Aram Harrow

Aram Harrow is a Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), affiliated with the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics and MIT Center for Quantum Engineering. He focuses on quantum information science and quantum algorithms, with additional interests in representation theory and optimization. His recent work explores quantum computing applications in chemical physics and statistical mechanics.

• Undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physics at MIT
• Faculty positions: MIT (2013-present), University of Washington (2010-12), University of Bristol (2005-10)

Research Interests:
His work bridges quantum information theory and many-body physics, including:

• Quantum algorithm design for chemistry and optimization
• Quantum circuit complexity and t-designs
• Entanglement dynamics in quantum systems
• Quantum-classical hybrid computing models

Key Publications:
Recent articles demonstrate quantum speedups for biomolecular free energy calculations, Hamiltonian simulation, and jet clustering algorithms. His research combines quantum complexity theory with practical implementations on near-term quantum devices.

Scientific Awards:

• 2023 Simons Investigator
• 2018 APS Bennett Award
• 2017 IEEE Best Paper Award
• 2016 Kavli Frontiers Fellow

Mentorship: He advises current PhD students Shankar Balasubramanian, Angus Lowe, and Norah Tan, with 12 former advisees including Anand Natarajan and Saeed Mehraban. His 2026 recruitment seeks one new graduate student.