I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been accepted into the inaugural cohort of the AI-SEQ Program at QuLearnLabs focused on AI-Assisted Software Engineering for Quantum Computing and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).

Selected from over 500+ applicants worldwide, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn and collaborate with leading minds at the intersection of AI, Quantum Computing, and Cryptography.

As the world rapidly advances toward quantum technologies, gaining hands-on experience in these cutting-edge fields is both a privilege and a responsibility. I’m looking forward to deepening my understanding, contributing meaningfully, and growing with a global cohort of innovators and learners.

Special thanks to QuLearnLabs, based in the Netherlands, the learning accelerator for state-of-the-art education in quantum technologies, and to EIT Deep Tech Talent for supporting this opportunity.

LinkedIn Post

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Kickoff, Onboarding & Making an AI Friend

The first week of May marked the official kickoff of our journey into AI-assisted software engineering, tailored for the world of quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography. This week was all about onboarding, setting up development environments, and beginning to collaborate with peers and AI alike.

We were introduced to Q by QuLearnLabs — a quantum-powered AI coding assistant designed specifically for this course. Acting as a supportive development companion, Q is integrated into Visual Studio Code and is tailored to accelerate our learning and coding productivity.

🔗 Q on Visual Studio Marketplace

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Environment Setup & Helping Others

This week I:

• Set up my personal development environment (Python, Git, VS Code, Q plugin)

• Helped fellow learners onboard and clone their first Git repositories:

  • https://github.com/QuLearnLabs/tutorials

• Got hands-on with version control, learning practical Git and GitHub workflows

• Installed extensions, configured settings, and built the habits for collaborative development

This setup process was a mix of personal configuration and collaborative support—asking questions and helping fellow learners get started with cloning and working on their own projects.

Bonus Highlight:

The QuLearnLabs (QLL) team prepared a personalized EdYoucated learning environment to guide us through the program. This tailored platform helps us track progress, access curated content, and stay aligned with the course milestones — making the learning experience smooth, structured, and highly engaging.

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Meet our AI Buddy: Q by QuLearnLabs

Q is our new AI-powered coding companion developed for the unique challenges of quantum software engineering. It assists with:

• Code suggestions and completion

• Best practices for quantum-safe cryptographic implementations

• Learning resources and documentation lookups

• Debugging and refactoring assistance

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Key Learnings

Here’s a snapshot of what I explored and absorbed this week:

• Difference Between Software Engineering and Software Development

  Software engineering includes the systematic application of engineering approaches, while software development focuses more on the coding and implementation aspect.

• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

  A structured process from planning to deployment, including stages like analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

• Version Control Mastery (Git & GitHub)

  Learned how to initialize, commit, push, pull, and clone repositories. Helped peers with their first Git operations.

• Collaborative Development

  Real-world software engineering is a team effort—this week emphasized pair programming, debugging, and community problem-solving.

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Reflections

“What stood out most for me this week was the definition of a good software product. A well-engineered solution isn’t just about writing code—it must be:

• Functional

• Testable

• Scalable

• Performant

• Maintainable

• Secure

• Reliable

• User-friendly

And for sure throughout the course I’ll also keep in mind the core question: What defines a good software engineer? With strong foundations in place, I’m excited for what’s next…

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Thanks to Andreea Moga, Giuseppina Schiavone, Ravi Budhrani, Pascal Muller and Sandeep Deb Varman.