View my CV - Adriana Marais

Curriculum Vitae
Adriana Marais
South African
Born 15 August 1983
adrianamarais@gmail.com
www.adrianamarais.org
Education
19962000
Matric, St. John’s Diocesan High School, South Africa
(7 DISTINCTIONS)
20012004
Bachelor of Science Degree (Physics and Philosophy) and Bachelor of
Science Honours Degree (Theoretical Physics), University of Cape Town,
South Africa
(FIRST CLASS)
20072009
Master of Science Degree in Physics (Quantum Cryptography),
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa,
supervised by Prof. Francesco Petruccione and Prof. Thomas Konrad
(SUMMA CUM LAUDE)
20102014
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (Quantum Biology),
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa,
supervised by Prof. Francesco Petruccione and Dr. Ilya Sinayskiy
Employment history
20032004
20052006
2007
First year physics tutor and laboratory assistant, University of Cape
Town, South Africa
English teacher for adults at ABCkara, and for kids at Bilingual Kids
House, and cocktail bartender, Fukuoka, Japan
First and second year physics tutor, and lecturer of physics for first year
nurses, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
2008 Foundation Physics lecturer, Center for Science Access, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
2009 Augmented Physics course coordinator, Center for Science Access,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
2010 Assistant lecturer, BHP Billiton BSc for Educators Programme (Northern
Cape), First Year Physics for Health, Life and Environmental Sciences
assistant lecturer, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
2011- (For 6 months of each year) Research assistant at the Centre for Quantum
2012 Technologies, National University of Singapore
2015- Postdoctoral Researcher, Quantum Research Group, University of
KwaZulu-Natal
Special Project Coordinator, Foundation for Space Development South
Africa
Selected Presentations in Quantum
Information Science
2009
2009
Faculty of Science and
Agriculture
Postgraduate Research Day,
University of
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Winter School on Quantum
Information Processing, South
Talk: “Quantum Cryptography:
General protocols and the essence of
their security”
(STUDENTS' CHOICE PRIZE)
Talk: “Security of Quantum
Cryptography”
2011
2012
2013
_____
2014
2015
African Institute of Physics
Conference, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
“The Edge twixt Quantum and
Classical Phenomena” Asher
Peres School, Sydney, Australia
(one of 40 students chosen)
(Organiser) Quantum Biology
Workshop, Centre for Quantum
Technology, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(Organiser) Chris Engelbrecht
Summer School on Quantum
Biology, National Institute for
Theoretical Physics at Salt Rock
Hotel, South Africa
Invited research visit to
University of Oxford, UK
“She-roes Day”, iThemba LABS,
South Africa
“Coherent Control of Complex
Quantum Systems” workshop,
Okinawa Institute of Science and
Technology, Japan
South African Institute of Physics
Annual Conference, University of
Zululand
___________________________
Quantum Effects in Biological
Systems Workshop, Nanyang
Technical University, Singapore
SciFest Africa, Grahamstown,
South Africa
Astrobiology Science Conference,
US
AMC Women in Science
Conference, Sandton, SA
(SPREAD OF KNOWLEDGE
AWARD)
Poster: “Unconditional Security and
Entanglement in Differential Phase
Shift Quantum Key Distribution”
Talk: “Decoherence-assisted transport
in a dimer system”
Talk: “Decoherence-assisted transport
in a dimer system”
Talk: “Decoherence-assisted transport
in quantum networks”
Invited talk: “Quantum biology:
quantum mechanics goes green”
Talk: “Quantum coherence and
decoherence-assisted
transport
in
biological systems”
Talk: “Quantum coherence and
transport processes in photosynthesis”
(BEST PHD TALK AWARD)
__________________________________
Poster: “A quantum protective
mechanism in photosynthesis”
(BEST POSTER AWARD)
Invited Talk: “Quantum what what?!”
Poster: “An open quantum systems
approach to the formation of prebiotic
molecules ”
Invited talk: “Interdisciplinary
collaboration & the big picture”
Scientific Publications
2010 “A Necessary Condition for
the Security of Differential
Phase Shift Quantum Key
Distribution”
“Security and
Entanglement in Quantum
Key Distribution: The
Differential-­‐‑Phase-­‐‑Shift
Quantum Key Distribution
Protocol” -­‐‑paperback
2012 “Decoherence-assisted
transport in a dimer
system”
2013 “Decoherence-assisted
transport in quantum
networks”
2014 “A Necessary Condition for
the Security of CoherentOne-Way Quantum Key
Distribution Protocol”
2015 “A quantum protective
mechanism in
photosynthesis”
“The World of Biophysics”
- booklet
A.Marais,
T. Konrad &
F. Petruccione
A. Marais
Journal of Physics
A: Mathematical
and Theoretical, 43
305302 (2010)
LAMBERT
Academic
Publishing (2010)
I. Sinayskiy, A.Marais,
F. Petruccione &
A. Ekert
A.Marais, I. Sinayskiy,
A. Kay,
F. Petruccione &
A. Ekert
M. Mafu, A. Marais and
F. Petruccione
Physical Review
Letters, 108
020602 (2012)
New Journal of
Physics, 15 013038
(2013)
A. Marais, I. Sinayskiy,
F. Petruccione and R.
van Grondelle
T. Krüger, R. Sparrow,
T. Sewell, A. Marais,
B. Adams, I. Sinayskiy,
F. Petruccione,
P. Neethling, A.
Paradzah, & J.L. Botha
Sci. Rep. 5, 8720
(2015)
Appl. Math. Inf.
Sci. 8, 2769 (2014)
SO Productions
(2015)
Media Publications
2011
“Quantum Hanky Panky”
(http://www.saip.org.za/images/stories/do
cuments/PhysicsComment/2011/Physics
Comment_2011-12.pdf.pdf)
2012 “The power of quantum biology”
(http://mg.co.za/article/2012-05-04-thepower-of-quantum-biology)
2014 “Is life at its heart a quantum problem?”
(http://mg.co.za/article/2014-08-18-is-lifeat-its-heart-a-quantum-problem)
2015 “Two stand-out models of physics
education and outreach in South Africa”
(http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/maga
zine/physicstoday/news/10.1063/PT.5.20
24)
“Watch this space: Expanding our
imaginations and our dreams”
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrianamarais/watch-this-spaceexpandin_b_8123142.html)
A. Marais
Physics Comment,
December 2011
A. Marais,
I. Sinayskiy
& F.
Petruccione
A. Marais
Mail & Guardian
(Getting Ahead
supplement) 4
May 2012
Mail & Guardian
“Science Voices”
August 2014
Physics Today
February 2015
A. Marais,
K.J.C.
Utuje & A.
Sajadi
A. Marais
Huffington Post
Science September
2015
Events organised
2011 Internationally attended
National Institute of
Theoretical Physics
“Quantum Biology” workshop
F. Petruccione,
I. Sinayskiy &
A. Marais
http://quantum.ukzn.ac.z
a/events/research-­‐‑
workshop-­‐‑qunatum-­‐‑
biology
2012 Internationally attended “23rd A. Marais, F.
Chris Engelbrecht Summer
Petruccione, F.
School on Quantum Biology”
Scholtz and I.
Sinayskiy
http://www.nithep.ac.za/3
ji.htm
2014 “Future of quantum biology”
discussion workshop, ThulaThula, South Africa
2016 (Preparations underway)
Quantum Effects in Biological
Systems Workshop 2016
F. Petruccione,
I. Sinayskiy &
A. Marais
F. Petruccione,
I. Sinayskiy &
A. Marais
(publication on
discussion in
preparation)
http://www.quebs2016.or
g/
Achievements
2010 South African Department of Science and Technology For Women in
Science PhD Fellowship Award
University of KwaZulu-Natal Doctoral Research Grant Award
2013 L’Oreal-­‐‑UNESCO Regional Fellowship for Women in Science in Sub-­‐‑
Saharan Africa
2014 Round 2 Astronaut Candidate for Mars One Project
One of Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans
2015 One of 100 Round 3 Astronaut Candidates for Mars One Project
L’Oreal-­‐‑UNESCO International Rising Talent Grant for research project
“The emergence of life from inanimate matter”
One of UKZN's Top 40 most inspiring students for 2015
2016 Royal Society of South Africa Meiring Naude Medal for a young researcher,
for fundamentally important high impact research in the field of quantum
biology
One of 400 young scientists worldwide selected to attend the 66th Lindau
Nobel Laureate Meeting
References
Prof. Andy
Buffler
Prof.
Francesco
Petruccione
Prof.
Artur Ekert
Prof. Rienk
van
Grondelle
Head of Physics Department,
University of Cape Town
Head of Research Centre for
Quantum Technology, University of
KwaZulu-Natal
Director of Centre for Quantum
Technologies, National University of
Singapore
Head of the Section Biophysics,
Department of Physics and
Astronomy, Faculty of Science, VU
University Amsterdam
andy.buffler@uct.ac.za
+27 21 650 3339
Petruccione@ukzn.ac.za
+27312602770
artur.ekert@qubit.org
r.van.grondelle@vu.nl