Hi, I'm Sahnawaz.
Welcome to my corner of the internet. I'm a Research Scientist at RWTH Aachen University, working at the intersection of quantum computing, non-linear optimization, and real-time intelligent systems. My background spans quantum physics, computer science, and applied machine learning.
I hold a PhD in Physics from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, where I studied nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond — tiny quantum defects with enormous potential for sensing and computing. Outside the lab, I travel, collect stories from strangers, and try to make sense of life through books and conversations.
Research
Quantum Machine Learning & Optimization
Working at the intersection of quantum computing, non-linear optimization, and real-time intelligent systems. I focus on problems where classical methods struggle: high-dimensional search spaces, non-linear decision processes, and systems that must adapt in real time.
NV Centers in Diamond
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is a unique defect in diamond that consists of a nitrogen atom next to a missing carbon atom (vacancy). During my PhD, I used NV centers as nanoscale probes to study strain, magnetic fields, and the thermodynamics of quantum measurement.
Strain Tensor in Diamond Waveguides
We determine the strain tensor components in a diamond waveguide using zero-field ODMR spectroscopy of NV centers.
M. S. Alam et al., Phys. Rev. Applied 22, 024055 (2024)
Two-Stroke Quantum Engine
We propose a two-stroke quantum engine fuelled by quantum measurements.
M. S. Alam and P. B. Venkatesh, arXiv 2201.06303 (2022)
Experience
Research Scientist
Sep 2024 – PresentRWTH Aachen University
Quantum Machine Learning and Algorithms Research Scientist.
Graduate Research Assistant
Sep 2021 – Aug 2024Wrocław University of Science and Technology
PhD research on NV centers in diamond — strain characterization, quantum sensing, and laser-written waveguides.
Visiting Researcher
Dec 2023Ulm University
Short-term research collaboration.
Visiting Researcher
Feb – Mar 2023Cardiff University
Experimental physics and confocal microscopy research.
Junior Research Fellow
Nov 2020 – Aug 2021Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
Research on quantum measurement theory and two-stroke quantum heat engines.
Summer Research Internship
May – Jul 2019University of Saskatchewan
Lattice models of Topoisomerase action on DNA.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy — PhD, Physics
Wrocław University of Science and Technology
2021 – 2024
Master of Science — MS, Physics
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
2018 – 2020
Bachelor’s degree, Physics
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira
2015 – 2018
জীবনের ঐশ্বর্য
Prosperity of Life: Love — Peace — Gratitude
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.”
— Mark Twain
“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.”
— Albert Einstein