CS PhD @ UC Berkeley · Theory Group · BAIR

Francisca Vasconcelos

I am interested in the power and limits of quantum computation, with a focus on quantum circuit complexity and algorithms.

francisca [at] berkeley [dot] edu

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Black-and-white portrait of Francisca Vasconcelos

About

I am a fifth-year PhD student in the UC Berkeley Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. My research has been supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. I am co-advised by Profs Michael Jordan and Umesh Vazirani. My research interests broadly span quantum computation and machine learning theory.

Most of my PhD research has been focused on quantum circuit complexity (QAC0 in particular) and quantum algorithms.

In 2020, I received a BS in EECS and Physics from MIT, where I was fortunate to do substantial undergraduate research advised by Prof William Oliver in the MIT Engineering Quantum Systems group. As an undergraduate, I also interned under Dr. Marcus da Silva at Rigetti Computing and Microsoft Research Quantum.

Supported by a Rhodes Scholarship, I received two masters from the University of Oxford: an MSc in Statistical Sciences (2021) and MSt in Philosophy of Physics (2022). Following from the MSc, I performed statistical ML research in the OxCSML group, advised by Prof Yee Whye Teh.

I am also the Founding Academic Director of the Qubit x Qubit (QxQ) initiative of The Coding School (TCS) non-profit. Since 2019, we have taught 20,000+ diverse K-12 students, undergraduates, and members of the workforce worldwide about the fundamentals of quantum computing and QISE.

Beyond academics, I played for the Oxford University Associated Football Club (OUAFC) Women's Blues team in 2020-22 and received the Blues sporting award (2022). In 2024, I played for the Portuguese national team in the Women's European Lacrosse Championship (WELC).

Experience

Education & Research Experience

Industry Experience

Teaching Experience

Major Fellowships

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Rhodes Scholarship

Selected Publications

all publications
Preview image for Constant-Depth Unitary Preparation of Dicke States

Constant-Depth Unitary Preparation of Dicke States

selected

Malvika Raj Joshi* and Francisca Vasconcelos*

Preprint, 2026

arXiv