Anasua Chatterjee
Anasua Chatterjee (1989) has been associate professor Quantum Nanoscience (Technical Natural Sciences) and group leader at the research institute QuTech since February 2024. After a childhood and education in India, she left for Princeton (US) to do a bachelor’s in Physics, which she completed magna cum laude. Associated with several research groups, she co-authored her first scientific publication there. She then did a PhD at University College London and was ‘visiting researcher’ at Cambridge. After a postdoc at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, she led her own research group, the Chatterjee Lab.
Chatterjee received several grants and acknowledgements. Her postdoc in Copenhagen was partly financed by the prestigious EPSRC Doctoral Prize (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council). Additionally, she received a grant from the Inge Lehmann Program in support of balanced gender relations in research, and a Novo Pioneer Innovator grant of the Danis A. P. Møller Foundation for developing low-threshold trainings in quantum mechanics. Finally, Chatterjee was also on the Belingske’s Talent 100 list of the Copenhagen Business School, and she was member of the Danish Young Academy of Technology, Science, and Innovation (YATSI).
The quantum computer has fascinated people for over 30 years. For a long time, it was mainly a scientific challenge. But since we are able to build a large-scale quantum computer, societal interest also increases. Chatterjee is coming to Delft to provide a – as is expected – groundbreaking contribution to this development.
Research at QuTech
Conventional computers work with bits that have either a 0 or a 1 position. Processors of quantum computers work with qubits, electrons that can be combinations of 0 and 1 at the same time. Because of this superposition of qubits, quantum computers can do complex calculations and solve problems that conventional computers can’t do, or only after very long calculation periods. In Denmark, Chatterjee’s research was mainly focused on the hardware of the quantum computer. In Delft, she will look to improve the quality of qubits and the accurate and efficient directing of these. She does this in an innovative way. On the one hand, she will work on new qubits in germanium and superconductor/semi-conductor hybrid systems. At the same time, she will research new directing mechanics for multiqubit systems, with machine learning techniques among others. The goal is to be able to develop larger systems.
Step towards scalable quantum computer
Chatterjee has developed an impressive and wide-ranging international network, which supports the international visibility of TU Delft. ‘I bring a lot of research knowledge that is complementary to the current research at TU Delft,’ says Chatterjee herself. ‘Cross-platform knowledge from multiple universities, with different angles and several research approaches.’ That is not the only impact her move to Delft brings. Chatterjee has brought her own research group, the Chatterjee Lab, from Denmark, including two PhD students and equipment. Supported by, among others, the Excellence Fund, she can increase her research group with another 3 PhDs and 2 postdocs. Through her position at both the faculty Technical Natural Sciences and at research institute QuTech, a close connection between the two is formed, which will lead to an impulse for existing quantum activities in Delft, in which also our Artificial Intelligence activities are included. This can be a good step towards our ambition: a prototype of a scalable quantum computer.
Societal challenges and knowledge exchange
Chatterjee did a degree in Denmark that is comparable to the University Teaching Qualification (BKO) at TU Delft, and she is experienced in education. These competencies work well with her ambitions that reach beyond the lab. She not only wants research results to be translated into practical solutions for societal challenges. She also wants research to be accessible and useful to everyone through low-threshold and wide-ranging knowledge exchange and open science.
Chatterjee’s Personal Passion Pride
‘From a young age, I have been interested in physics. I read a lot, and when I read a book about physics, everything fell into place. I get very enthusiastic about thinking of new experiments, seeing something new, and testing a new hypothesis. And add to that how incredibly fascinating the quantum world is.’
Focus on innovation
‘Quantum research in Delft is much more advanced than in the rest of the world,’ says Chatterjee. ‘Colleagues here are very good in their field, there are more facilities, more possibilities to collaborate, and more opportunities to receive larger grants. There is also a lot of support from other ‘top-notch’ facilities, such as the Kavely Nanolab. QuTech is also a place where many disciplines collide, and multiple researchers work on big topics. That sort of mindset is stimulated here, which is why we achieve so much in Delft. The best thing might be the focus on innovation. So many start-ups that are eager to make research practical and applicable.’
Visibility and acknowledgement
In her career, Chatterjee has often spoken out about gender equality in STEM. ‘I am unambiguous in that,’ she says. ‘Genius knows no gender. To all female students, I would say: repeat this mantra until it resonates with you. You belong in your field, you belong in the lab, and you have every right to be equally as driven in your academic interests and career as anyone else.’ Let faculties truly listen to women. Conscious collaboration or co-authorship with female colleagues can make a significant contribution. It is essential that women are nominated for committees, lectures, functions and awards, so they have equal opportunities for visibility and acknowledgement.’