Shruti Puri who is currently an Assistant Professor in the Applied Physics Department was a Finalist in the 2020 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists, which were announced during National Postdoc Appreciation Week for her work as a postdoctoral associate working with Steven Girvin.
The Blavatnik Regional Awards honor outstanding postdoctoral scientists from academic research institutions across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and recognize researchers in three scientific categories: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry. A distinguished jury of leading scientists and engineers from across the New York region selects, in each category, one Winner, who is awarded a $30,000 unrestricted prize, and two Finalists, who are each awarded $10,000. For the 2020 competition, there were 154 outstanding nominations from 24 academic institutions in the New York metropolitan region (Tri-State area). The 2020 Blavatnik Regional Awards Winners and Finalists will be honored alongside the 2020 and 2021 Blavatnik National Awards honorees on September 27, 2021, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
From their website: “Shruti Puri was recognized for her extraordinary theoretical discoveries in quantum information storage and quantum computing. In quantum computing systems, error (noise) is an obstacle to accuracy and computational advantage. Puri’s rigorous theoretical and mathematical treatment of error led to the discovery of a completely new way of storing information in microwave photons (quanta of light), known as the Kerr-cat quantum bit. Puri’s discovery makes the path towards scalable quantum computing technologies truly possible, by tailoring the errors affecting the quantum bit in such a way that they become relatively easy to correct. Puri has recently been promoted to a tenure-track position at Yale University.”
Click below for further information on the Prize and for Shruti Puri’s profile.