Barbara M. Terhal

Barbara M. Terhal is a Professor at QuTech, Delft University of Technology, where she leads the Terhal Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics within the Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science school. She has held prestigious positions including Professor at RWTH Aachen University (2010-2017), Research Staff Member at IBM Watson Research Center (2001-2010), and Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at Perimeter Institute since 2014.

Her research focuses on quantum error correction, superconducting qubits, quantum computational advantage, algorithms, and complexity theory. Terhal coined the term 'Entanglement Witness' and has pioneered concepts including unextendible product bases, remote state preparation, quantum data hiding, and quantum information locking. Her work spans theoretical foundations to practical implementations across various quantum hardware platforms.

Terhal's recent publications demonstrate strong trends in quantum error correction (particularly surface codes and topological approaches), quantum algorithms for near-term devices, and theoretical investigations of quantum complexity. Her work bridges fundamental quantum information theory with practical quantum computing implementations, with growing emphasis on hardware-specific error correction techniques for superconducting and semiconductor qubit platforms.

• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2007)
• Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (2014-present)

Professor Terhal has mentored numerous PhD students and postdocs who have gone on to prominent positions in academia and industry. Her research has been supported by collaborations with major quantum computing initiatives including QuTech, Perimeter Institute, and Forschungszentrum Jülich. The Terhal Group collaborates closely with experimental teams to implement quantum error correction across various hardware platforms, focusing on practical implementations for current quantum devices.

Her laboratory, the Terhal Group, works on quantum error correction implementation, superconducting qubit theory, and quantum algorithms for near-term devices. The group maintains strong connections with QuTech's experimental teams and international quantum research centers, positioning itself at the forefront of theoretical quantum computing research with practical applications.