MIT Grad Recognized for Developing Tools That Entirely Reshaped our Understanding of Quantum Systems
June 10, 2026
Allen Liu is the recipient of the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award for his dissertation “Learning Theoretic Foundations for Understanding Quantum Systems,” toward a PhD earned at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Liu’s thesis reshapes our understanding of quantum systems through perspectives in learning theory. The quantum computing community is still trying to unravel the far-reaching implications of his work. Liu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science at New York University.
Honorable Mentions go to Gal Arnon for his dissertation “New Advancements in Interactive Oracle Proofs: Theory, Practice, and Limitations,” toward a PhD earned at the Weizmann Institute of Science; and Rachit Nigam for his dissertation “Modular Abstractions for Efficient Hardware Design,” toward a PhD earned at Cornell University.
