able to understand where it's useful and what its applications are gonna be. And I think that's true, on the other side. Why do we do theory?
Deeya Viradia:Why do we need to understand these algorithms? And how can they be useful in experimental work as well? So I feel like just having a broader perspective and experiencing both sides has allowed me to form more of a holistic view of quantum in different sides. I've had experience from algorithms to more of the material science aspects, and all of them have provided a unique perspective that has influenced the way I think about this field. And so I wouldn't change anything about my journey in terms of exploring all these different angles and maybe not sticking to one path as Right.
Deeya Viradia:Was, I guess, more traditional. Because I think it really has informed the way that I view all of this and seeing how different fields are connected.
Sebastian Hassinger:Mhmm. That's interesting. Yeah. So so I guess you're not gonna pick pick a track anytime soon. You're giving yourself that that freedom.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's really interesting. And you mentioned SLAC. So you're you're currently interning at Slack for the summer. Right?
Deeya Viradia:Yes. I am.
Sebastian Hassinger:And describe a little bit about just I mean, as a as somebody going to Slack for the first time, like, what what is going on at Slack? What what's what's the type of work that's being done there, and what's the internship program like?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. So SLAC is doing some really interesting work. For those of you who don't know, it's one of the Department of Energy labs. And they, in as compared to a lot of other national labs across The United States, are a lot more open with their work and is very open to collaboration with industry, also just collaboration with the general public. Because a lot of the work is not under the same level of classification as other labs, which makes it a really great opportunity to kind of be able to understand all the different work that's being done here and its applications.
Deeya Viradia:And so I think, at least from my experience, SLAC has been amazing because I've been able to meet so many different researchers, scientists here, get their perspectives on the work that they're doing, also networking with the other interns. We have a really great intern class here. Everyone is working on different projects and comes from different backgrounds. We have a lot of people who are more physics backgrounds. We have computer science backgrounds, bio backgrounds.
Deeya Viradia:And being able to see such diverse group with different interests actually, I think is very useful because you get to learn about things that are happening in different fields. We also have weekly seminars going on where someone will just be talking about the research that they're doing. And so you can get an idea for everything that's happening at this institution, which I think is so cool. Because oftentimes, you kinda just get bottlenecked into the work that you're doing and Right. Don't really get that chance to explore.
Sebastian Hassinger:And the groups that are there, some are Stanford professors, so they're academic groups. And are there DOE, researcher PIs as well?
Deeya Viradia:Yes. There are. There is definitely a mix of both, and I would say it's very collaborative. Actually, part of the time, I am actually on Stanford's campus working with the Schuster Group there.
Sebastian Hassinger:Right.
Deeya Viradia:And so I would say it's very much collaborative between the National Lab employees versus the Stanford employees. Everyone is there sharing their work, collaborating with different groups. But, yes, it's very much a joint effort here.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's cool. And so you're working on on essentially writing software to automate characterization or test routines. Is that is that right?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. So my work is on optimizing the readout for superconducting qubits. Essentially, we're just trying to extract the most accurate and reliable information out of quantum systems. It involves running lots of different experiments like pulses, like t one, Ramsey's, Stark pulse sequences to really characterize how well our qubits are performing and how we can improve them.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's cool. So you're you're writing, I guess, Python code. Yes. But interacting directly with the pulse wave generators and the control systems and sending signals down to the qubits in the bottom of the fridge and then getting the results back and and
Deeya Viradia:interpreting Exactly. Yeah. Exactly.
Sebastian Hassinger:I mean, that's that seems like there's a a that's sort of the the core boundary line between the physical system and and the classical control of that system. Right?
Deeya Viradia:It's Yeah. It definitely is the boundary. Being able to understand how we have these machines connected to each other and really understanding how microwave pulses can impact our quantum systems is really important.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's cool. And then at at UC Berkeley, you've been involved in photon detection, I think. Right? So a different modality of Yeah. Quantum information.
Sebastian Hassinger:So what was that experience like?
Deeya Viradia:That experience is amazing. So I work with the Quantum Devices Group at Berkeley supervised by ALP. And my work there my long term project is at least working on a single photon detector. And that experience has been amazing because in addition to that project, I've been able to work on a bunch of different side projects, like writing monitoring graphs for our dilution fridge to make sure the temperatures don't rise too high. Also, writing a wrapper class for a Josephine parametric amplifier.
Deeya Viradia:And really through this experience, I've been able to kind of see everything that's going on in the lab from a broader point of view and help out wherever is needed.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's really great. And I I mean, obviously, the those experiences you're bringing into your, you know, quantum computing club experience and into these hackathons. So do you I mean, you also it strikes me that you have a couple of other besides the science theory and experiment, you've got a couple other sort of areas where you're focusing. Obviously, communication and education and community building is really important to you, But there seems to be potentially, like, an entrepreneurial kind of of thread as well. Yeah.
Sebastian Hassinger:Do you sort of at this point, do you imagine yourself more in the, you know, academic research side of things or or trying to find those applications that have commercial value for the technology as it matures?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. For me, at least right now, I'm leaning towards the second. I think academia is very interesting. But for me, I feel like I've always been interested in the applications. Since I was little, that's always what I've wanted to know.
Deeya Viradia:Where can we apply the things that we're learning? The lab is making so many amazing discoveries, but how can we turn that into real products for people to be able to use? And I think as part of that, I've really been interested in how especially quantum is gonna become commercializable within the next couple of years. And I think it's been a big topic of debate that a lot of people have different opinions on, but I definitely am interested in more of the application space. And like you mentioned, entrepreneurship is a big part of that, and it's something that I'm heavily involved in.
Deeya Viradia:I'm part of a club at Berkeley called Entrepreneurs @ Berkeley and
Sebastian Hassinger:Another club.
Deeya Viradia:Another club.
Sebastian Hassinger:I'm getting the sense you don't have a lot of spare time.
Deeya Viradia:Well, for me, these are the things that I really enjoy. So
Sebastian Hassinger:That's good.
Deeya Viradia:Even if I don't have too much spare time, it's honestly the community through these clubs that has really pushed me through. And entrepreneurs at Berkeley, for instance, you have people from many different fields, people who may not even have technical backgrounds, but are interested in more of the business side of things. But those perspectives are equally valuable and very, very interesting to learn from. And I've met some of my closest friends through these clubs, which makes it very much enjoyable to spend time.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. Yeah. Right. And, I mean, you mentioned, you know, hot the hot debate about commercializing quantum. What do you I mean, you know, we're all making guesses at this point because there's there's more that we don't know than what we know.
Sebastian Hassinger:But what if you imagine sort of the path towards commercialization, how does that look in your mind? Like, what are sort of the first things you expect to be, you know, the types of things that will have economic value out of this technology?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. I think that there are definitely a lot of different things to consider. I think at this stage, there's definitely a big push for the blend between classical and quantum computing. Doing things like running simulations and running on simulated hardware, I think, is kind of the first step into becoming fully commercializable. But I think it's just a question of seeing what sorts of technologies win out in the next couple of years and seeing, I guess, where that path will go.
Deeya Viradia:I don't think I have the answer to that yet, and I don't know if anyone does. People have their predictions. Clearly. But I think it's really interesting. And that's kind of what draws me to this field is that we don't know where it's going.
Sebastian Hassinger:And Right.
Deeya Viradia:People can make guesses, but really, it's up to the next couple of years to see where this goes. But no matter what technology really comes to the forefront, I think it'll be really interesting to see how it shapes everything, honestly, the way that companies go about tackling issues. Now that's not to say that quantum computers are gonna replace classical computers because I don't think that will ever happen. And classical computers have their own right, and their own applications. But I do think it'll be interesting to see, at least on the broader scale, when we have very complicated problems where quantum computing can be more useful, to see how that those sorts of problems get shaped in the future.
Sebastian Hassinger:Well, you mentioned, simulations and material science. I think it's a a pretty safe bet that that's, you know, a quantum quantum many body system, which a quantum computer is, is going to be better at simulating quantum systems like materials or small molecule chemicals in the Exactly. Near future. And and the the other thing that struck me is, you know, you were saying how the sort of cross disciplinary nature of the interns at Slack or the the domains that that are present in the entrepreneurial group, that feels like it's gonna be critical for identifying those those opportunities. It's gonna be people from other fields who you can sort of bring to quantum computing and say, look.
Sebastian Hassinger:We can do this thing that's valuable to you. Right? I mean, communication is gonna be really critical, I think.
Deeya Viradia:Exactly. I think that learning from where other people need help, I think, is really important in seeing the applications of this field. And there are so many different applications. When you think about algorithms, you can look at the financial sector and modeling that drug discovery and seeing how different molecules can be shaped to discover new applications. It's just very vast and very diverse.
Deeya Viradia:And only by listening to the perspectives of people who are experts in those fields can you really understand where the applications can come.
Sebastian Hassinger:That's really cool. So, I mean, looking forward, you're gonna finish this internship. You'll go back to you know, the the fall semester is coming up soon. Summer is almost over. I know.
Sebastian Hassinger:And so what's what's next after after the undergraduate degree? What's sort of your your thinking at this point?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. I mean, this has been a big topic of debate with me. And, and I think that there are so many opportunities out there, and it's hard to know exactly what the right path is. And I think a big part in me trying to figure out that journey is speaking to different people. Here at Slack, I've had the chance to talk to so many different researchers to understand their paths.
Deeya Viradia:And I do think that especially in this field, there is kind of like a big push towards going to graduate school. And I think that having a PhD is a great opportunity to dive really deep into a subject and really understand the nuances. But then at the same time, maybe the better option if you wanna go more into the industry route is to pursue a master's in engineering.
Sebastian Hassinger:Right.
Deeya Viradia:And so it's definitely been a big contentious topic in my mind. And I don't know what the right answer for me is yet, whether going to grad school is the next step or maybe it's something else. But I think at this point, I'm open to anything. And I really just want to take at least the next year before I have to start applying to grad school to explore all of my options. And I think that's kind of been the story of my undergraduate career.
Deeya Viradia:It's just been exploring. There may not be, like, one right path. And I think just understanding everything that's out there and getting that new perspective is gonna be very valuable and instrumental in deciding what that next step is.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, speaking as a generalist, I feel that that sort of tug between, you know, sort of deep dive into one particular area. I think the part of my brain that has the the FOMO about all the other stuff that I would miss out on by going really deep has typically won. And, you know, I mean, it's
Deeya Viradia:Yeah.
Sebastian Hassinger:It's back to the, you know, sort of the connecting, making those connections across domains, across deep expertise in each of those domains, that's in some ways requires a more general higher level kind of understanding that they can actually create those bridges rather than drilling deep. But again, I have a bias. So I mean, we we also need PhDs. There's no way this field is gonna progress without without that level of expertise. That's really great.
Sebastian Hassinger:And, you know, it it does strike me that, you know, you were saying, right at the very beginning that the Neil deGrasse Tyson and the astronomy and astrophysics aspects appeal to you because of how much we don't know. Yeah. And it's hard to think of a domain where there's more that we don't know than quantum physics. Quantum makes any sense. It's
Deeya Viradia:Most unintuitive field ever.
Sebastian Hassinger:Unintuitive. And and, you know, I mean, it's it the predicting where the breakthroughs are gonna come and at what pace is really, really difficult. And then, you know, where those breakthroughs come, whether it's theory or experimental, like, hardware, is going to have a huge influence on on where those first applications are. Right? I mean, we get large scale systems out of atom based qubits that are slower but more accurate or or lower error rates than superconducting, those may be better suited for certain use cases versus superconducting.
Sebastian Hassinger:Or maybe I mean, David Shuster's group is doing a lot of really interesting work in sensing, and that's a whole other set of applications that that may become, you know, viable and controllable and by classical means before the quantum computers matures. Is that something you think about too as sort of the sensing versus the computing versus the communications, the different areas of application there as well?
Deeya Viradia:I think there are definitely different areas of application. But as I mentioned before, I think they're all very much related to each other, and there's so much overlap. But I do think that the sensing aspect is quite interesting. Here at Slack, we have the Dimquist group, which is the dark matter sensing. Right.
Deeya Viradia:And so even those are two quantum physics and dark matter, I think, are two of the most interesting fields because of how much we don't know. And so to see the overlap between those, I think, is very interesting. But I do think that all of these fields are very much related to each other, and it's just a question of application and how we can best use the technologies that are here at the moment and what we think might come in the future to better these fields.
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. I mean, in another sense, the the the search for applications is what really interests you, then then that is another argument for being more of a generalist Yeah. Than because that way you get to spread your bets across a larger part of the, the roulette table, so to speak rather than putting all your chips in one one square. So that's great to hear. Any anything you would want to say to to, you know, undergraduate level students or anybody who's really curious about how to get started at this point?
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. I would just say to go for it and not be afraid to step into this field. It might seem very daunting and that the barrier for entry is high, but it really isn't. I feel like there are so many different opportunities now that are springing up from hackathons to, I guess, just, like, different informational sessions. If you have the chance to attend even just, like, public lectures or webinars, IEEE Quantum Week is another great opportunity to get involved.
Deeya Viradia:Or just if you're interested in research, cold emailing professors and researchers.
Sebastian Hassinger:Or podcast hosts.
Deeya Viradia:Or podcast hosts. That also works. And you might get turned down, you might not get a response, but it only takes one person to believe in you to kind of get involved and step into this field. And I have seen that the people in Quantum are some of the most open and willing to help as any I've ever seen because of how, I guess, new and novel this field is. They there's a lack of young people who are ready to jump into this space.
Deeya Viradia:So if you're interested, just go for it. Just find a way to get involved, whether that be attending a hackathon. You don't have to have previous knowledge. You don't even have to have coding background. You can just go show up and learn something.
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. And I think those experiences are equally valuable. So even if you don't think you know much, now is the time to
Sebastian Hassinger:Yeah. Join the club.
Deeya Viradia:Join the club.
Sebastian Hassinger:The field as a whole doesn't really know much.
Deeya Viradia:So Exactly. I mean,
Sebastian Hassinger:that's the, you know, the thing I think is it it the field is is essentially a filter for people whose curiosity overcomes the the anxiety of not really knowing what we're doing. Exactly. Don't really know what we're doing.
Deeya Viradia:Anyone who says that they know quantum physics Exactly. Definitely doesn't know what they're talking
Sebastian Hassinger:about. Exactly. That's fantastic. Well, that's it's been really terrific talking. I think we should probably try to collect a bunch of links to some of the things we mentioned and any other resources and put them in the show notes so people have, you know, a place where they can start start on the journey that you've undertaken.
Sebastian Hassinger:So it's been terrific talking with you, Dia. Thank you very much for your time.
Deeya Viradia:Yeah. Thank you so much for having me and to responding from to my LinkedIn message. Absolutely.
Sebastian Hassinger:Thank you for listening to another episode of the podcast, a production of the New Quantum Era hosted by me, Sebastian Hassinger, with theme music by OCH. You can find past episodes on www.newquantumera.com or on bluesky @newquantumera.com. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and tell your quantum curious friends to give it a listen.
