"The mentoring by Dr. Pitalúa-García was very helpful. I wrote an essay under Dr. Pitalúa-García's mentorship as part of the credits towards the Master's degree, Part III of the Mathematical tripos, at the University of Cambridge in the academic year 2019-2020.  The essay topic, proposed by Dr. Pitalúa-García, was "does the quantum state directly correspond to physical reality?" I found the proposed essay topic very interesting and well-scoped." Dr. Pitalúa-García's feedback on my drafts and on my final paper was clear and helpful. My essay comprised a survey of recent literature on the ontological models framework in quantum foundations, with connections to historically important arguments from e.g. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen and Bell. My PhD in the University of Oxford was at the intersection of quantum information and foundations of quantum theory, and one of my supervisors was an author of some of the articles I studied for the Part III essay."

Isaac Friend, PhD in computer science, University of Oxford (Master student at the University of Cambridge during mentoring)

"During my three-month mentorship with Dr. Damián Pitalúa-García he provided invaluable support for my project on quantum gravity and entanglement. He had an exceptional ability to break down challenging topics into digestible explanations and always backed up his guidance with excellent resources. His patient teaching style and constant availability for help made the entire learning process both enriching and enjoyable. During the review process, he provided thorough feedback on every aspect of my project, which greatly helped me refine it. Thanks to his mentorship, I gained a much deeper understanding of quantum physics and the confidence to pursue research in the future. I’m incredibly grateful for his expertise and encouragement."

Anhad, Undergraduate student of Theoretical Physics at Trinity College Dublin (high school student in India during the mentorship program)

"I really liked how Dr. Pitalúa-García gave me the opportunity to ask any questions I had about the topic and indulge my curiosity past what was strictly necessary for us to cover within the course - his answers to any questions I had were always very thorough and involved pointers to further research I could do into the related topic(s). His feedback on my drafts was also very thorough and helped me refine it into a far better product than it otherwise would have been. The slideshows were always clear and helpful to review as well. My only criticism is that sometimes the math we did was a bit fast for me to understand, but based on the pacing we needed for our particular course I don't think that's necessarily his fault, and the teaching assistant helped me grasp the topics I didn't initially understand anyways. The paper I wrote has now been published in the National High School Journal of Science, and this success is directly a result of his mentorship and commitment to improving my research and writing skills."

Vihaan, admitted into the University of Chicago to study physics and mathematics (high school student in US during the mentorship program)

"I took part in the course 'Foundational Problems of Quantum Physics: Quantum Measurement and General Relativity' under Dr. Pitalúa-García, His teachings were clear, engaging, and deeply informative. He explained complex topics in quantum mechanics and quantum key distribution in a way that was easy to follow while still maintaining depth. His structured approach helped me build a strong understanding of the subject. He regularly solved my doubts and answered my questions, allowing me to gain deeper insight into the subject. He also provided valuable feedback on my paper, 'Quantum Cryptography and Communication: Protocols, Limitations, and Solutions', offering insightful comments that helped me refine my ideas and improve both the clarity and depth of my work. His guidance encouraged critical thinking while steering me toward better solutions, which made a significant impact on my research. His dedication to teaching and mentoring is truly commendable, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from him."

Sambhav, high school student, India

"I really appreciated how Dr. Pitalúa-García understood that quantum mechanics can be a challenging topic for high school students and took the time to explain concepts with sufficient detail and patience. For the paper drafts, I also valued the way he provided feedback on each line, suggesting alternative phrasing, even for small improvements, to achieve the best outcome. One area for improvement could be to include more opportunities for student engagement during lessons. Since quantum mechanics is a difficult topic to follow, keeping students engaged and actively participating can help them stay on track with the content and not fall behind."

High school student, South Korea

"I took part in the Quantum Physics: Information, Foundations, and Gravity course under the mentorship of Dr. Pitalúa-García, and it was one of the most influential academic experiences I've had. Dr. Pitalúa-García is an exceptional teacher whose explanations are both clear and engaging. He consistently adapted the pace of the course based on how my peers and I were understanding the material, ensuring that everyone was able to follow concepts that are typically introduced only at the university level. The lecture slides themselves were an outstanding resource, containing far more material than could be covered during the eight-week course and continuing to serve as valuable references long after it had ended. One aspect of the course that particularly stood out was Dr. Pitalúa-García's willingness to explain every question from first principles. Whenever a student had a doubt, he took the time to ensure we truly understood the underlying ideas rather than simply providing an answer. His enthusiasm for quantum physics was contagious and played a major role in solidifying my decision to pursue the subject as a career. As part of the course, Dr. Pitalúa-García also mentored me while I wrote my first review paper in advanced quantum physics, titled 'Approaches to the Problem of Time'. Throughout the process, he introduced practical research techniques that are rarely taught explicitly, from navigating the scientific literature effectively to understanding different forms of academic writing and research methodology. Despite having written two papers previously in other areas of physics, I found his guidance both insightful and refreshing, giving me a much deeper appreciation of the research process. Most importantly, Dr. Pitalúa-García provided detailed, honest, and constructive feedback throughout the writing process, helping me strengthen the paper at every stage. His mentorship contributed significantly to the work ultimately being selected for presentation at the CCIR Winter Research Symposium, with its abstract later published as part of the conference proceedings in the Journal of the Student Network for Open Science (JNOS). Beyond teaching me quantum information, quantum foundations, and approaches to quantum gravity, Dr. Pitalúa-García inspired the direction of my academic career. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from such a knowledgeable researcher and dedicated mentor."

Yuvraj, high school student, India