"You may not know each other, but you all have something in common" – this is how Mariia Kuzina, coordinator of the alumni network, opened the afternoon. The common ground was obvious: all those present that afternoon in the lecture hall at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics are part of the Bavarian and Munich quantum community. The alumni network is aimed at all current and former members of Munich Quantum Valley (MQV), the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) and the International Max Planck Research School for Quantum Science and Technology (IMPRS-QST).
The Munich Quantum Alumni Summer Networking Meet-up was the network's first event and provided a framework for making new connections and maintaining old ones, gaining insight into different career paths and discussing the latest developments in research in an informal setting. Three alumni, who all completed their Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, spoke about their subsequent careers and showed where the paths out of research can lead – from the quantum computing startup planqc to a German patent law firm to Amazon Web Services in Los Angeles.
In the following quantum speed dating session, all participants were able to get to know each other better in short discussion rounds. Which applications of quantum technologies have surprised you personally the most and what quantum superpower would you have as a quantum superhero – fun incentives made it easy for everyone to exchange ideas. "But the most important thing is that we start grilling at five," joked Mariia Kuzina right at the beginning – and so the first meeting of the Munich Quantum Alumni came to an very sociable close.
Further information and updates from the Alumni Network can be found on the LinkedIn page.