ISE Seminar: Zain Hamid Saleem

Toward Scalable Modular Quantum Computing

Abstract

A central challenge in quantum computing is scaling computation beyond the capacity of a single quantum processor. In this talk, I will present our work toward modular quantum computing, beginning with circuit cutting as a framework for distributing computations across multiple processors. I will then introduce our work on Pauli checks, which provides a hardware-efficient approach to detecting and mitigating errors in distributed quantum computations.

Finally, I will discuss our recent work on distributed lattice surgery, extending this vision into the fault-tolerant regime by enabling protected logical operations across quantum modules. Together, these results outline a path from near-term distributed quantum computing to scalable, fault-tolerant modular architectures.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Zain Hamid Saleem is a theoretical physicist working in the area of quantum information and computation at the Argonne National Laboratory. His PhD was on Black Hole physics at the University of Pennsylvania ,after which he did a postdoctoral fellowship in applied mathematics at the same university. Prior to joining Argonne National Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Appointee from 2019 to 2021, Zain Saleem worked at Morgan Stanley as a Quantitative associate for three years.

His research spans quantum algorithms, quantum error mitigation, distributed and networked quantum systems, and quantum sensing. I develop theoretical and algorithmic frameworks that connect noise, hardware constraints, and performance limits, with an emphasis on methods that remain scalable and are deployable on near-term and fault-tolerant quantum processors. A central theme of my work is translating foundational ideas—including error mitigation, circuit decomposition, and noise-aware compilation—into tools and protocols that can be integrated into real quantum software and experimental workflows.