Quantum Summer School 2025

About This Course

Quantum Summer School 2025 is an 8-day intensive program hosted by the ITCS School at Nile University, funded by ASRT and organized in partnership with the Egyptian Meteorological Authority and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The school was designed to build national capacity in quantum computing and its applications to real-world environmental challenges.

The program takes you from the ground up — starting with the two-slit experiment, wave equations, and quantum circuit models — through hands-on labs using Qiskit and PennyLane on real quantum simulators. You will explore quantum systems composition, photonic and superconducting processor technologies, quantum noise theory, and fault-tolerant quantum computing.

The second half of the school shifts into Quantum Machine Learning (QML): variational circuits, hybrid quantum–classical models, and advanced QML challenges taught by faculty from Nile University and international guests including Prof. Walid Gomaa from a Japanese university. Classical ML foundations are also covered to ensure all participants can follow the quantum ML sessions regardless of background.

The program culminates on Day 8 with a real competition challenge: predicting PM2.5 air pollution levels in Egypt using satellite data from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority. In 2021 alone, Egypt recorded over 115,700 deaths linked to PM2.5 exposure. Participants work to compare classical AI vs. quantum approaches for forecasting extreme pollution events — directly contributing to UN SDG Goal 3 (Good Health) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities).

على مدار 8 أيام مكثّفة، تأخذك المدرسة الصيفية للكم 2025 من أساسيات الميكانيكا الكمّية والدوائر الكمّية، مروراً بالتطبيقات العملية على Qiskit وPennyLane، وصولاً إلى تعلّم الآلة الكمّي وتحدٍّ حقيقي لتقدير تلوث الهواء بمصر باستخدام بيانات الأقمار الصناعية. البرنامج مجاني ومموّل من أكاديمية البحث العلمي والتكنولوجيا (ASRT).

Requirements

• Basic Python programming (loops, functions, libraries)

• Comfortable with linear algebra (vectors, matrices) and complex numbers

• Introductory probability and statistics

• No prior quantum computing experience required

Course Staff

Prof. Ahmed El-Mahdy — Event Chair & Lead Instructor
Professor at the ITCS School, Nile University. Course Development Manager and lead instructor across all 8 days covering quantum mechanics, quantum systems, quantum noise, and quantum machine learning.

Dr. Noha Gamal — Event Manager & ML Instructor
Instructor for classical and quantum machine learning sessions. Also co-led competition problem statement and dataset preparation for the PM2.5 challenge.

Prof. Tamer Abouelfadl — Quantum Systems Instructor
Faculty member covering quantum processor technologies on Day 3.

Dr. Norhan Elsayed — Quantum Noise Instructor
Covered quantum noise theory and fault-tolerant quantum computing on Day 4.

Dr. Ghada Khoriba — Machine Learning Instructor
Co-instructor for the classical ML foundations sessions on Day 5.

Prof. Walid Gomaa — Advanced QML Guest Instructor
International guest from Japan, covering advanced QML challenges on Day 7.

Dr. Marwa Aref Sorour — Jury Chair & QML Instructor
Co-instructor for quantum machine learning and chair of the competition jury.

Frequently Asked Questions

What web browser should I use?
The Open edX platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. See our list of supported browsers for the most up-to-date information.

Is prior quantum knowledge required?
No. The school was designed to welcome participants with no prior quantum experience. The first two days cover everything from scratch.

Is this course free?
Yes. The original summer school was fully funded by ASRT (Academy of Scientific Research and Technology). This online version on the Nile University MOOC platform is free to enroll.

What is the PM2.5 competition?
PM2.5 refers to fine particulate air pollution particles. The capstone challenge asks participants to use quantum computing methods to predict PM2.5 levels across Egypt using real satellite data provided by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.

Who organized this program?
The program was organized by the ITCS School at Nile University in partnership with the Egyptian Meteorological Authority and UNDRR, with support from ASRT.