Alexander Poremba
I am an Assistant Professor at Boston University, where I share a joint affiliation with the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Physics. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT hosted by both Vinod Vaikuntanathan and Peter Shor. I received my PhD in Computer Science from Caltech, where I was fortunate to have been advised by Thomas Vidick.
My research lies at the intersection of quantum computation, theoretical computer science, cryptography, and physics.
News
- To prospective students: I currently do not have any PhD or post-doc positions.
- This fall, I'm teaching CS 332: Theory of Computation.
- I help organize the weekly Quantum Seminar at BU.
- I created Quantum @ BU, a new slack channel for all things quantum in an around Boston University. To join, you can either click here , or you send me an email.
Contact
- poremba@bu.edu
- Office
- CDS 1037 (10th floor)Center for Computing & Data SciencesBoston University665 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Research
My research focuses broadly on the fundamental capabilities and limitations of quantum computers.
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Quantum advantage:
What computational tasks can only quantum computers solve? I am especially interested in problems that remain quantumly tractable but whose solutions can be efficiently checked by classical means.
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Physics of pseudorandomness:
Can low-complexity quantum processes appear highly complex? I explore how ideas from cryptographic pseudorandomness can shed light on information scrambling in classical and quantum dynamics.
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Quantum complexity:
Which problems are effectively classical in nature, and which mark the onset of genuine quantum complexity? Can we characterize and understand the boundary between classical and quantum complexity?
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Post-quantum cryptography:
Do quantum computers threaten cryptography we use today? I'm interesed in the security of public-key cryptosystems and hash functions, and whether we can base cryptography on native assumptions in quantum information processing.
Curriculum Vitae
- PhD, Computer Science, California Institute of Technology2018 - 2023
- MSc, Physics, University of Heidelberg2015 - 2017
- BSc, Mathematics, University of Heidelberg2011 - 2015
I have been on the faculty at Boston University since 2025. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT hosted by both Vinod Vaikuntanathan and Peter Shor. I received my PhD in Computer Science from Caltech, where I was advised by Thomas Vidick. In the summer of 2018, I was awarded a Quantum Computing Summer Fellowship to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. During my Master's program at the University of Heidelberg I was a long-term visitor at the University of Copenhagen, where I was fortunate to work with Gorjan Alagic at the Centre for the Mathematics of Quantum Theory.
Teaching
- Fall 2026CS 332: Theory of Computation
- Spring 2026CS 332: Theory of Computation
- Fall 2025CS 599 P1: Introduction to Quantum Computation
Research Group
PhD Students
- Srishti NautiyalGraduate Student, Physics
- Islam FaisalGraduate Student, Computer Science
- Brayden Goldstein-GelbGraduate Student, Computer Science
MS & Undergraduate Students
- Oguz ElginMS student, Computer Science
- David OuUndergraduate Student, Mathematics & Computer Science
Research Papers
For a more up-to-date list, visit my Google Scholar page.
Academic Services
- Program committee:
- QIP 2027, TQC 2025, TCC 2025, TQC 2024, QCRYPT 2024, YQIS 2021
- Reviewer (Conferences):
- STOC, FOCS, QIP, Crypto, Eurocrypt, SODA, TQC, ITCS, QCrypt, TCC, PQCRYPTO.
- Reviewer (Journals):
- Physical Review A, PRX Quantum, npj Quantum information, Quantum.