Biography
Natalia Ares works on experiments to advance the development of quantum technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence for quantum device control and quantum thermodynamics. She joined the Materials Department at the University of Oxford in 2013. She was awarded a series of fellowships, including a Marie Skłodowska-Curie and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, and was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant in 2020. During her PhD she focused on silicon-based devices for quantum computing at CEA Grenoble, France. She completed her undergraduate studies in Physics and a Masters equivalent in the theory of quantum chaos at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she was born and raised.
Research Interests
Natalia's research is in novel approaches to advance the engineering of quantum processors. To unleash the potential of quantum technologies, the intrinsic variability between individual devices has so far been a major hindrance.
For large arrays of devices, the tuning required to account for this variability quickly becomes an intractable task, presenting a bottleneck for the realisation of large quantum circuits. Natalia's group develops novel machine learning algorithms able to control complex quantum circuits in real time.
Natalia is also interested in the thermodynamics aspects of quantum information processing. The group fabricates devices at nanometre scales and holds them at millikelvin temperatures to explore the link between information and thermodynamics in the quantum world. Their exploration of information thermodynamics in the quantum arena will inform the construction of autonomous quantum machines such as quantum engines and quantum circuits with learning capabilities.
Current Projects
- Machine learning for quantum device control.
- Thermodynamics of quantum information processing.
Research Groups
Recent Publications
Metalearning characteristics and dynamics of quantum systems
Schorling L, Vaidhyanathan P, Schuff J, Carballido MJ, Zumbühl D et al. (2026), Physical Review Research, 8(3), 033248
BibTeX
@article{metalearningcha-2026/8,
title={Metalearning characteristics and dynamics of quantum systems},
author={Schorling L, Vaidhyanathan P, Schuff J, Carballido MJ, Zumbühl D et al.},
journal={Physical Review Research},
volume={8},
number={33248},
pages={033248},
publisher={American Physical Society (APS)},
year = "2026"
}
Sources of nonlinearity of a driven carbon nanotube electromechanical resonator
Sevitz S, Aggarwal K, Tabanera-Bravo J, Monsel J, Vigneau F et al. (2026), Physical Review Research, 8(3), 033237
BibTeX
@article{sourcesofnonlin-2026/8,
title={Sources of nonlinearity of a driven carbon nanotube electromechanical resonator},
author={Sevitz S, Aggarwal K, Tabanera-Bravo J, Monsel J, Vigneau F et al.},
journal={Physical Review Research},
volume={8},
pages={033237},
publisher={American Physical Society (APS)},
year = "2026"
}
How silicon-chip technology is being re-engineered for quantum computing.
Ares N (2026), Nature, 655(8125), 1141-1142
BibTeX
@article{howsiliconchipt-2026/7,
title={How silicon-chip technology is being re-engineered for quantum computing.},
author={Ares N},
journal={Nature},
volume={655},
pages={1141-1142},
year = "2026"
}
Fully autonomous tuning of a spin qubit
Schuff J, Carballido MJ, Kotzagiannidis M, Calvo JC, Caselli M et al. (2026), Nature Electronics, 9(3), 304-313
BibTeX
@article{fullyautonomous-2026/2,
title={Fully autonomous tuning of a spin qubit},
author={Schuff J, Carballido MJ, Kotzagiannidis M, Calvo JC, Caselli M et al.},
journal={Nature Electronics},
volume={9},
pages={304-313},
publisher={Nature Research},
year = "2026"
}
Quantum feedback control with a transformer neural network architecture
Vaidhyanathan P, Marquardt F, Mitchison MT & Ares N (2026), Physical Review Research, 8(1), l012043
BibTeX
@article{quantumfeedback-2026/2,
title={Quantum feedback control with a transformer neural network architecture},
author={Vaidhyanathan P, Marquardt F, Mitchison MT & Ares N},
journal={Physical Review Research},
volume={8},
pages={l012043},
publisher={American Physical Society (APS)},
year = "2026"
}
Roadmap on quantum thermodynamics
Campbell S, D’Amico I, Ciampini MA, Anders J, Ares N et al. (2026), Quantum Science and Technology, 11(1), 012501
BibTeX
@article{roadmaponquantu-2026/1,
title={Roadmap on quantum thermodynamics},
author={Campbell S, D’Amico I, Ciampini MA, Anders J, Ares N et al.},
journal={Quantum Science and Technology},
volume={11},
pages={012501},
publisher={IOP Publishing},
year = "2026"
}
MetaSym: A Symplectic Meta-learning Framework for Physical Intelligence
Vaidhyanathan P, Papatheodorou A, Mitchison MT, Ares N & Havoutis I (2026), Transactions on Machine Learning Research, 2026-February
BibTeX
@article{metasymasymplec-2026/1,
title={MetaSym: A Symplectic Meta-learning Framework for Physical Intelligence},
author={Vaidhyanathan P, Papatheodorou A, Mitchison MT, Ares N & Havoutis I},
journal={Transactions on Machine Learning Research},
volume={2026-February},
year = "2026"
}
Artificial intelligence for quantum computing
Alexeev Y, Farag MH, Patti TL, Wolf ME, Ares N et al. (2025), Nature Communications, 16(1)
BibTeX
@article{artificialintel-2025/12,
title={Artificial intelligence for quantum computing},
author={Alexeev Y, Farag MH, Patti TL, Wolf ME, Ares N et al.},
journal={Nature Communications},
volume={16},
number={10829},
publisher={Nature Research},
year = "2025"
}
Coupling a single spin to the motion of a carbon nanotube
Fedele F, Cerisola F, Bresque L, Vigneau F, Monsel J et al. (2025), Nature Communications
BibTeX
@article{couplingasingle-2025/12,
title={Coupling a single spin to the motion of a carbon nanotube},
author={Fedele F, Cerisola F, Bresque L, Vigneau F, Monsel J et al.},
journal={Nature Communications},
publisher={Springer Nature},
year = "2025"
}
QuantGraph: A Receding-Horizon Quantum Graph Solver
Vaidhyanathan P, Papatheodorou A, Arvidsson-Shukur DRM, Mitchison MT, Ares N et al. (2025)
BibTeX
@misc{quantgrapharece-2025/12,
title={QuantGraph: A Receding-Horizon Quantum Graph Solver},
author={Vaidhyanathan P, Papatheodorou A, Arvidsson-Shukur DRM, Mitchison MT, Ares N et al.},
year = "2025"
}
All-rf-based coarse-tuning algorithm for quantum devices using machine learning
van Straaten B, Fedele F, Vigneau F, Hickie J, Jirovec D et al. (2025), Physical Review Applied, 24(5), 054030-054030
BibTeX
@article{allrfbasedcoars-2025/11,
title={All-rf-based coarse-tuning algorithm for quantum devices using machine learning},
author={van Straaten B, Fedele F, Vigneau F, Hickie J, Jirovec D et al.},
journal={Physical Review Applied},
volume={24},
pages={054030-054030},
publisher={American Physical Society (APS)},
year = "2025"
}
Entropic Costs of Extracting Classical Ticks from a Quantum Clock
Wadhia V, Meier F, Fedele F, Silva R, Nurgalieva N et al. (2025), Physical Review Letters, 135(20), 200407
BibTeX
@article{entropiccostsof-2025/11,
title={Entropic Costs of Extracting Classical Ticks from a Quantum Clock},
author={Wadhia V, Meier F, Fedele F, Silva R, Nurgalieva N et al.},
journal={Physical Review Letters},
volume={135},
number={ARTN 200407},
pages={200407},
publisher={American Physical Society (APS)},
year = "2025"
}
Automatic tuning of a donor in a silicon quantum device using machine learning
Severin B, Botzem T, Fedele F, Yu X, Wilhelm B et al. (2025)
BibTeX
@misc{automatictuning-2025/11,
title={Automatic tuning of a donor in a silicon quantum device using machine learning},
author={Severin B, Botzem T, Fedele F, Yu X, Wilhelm B et al.},
year = "2025"
}
Entropic costs of extracting classical ticks from a quantum clock
Wadhia V, Meier F, Fedele F, Silva R, Nurgalieva N et al. (2025)
BibTeX
@misc{entropiccostsof-2025/11,
title={Entropic costs of extracting classical ticks from a quantum clock},
author={Wadhia V, Meier F, Fedele F, Silva R, Nurgalieva N et al.},
year = "2025"
}
Virtual Gates Enabled by Digital Surrogate of Quantum Dot Devices
Lidiak A, Swain J, Craig DL, Hickie J, Yang Y et al. (2025)
BibTeX
@misc{virtualgatesena-2025/10,
title={Virtual Gates Enabled by Digital Surrogate of Quantum Dot Devices},
author={Lidiak A, Swain J, Craig DL, Hickie J, Yang Y et al.},
year = "2025"
}
