Muhammad Hamza Waseem is pursuing a DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Oxford. His studies are funded by a Rhodes Scholarship. His research revolves around quantum magnonics and hybrid quantum systems. During his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at UET Lahore, Hamza developed pedagogical optics experiments at PhysLab, LUMS, and contributed to research on optical metasurfaces at ITU Lahore. His senior year project helped develop the first lab for single photon quantum physics in Pakistan. He also co-authored a book 'Quantum Mechanics in the Single Photon Laboratory' published by the Institute of Physics (IOP), UK.
Passionate about teaching, Hamza has taught various undergraduate and graduate courses at the Mathematical Institute, and Department of Computer Science, Oxford. As a Lecturer in Physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, Hamza teaches Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Information, Quantum Computation, Quantum Cryptography, and Quantum Optics. Hamza is also a Research Fellow at the Global Centre for Advanced Studies, Dublin, where he is developing a seminar course on Quantum Foundations and Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics.
Keen on public engagement with science, Hamza helps the Khwarizmi Science Society organize the Lahore Science Mela, the biggest annual science festival in Pakistan. He co-founded Spectra—an online magazine aimed at training popular science writers in Pakistan. For his work in science popularisation, Hamza has been awarded the 2021 Diana Award and was highly commended at the 2021 SEPnet Public Engagement Awards.