We extend our warmest congratulations to E. Xie (F.6) on his remarkable achievement at IEEE Quantum Week 2026 (QCE26), held in Toronto, Canada, where his research paper was awarded 2nd Place in the Best Paper Award category.

As the sole secondary school student among more than 2,300 esteemed international delegates, Xie presented his paper, titled “Pre-Asymptotic Trainability in Photonic Variational Circuits Under Postselection,” to a distinguished audience of researchers, academics, and industry professionals. His work offers valuable insights into the trainability of photonic variational quantum circuits, examining how postselection and system scaling influence near-term photonic quantum models.

In addition to presenting his research, Xie was invited to serve as a session chair for one of the conference’s technical sessions, making a significant contribution to the academic programme.

Receiving a Best Paper Award alongside scholars from leading universities and global research institutions is an exceptional milestone. We commend Xie on his dedication and extraordinary academic accomplishment, and we wish him continued success in his research journey.