About Junaid Akhter
COO at Chinar Quantum AI. Building at the frontier of deep technology, from post-quantum cryptography to autonomous maritime systems.
I build ventures at the frontier of deep technology and help institutions navigate that same terrain with clarity and long-term conviction. As COO and co-founder of Chinar Quantum AI (CQAI), I lead operational strategy, align multidisciplinary teams, and build the partnerships that help CQAI scale its programs and global impact across Europe, India, and beyond.
My work sits at an unusual intersection: part operator, part researcher, part educator. The common thread is a belief that deep technology doesn't move slowly because the science is hard. It moves slowly because the execution is hard. Bridging that gap is where I spend most of my time.
Building at CQAI
My core focus areas are Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Autonomous Maritime systems. Two fields where the stakes are high, the timelines are real, and the margin for poor execution is close to zero.
On the PQC side, I help organisations understand their cryptographic exposure, map migration pathways aligned with NIST's post-quantum standards, and put quantum-safe protocols in place before the threat window closes. The cryptographic infrastructure securing financial systems and government communications today is already vulnerable to harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks. Urgency is warranted.
On the maritime side, I work with ports, shipping lines, and regulators navigating the shift toward AI-driven vessel operations and autonomous fleet integration. This domain requires holding technical complexity and operational realism at the same time. The sea does not forgive gaps between theory and practice.
Beyond these two areas, I advise enterprises on AI strategy and work to build quantum literacy at scale through CQAI's education initiatives. We currently have over six active ventures spanning two continents across four advisory domains.
The Academic Years
My path began in Germany, where I completed my Master's in Physics at the University of Bonn, focusing on Quantum Field Theory and Particle Physics. From there, research roles followed at some of Europe's leading institutions: Forschungszentrum Jülich, where I developed Neural Network architectures, and the Universities of Paderborn and Technical University Dortmund, where my focus shifted to Quantum Machine Learning and Tensor Networks.
My research spanned Tensor Networks, Quantum Machine Learning, Quantum Reservoir Computing, Physics-Informed ML, and Multi-Objective Optimization. Throughout this period I also had the privilege of working with Europe's most powerful supercomputers, JUWELS and SuperMUC-NG. Working at that scale forces precision in a way nothing else does. The habits it builds, rigour, patience, and respect for what the hardware actually demands, are ones I still rely on.
Teaching and Education
Running alongside my research was teaching. I taught quantum computing, AI, and programming at Bonn, Jülich, Paderborn, and TU Dortmund, and over time those classrooms became one of the most important parts of my work.
Teaching reveals something about access. The students who made it into those German university classrooms were already, in a sense, the lucky ones. The students I found most compelling were often the ones working hardest to be there. That observation is part of what drives my commitment to broader educational access. Through KI Macht Schule and CQAI's wider programs, I have had the opportunity to teach and mentor thousands of students and professionals worldwide. It is one of the things I am most proud of.
I hold a strong view on this: access to deep-tech education is not a nice-to-have. It is infrastructure. The next generation of quantum researchers and AI practitioners will not emerge solely from the same small cluster of elite institutions they always have, not if we build the right pathways and make the effort to reach people earlier.
Beyond the Work
Outside of CQAI, I find real joy in photography and music. Both reward sustained attention and patience, qualities that are not so different from what deep technology demands. Photography has sharpened the way I observe and find structure in complex scenes. Music reminds me that not everything worth building can be optimised. Some things just need to be played.
If you are working on something at the intersection of quantum technology, maritime systems, or deep-tech strategy, or building programs to make these fields more accessible, I would genuinely like to hear from you.