Making Sense of Quantum Theory
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was welcome news, but the official press release from the Nobel committee ruffled some feathers. The speaker will recap the episode and show that even if we put aside the technical mistake in the press release, there remain some strong views about how to interpret the Nobel-prize-winning experiments. He will use this as an opportunity to segue into a discussion of ‘interpretations’ of quantum physics. Having surveyed some well-known interpretations, he will discuss his recent work in this area and how it fits into the overall programme of making sense of quantum physics.
About the Speaker:
Muhammad Hamza Waseem is pursuing a DPhil in Physics at the University of Oxford. His studies are funded by a Rhodes Scholarship. His research revolves around quantum structures, applied category theory, natural language processing, and magnonics. During his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at UET Lahore, Hamza helped develop the first lab for single photon quantum physics in Pakistan. He also co-authored a book ‘Quantum Mechanics in the Single Photon Laboratory’ published by the Institute of Physics (IOP), UK.
Keen on public engagement with science, Hamza has helped organise the Lahore Science Mela, the biggest annual science festival in Pakistan. He co-founded Spectra—an online magazine aimed at training popular science writers in Pakistan. For science popularisation, Hamza has been awarded the 2021 Diana Award and was highly commended at the 2021 SEPnet Public Engagement Awards.
At Oxford, Hamza teaches mathematics and physics at Mathematical Institute and Department of Computer Science. He has also been a Lecturer in Physics at Magdalen College. He is a Research Scientist at Cambridge Quantum and Research Fellow at Global Centre for Advanced Studies, Dublin. He can be contacted at hamza.waseem@physics.ox.ac.uk