Bridging theoretical insight and academia with experimental expertise and industry application has been key to advancing quantum information science - and a defining strength of the Waterloo quantum ecosystem. Over the past two decades, close collaboration between the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics has helped position Waterloo as a global leader in quantum science and technology, especially significant in 2025, which marks 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics.
To celebrate the field's advancements and strengthen community ties, IQC and the Perimeter Institute joined forces to host researchers from around the world at The Year of Quantum Across Canada: From Fundamental Science to Applications, highlighting how foundational research is driving new technologies and applications.
Researchers at the Year of Quantum event inside the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre building.
"Collaboration is one of the pillars of IQC's success, and working with the Perimeter Institute to welcome leading quantum information researchers reflects the strength of the Waterloo quantum ecosystem," says Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus, IQC's executive director and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. "Celebrating a century of groundbreaking advancements in quantum science and technology alongside our local, national, and international colleagues is a powerful signal of how collaboration will advance research and discoveries for the next century and beyond."
Researchers, professors and students at the University of Waterloo have played a central role in Canada's quantum story, including the creation of the IQC in 2002. In 2012, the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre opened its doors on the University's main campus and has been the home of IQC since. Over the past two decades, IQC's members have included Fellows of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society and the Canadian Association of Physicists, reflecting the University's leadership and collaboration at the heart of Waterloo's growing quantum ecosystem.
"What's exciting now is that we're not doing this in isolation," says Dr. Roger Melko, IQC member, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and research associate faculty at Perimeter Institute. "There's a real sense of community forming with theorists, experimentalists and computer scientists all working toward the same problems from different angles."
Melko led a public panel discussion with Dr. Christine Muschik, Dr. Martin Savage, professor at the University of Washington, Dr. Antonio Mezzacapo from IBM Research, and Dr. Brian Swingle, professor at MIT, all of whom underscored how collaboration drives discovery.
From left to right: Dr. Roger Melko in the front, with Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus and Dr. Christine Muschik (in the background).
Muschik, IQC faculty, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and research associate faculty at Perimeter Institute, came to Waterloo from Germany to join the IQC. She says the region's collaborative ecosystem between IQC and Perimeter Institute creates rare opportunities for both theoretical and experimental breakthroughs.
"I'm a theorist, but I work closely with experimental groups," Muschik says. "That's something I really enjoy. Connecting ideas with what can be tested and implemented in the lab."
Her work bridges the gap between theory and experiment, illustrating how Waterloo's collaborative environment continues to attract researchers from around the world.
Dr. Marcela Carena, Perimeter Institute's executive director, says the conference is a powerful reminder of why Waterloo is a global destination for quantum information. Building on the theme of strengthening connections across Canada, she adds that this is only the first in a series of gatherings to bring Canadian and international partners together.
"IQC and Perimeter's partnership embodies the strength of interdisciplinary research, fueling fundamental discoveries and practical applications that are defining today's technological advancements," Carena says. "Hearing from the many researchers over these past few days was not just a celebration of this community and the incredible progress made in the field, but a clear signal of Canada's pivotal role in shaping our quantum future."
Theoretical physicist Dr. John Preskill, one of the pioneers of quantum information theory, notes that Canada, and particularly Waterloo, has become a focal point for advances in quantum information science because of the close connections between theory and experiment, academia and industry. He highlights that these collaborations are essential for translating abstract quantum principles into real-world technologies that can benefit society.
Dr. John Preskill, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology, presenting on the prospects of quantum for the next 100 years.
"I'm excited and honoured to be here celebrating 100 years of quantum mechanics, 25 years of the Perimeter Institute, and all the far-reaching contributions to quantum science that come from Canadian institutions," says Preskill, Richard P. Feynman professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech.
He reflected on how the ideas developed for quantum information are influencing other areas of physics, from cosmology to materials science. As the field moves beyond proof-of-concept experiments toward scalable systems, Preskill emphasizes that continued cooperation among institutions like IQC and Perimeter will be key to turning potential into progress.
"We should be grateful to the quantum pioneers of 100 years ago," Preskill says. "But most importantly, we should wish good fortune to the quantum explorers of the future."
