KAIST

< Group photo of the KAIST-MIT Quantum Information Winter School >

“Through the KAIST-MIT Quantum Information Winter School, I was able to view research from a broader perspective. The experience of collaborating with students from various universities and majors to complete a project was very refreshing,” said Jun-hyeong Cho, a student at the KAIST School of Electrical Engineering.

KAIST announced on the 16th that the Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology successfully concluded the ‘KAIST-MIT Quantum Information Winter School,’ held jointly with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from January 5th to 16th at the KAIST main campus in Daejeon.

For this year’s Winter School, 50 junior and senior undergraduate students from Korea and abroad were selected to receive intensive training to grow into next-generation quantum talent. Eight world-renowned scholars from KAIST and MIT participated in the program, providing a multi-dimensional curriculum that spanned theory and practice—ranging from theoretical lectures and introductions to cutting-edge quantum experiments to visits to government-funded research institutes and student poster presentations.

Celebrating its third anniversary since its inception in 2024, the Winter School is now evaluated as a premier quantum information education program in Korea. Alongside KAIST faculty, world-class scholars from MIT participated directly in lectures and field training, operating an intensive curriculum that covered the entirety of quantum information science.

The lecturing faculty included world authorities in quantum computing, quantum devices, quantum machine learning, and quantum simulation, such as MIT professors Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Seth Lloyd, Kevin P. O’Brien, and William D. Oliver, as well as KAIST scholars Jaewook Ahn, Joonwoo Bae, Gil-Young Cho, and Jae-yoon Choi.

Going beyond theoretical lectures, participants gained a broad understanding of research trends, technical limitations, and future development directions of state-of-the-art quantum technology through experimental training in core areas such as quantum computing, communication, sensing, and simulation.

< Scene from a Winter School lecture >

Furthermore, students visited the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) to experience actual research sites, engaging in field-oriented education that bridges quantum theory and practice. The poster presentation session, where students shared their own research ideas, received enthusiastic responses as a forum for deep academic exchange, allowing students to receive direct feedback from MIT faculty.

Tae-hee Kim, a student from Pusan National University, remarked, “I was greatly inspired by the passion of the MIT faculty and the high level of questions from the students. It served as a motivation for me to pursue deeper studies independently.” Byung-jin Hwang, a student from Yonsei University, added, “I expected lectures from world-class scholars to be difficult, but I was impressed by the explanations tailored to the undergraduate level. The poster presentation session was particularly memorable.”

Eun-seong Kim, Dean of the KAIST Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology, stated, “The KAIST-MIT Quantum Information Winter School is a special educational program where students can learn directly from world-renowned quantum researchers and experience cutting-edge research. We look forward to the active participation of future talents who will lead the quantum industry.”

Participants for this Winter School were selected through a document review process, and the program was operated entirely free of charge. KAIST covered all educational expenses and provided dormitory accommodations and lunch. Detailed information about the event can be found on the KAIST Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology website (https://quantumschool.kaist.ac.kr/).

< Poster for the KAIST-MIT Quantum Information Winter School >