Research
Sofia Reyes
Postdoctoral Fellow, Algorithms
she/her · at Ruqi since 2024
“Resource estimation is an ethical practice. It tells the public how much machine, how much energy, and how much time a promise will really cost.”
Sofia studies quantum algorithms for chemistry and optimization, with a focus on honest resource estimates. Her current work asks what an early fault-tolerant machine could contribute to understanding iron–sulfur clusters in battery electrolytes — and what it could not.
She grew up in Mexico City, studied physics and computer science, and briefly worked on grid optimization for a municipal utility. That job left her with a lasting suspicion of asymptotic speedups that ignore the cost of loading data.
At Ruqi she builds the bridge between algorithm papers and the lab's hardware roadmap. She also runs the reading group, which has a strict rule: no one gets to say 'exponential' without a log factor and a snack.
Working on
Quantum algorithms · Resource estimation · Computational chemistry
Off the clock
Plays bass in a cumbia band and makes ceramic mugs for every new lab member.
Ask me about
resource estimates, battery chemistry, algorithmic fairness, cumbia.
Questions in the drawer
- Which chemistry problems have a meaningful quantum advantage at a plausible machine size?
- How do data-loading costs change the case for quantum optimization in public systems?
- What would a useful error-mitigated result look like to a domain scientist?
Selected work
2026
2026
Open to collaborations
Work with Sofia
Good questions make better neighbours.
We answer email from students, journalists, public servants, and anyone who is trying to understand what quantum technology can actually do.