IQST Gradu­ate School @QuantumBW: Three Days of Science, Skills, and Industry Insights

The IQST Gradu­ate School @QuantumBW success­fully ran a three-day program from 1–3 Decem­ber 2025, bring­ing together its first inter­na­tional cohort of doctoral research­ers, academic super­visors from across Baden-Württemberg, and repres­ent­at­ives from the regional quantum industry. The event gathered parti­cipants from six countries across four contin­ents and showcased strong links between academic research and local industry.

Day 1 – Project Present­a­tions and Scientific Exchange

The meeting opened with welcome remarks by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Barz, Director of IQST, and contin­ued with a full day of scientific exchange. Academic super­visors from five Baden-Württemberg univer­sit­ies — Univer­sity of Stutt­gart, Ulm Univer­sity, Heidel­berg Univer­sity, Univer­sity of Tübin­gen and Univer­sity of Freiburg — presen­ted the newly funded Gradu­ate School projects.

A highlight of the day was the tutorial talk by Dr. Susanne Baumann (Univer­sity of Stutt­gart), titled “Controlling Individual Magnetic Spins on the Atomic Scale.” Project present­a­tions by the academic super­visors were followed by a lively poster session, where PhD students presen­ted their research plans, early results and intern­ship timelines and engaged directly with super­visors and industry guests. Repres­ent­at­ives from ten industry partners — active across the Baden-Württemberg quantum ecosys­tem and hosting student intern­ships — also parti­cip­ated in the day’s discussions.

Day 2 – Early Career Train­ing: Scientific Present­a­tions Workshop

Day 2 launched the Gradu­ate School’s Early Career Train­ing series (open to IQST students and early career research­ers across the region) with an inter­act­ive workshop led by Prof. Dr. Matt Carter (Willi­ams College): “Scientific Present­a­tions: How to Optim­ize Posters and Talks.”

• Core principles of effect­ive scientific communication
• Craft­ing a compel­ling narrative
• Design­ing clear, impact­ful visual slides
• Present­ing with confidence
• Poster formats and practical alternatives

Parti­cipants worked through practical exercises, received peer feedback, and refined their present­a­tion and poster skills in hands-on sessions.

Day 3 – Industry Visit: Swabian Instruments

The final day featured a visit to Swabian Instru­ments in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The program included a company present­a­tion and an intro­duc­tion to time-tagging techno­logy, followed by a network­ing lunch with company staff where students and employ­ees exchanged views on careers and industry trans­itions. The visit contin­ued with a guided tour of R&D and produc­tion areas and concluded with a practical, hands-on session using the Time Tagger API.