On This Episode
Under the Microscope welcomes physicist Pascale Senellart, a renowned quantum researcher and co-founder of Quandela, a leading developer of quantum computers. Senellart’s career straddles both science and industry, a combination she relishes. “To take this bit of research that we had been conducting for decades or so and turn it into something that becomes a product – that [has] launched a completely new adventure,” Senellart tells Under the Microscope host Pranoti Kshirsagar. In this interview, Senellart describes her groundbreaking lab work in quantum information processing. She also recounts how her childhood trips to her grandparents’ vineyard in France lead her toward a career in science, and how she overcame imposter syndrome as a young scientist. Finally, she explains what she loves most about research – or as Senellart calls it, “the serendipity of science.”
About the Guest: Pascale Senellart
Pascale Senellart is currently the research director at the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (C2N) at CNRS, Paris-Saclay and an Associate Professor in quantum mechanics at École Polytechnique. In 2017, she co-founded the quantum computing firm Quandela. Senellart also serves on France’s Presidential Council for Science and is a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
6 Science Talk Takeaways
The Research: Senellart’s research focuses on quantum dots, tiny semiconductor devices that emit light particles, or photons. Her lab’s pioneering work proved that quantum dots could emit photons in certain directions through the use of an optical cavity – basically two mirrors positioned around the quantum dot. This research was foundational in showing the practical applications of quantum dots, and influenced her decision to co-found her quantum computing firm, Quandela.
Career Journey: On visits to her grandparents’ vineyard as a kid, Senellart’s family drove past the Radio Astronomy Station in Nançay, France. As a teenager, she got an internship there, and loved it. But instead of pursuing astronomy, she fell in love with both quantum physics and semiconductors. “It’s so fantastic that there was this research topic of quantum dot that was starting to emerge when I joined the system – and it was a possibility to do exactly that,” Senellart says.
Favorite Experiment: Senellart is extraordinarily proud of her optical cavity experiment: “We saw some kind of technology problem and it changed everything,” she tells Under the Microscope. But if she had to add another one to the list, it would be her “half photon” experiment.
Beyond the Lab: Senellart teaches quantum physics, a job she loves because her students challenge her own understanding of the field. She also joined France’s Presidential Council on Science in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic because she wanted to build greater trust between the scientific community and policymakers.
Three Wishes: Senellart loves all of her jobs, but she wouldn’t mind a clone of herself, so one version could work, and the other could relax. She also wishes for greater trust between scientists and politicians, and for more gender parity in the scientific community – something, she argues, is essential for innovation.
Notable Quotes
On working in both science and industry: “I feel extremely lucky to be in between these two worlds. And then now with Quandela, I’m not only working as a physicist, I’m working with computer scientists, people doing math, applications, engineers – the best time here scientifically, the most fun ever, really.”
Real Scientists Nano Talk: Senellart will use the platform to show the connections between the work she and her team does in the lab and the real-world applications at her firm, Quandela. The audience may even get to witness an experiment – stay tuned and follow the Under the Microscope account on BlueSky.
On her famous quantum dot experiment: “We can sculpt the environment. We can design the environment and put the atom in what we call an optical cavity to make sure that the photons are emitting in one direction.”
On the marriage of science and technology: “The idea that technology is as noble, as beautiful, as fundamental questions of science, I think is something that I have always brought together in my research. I think it’s really my trademark, I would say. I love that. And I’m not ashamed of saying I love them both equally.“
On what she loves about teaching physics: “I love being with other young minds and brainstorming with them. This is what I love the most. I love supervising my students and interacting with my colleagues and having things where we are looking at the data. We’re thinking of the next measurement and everyone is coming in with some insight ideas and stuff – and something grows.”