Nathalie P. de Leon, the Diamond Scientist Pushing the Quantum Technology Frontier

Interview with Dr. Nathalie P. de Leon, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University

Beyond beauty and rarity, diamonds have been used by scientists due to their exceptional hardness and resistance to pressure to build instruments like ultra-thin knives for electron microscopy samples, or in powders to polish materials. However, diamond’s quantum properties have also been shown to be crucial for cutting-edge applications, sometimes even if they are impure, those that would be rejected in the jewelry business. 

We interviewed Nathalie P. de Leon, a physicist leading a research group in Princeton, New Jersey, that turns pure diamonds into defective diamonds to push the frontiers of quantum applications, such as quantum computers, sensors, and communication networks. 

“What we do is that we kick out one or two carbons of the diamond and replace it with something else, then we get a little defect that responds to light in a different way than the carbons,” Nathalie explains. “The interesting aspect about these imperfections, in the quantum world, is that some of them have high efficiency in the sense that they absorb a photon and then spit a photon back out, so that they act as single photon sources.”

These “imperfections” are called color centers, tiny defects placed with atomic precision inside the diamond’s crystal, causing the diamond to behave like a single atom from a quantum perspective. What others call a flaw, Nathalie sees as a priceless feature.

“The term ‘color center’ is very old; it is really just about shining light that gets absorbed and light that gets emitted; then, the color center is what makes the diamond look yellow or blue. These color centers are defects in the diamond that give us very localized quantum states that we can use in many applications.”

Building Quantum Devices from Flawed Diamonds

Nathalie uses nitrogen to replace the carbon vacancies to create her color centers, called “NV centers.” Then, she and her team manipulate and measure quantum properties of the NV center’s electrons with extraordinary precision. One of these manipulable quantum features is the electron’s spin. The spin is a fundamental quantum-mechanical property found in elementary particles, such as electrons and quarks, and in composite particles, such as protons and atoms, that can have specific values. For example, the electron’s spin can have two values that physicists call “spin up” and “spin down” (or ½ and – ½ ), and it is responsible for the magnetic properties of the electron.

Unlike most quantum systems, which must be kept at extremely low temperatures, NV centers in diamonds can operate at room temperature, a rare advantage in emerging quantum technologies that desperately need long coherence times (the time the system can maintain a quantum state). This unique property makes them among the few quantum platforms that can operate outside specialized cryogenic environments (extremely cold temperatures), opening the door to practical quantum technologies. 

“The main reason why these NV centers are really exciting is the very long spin coherence time, the longest coherence time anyone has ever measured at room temperature and ambient conditions, so you have milliseconds of coherence time, which is really remarkable because you can use the electron’s spin up or down to store quantum information. It also has very efficient optical transitions, which means I put one photon in and get one photon back out.”

Diamonds, Light, and the Quantum Frontier

Nathalie’s research lab has shown that these engineered diamonds are more than just scientific curiosities—they can serve as information storage and processing devices, sensors, and building blocks for quantum communication. De Leon focuses on using NV centers as quantum sensors to measure magnetic fields with extremely high precision and spatial resolution, opening a new frontier in which quantum sensors can help us discover new materials, perform biomedical diagnostics, and aid navigation. Her lab works on the full gamut from basic research to applied technologies, innovating diamond growth in collaboration with Alastair Stacey at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, devising new sensing schemes, and making integrated sensing devices.

In a 2022 Science paper, her group showed that NV centers could be used to directly measure correlations in magnetic noise, a new physical quantity that is not measurable by any instrument today.  A follow-up paper (in press in Nature) showed how entanglement can be harnessed to improve these measurements. In a 2025 paper in Physical Review X, Nathalie and her team report a breakthrough in studies of nitrogen color centers in diamonds. Traditionally, researchers could study only one diamond color center at a time—a slow process that limited what they could learn about collective quantum behavior. De Leon’s group changed that, creating a system that can read signals from hundreds of nitrogen vacancy centers simultaneously. 

With this innovation, scientists can create tools that can track how tiny magnetic fields vary not just at single points, but across entire 100-micrometer-scale regions. These tiny devices could help advance the study of exotic materials or the development of medical instruments.

Science as a Game of Risk

For Nathalie, research is about strategic exploration. After she showed how to control the surface of diamond to make near-surface NV centers behave well, she started a new collaboration with Andrew Houck and Bob Cava to tackle a completely different platform—improving the quantum coherence of superconducting qubits, which had been stagnant for about a decade despite enormous worldwide investment. In five years, this collaboration has yielded two major improvements in superconducting qubit coherence, first from 100 microseconds to 300 microseconds (Nature Communications 2021), and then to over 1.5 ms (Nature 2025). Jumping into a new effort required devising a large-scale, interdisciplinary playbook to measure and tackle many different aspects of the qubit at once, which she describes in a recent 2025 Nature Physics comment. She compares it to playing Risk, the board game where players place pieces, roll dice, and attempt to conquer new territories. In her view, science works in a similar way. 

“You can think of many of these projects as a giant Risk board game. What we are doing is placing forces in different parts of the board because we want to advance the state of the art in some technology. We created qubits made with tantalum and achieved a factor-of-three improvement over the state of the art. And then, we ask, can we do better? And I also need to be aware of the different forces and that other people are working on a different part of the game. For example, now we have one millisecond of coherence, so, how can we make that into 10 milliseconds? We have efforts tackling new materials and better fabrication, but also on packaging and filtering, understanding when the coherence is worse than the loss, measuring time variation… The frontier does not care about what instruments we already have in the lab or what knowledge I have in my head. So, we spend a lot of time figuring out how we are going to solve that problem and advance on the board.” 

From blowing up things in her parents’ garage to Harvard, Princeton, and beyond

As a child, de Leon’s curiosity stretched in every direction—from music and art to debate and journalism. But beneath all those interests was a restless fascination with how the world worked. Growing up in a place with few outlets for kids drawn to science, she pursued science as a hobby at home, mixing chemicals and experimenting with crystal growth—sometimes a little too enthusiastically. 

“I was mixing chemicals in my garage. I almost blew my fingers a couple of times,” she laughs. “I was interested in crystal growth; I found that exciting, the purification and patience, and I still have a fondness for crystal growth.”   

What began as a love for crystals evolved into a career uncovering the quantum secrets hidden inside them, a trajectory that has been anything but linear. From chemistry at Stanford to a PhD in chemical physics at Harvard University, by the time de Leon reached graduate school, her path had already begun to twist in unexpected directions. 

De Leon joined as an assistant professor at Princeton in 2016. Since then, she’s earned a collection of early-career honors—from the U.S. Department of Energy, DARPA, and the National Science Foundation—as well as a Sloan Research Fellowship. She was also awarded the APS Landauer-Bennett Award in 2023 for her work in quantum computing. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University, a co-Director of the Princeton Quantum Initiative, and an associated faculty member of physics, as well as at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. She is also a Visiting Research Faculty at Google Quantum AI. With her research, Nathalie helps bridge the gap between fundamental physics and engineering.   

“These are very exciting times to be living through,” Nathalie concludes. 

De Leon publications to deep dive into her research 

  1. De Leon, N. (2025). How to build a long-lived qubit. Nature Physics. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03044-y
  2. Cheng, K., Kazi, Z., Rovny, J., Zhang, B., Nassar, L. S., Thompson, J. D., & De Leon, N. P. (2025). Massively multiplexed nanoscale magnetometry with diamond quantum sensors. Physical Review X, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1103/t8fz-3tzs
  3. Rose, B. C., Huang, D., Zhang, Z., Stevenson, P., Tyryshkin, A. M., Sangtawesin, S., Srinivasan, S., Loudin, L., Markham, M. L., Edmonds, A. M., Twitchen, D. J., Lyon, S. A., & De Leon, N. P. (2018). Observation of an environmentally insensitive solid-state spin defect in diamond. Science, 361(6397), 60–63. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao0290
  4. “Millisecond lifetimes and coherence times in 2D transmon qubits,” M. P. Bland, F. Bahrami, J. G. C. Martinez, P. H. Prestegaard, B. M. Smitham, A. Joshi, E. Hedrick, S. Kumar, A. Yang, A. Pakpour-Tabrizi, A. Jindal, R. D. Chang, G. Cheng, N. Yao, R. J. Cava, N. P. de Leon, A. A. Houck, Nature (2025).
  5. “New material platform for superconducting transmon qubits with coherence times exceeding 0.3 milliseconds,” A. P. M. Place, L. V. H. Rodgers, P. Mundada, B. M. Smitham, M. Fitzpatrick, Z. Leng, A. Premkumar, J. Bryon, A. Vrajitoarea, S. Sussman, G. Cheng, T. Madhavan, H. K. Babla, X. H. Le, Y. Gang, B. Jaeck, A. Gyenis, N. Yao, R. J. Cava, N. P. de Leon, A. A. Houck, Nature Communications 12, 1779 (2021). 
  6. “Materials challenges and opportunities for quantum computing hardware,” N. P. de Leon, K. M. Itoh, D. Kim, K. K. Mehta, T. E. Northup, H. Paik, B. S. Palmer, N. Samarth, S. Sangtawesin, D. W. Steuerman,  Science 372, 6539, eabb2823 (2021).
  7. “Nanoscale covariance magnetometry with diamond quantum sensors,” J. Rovny, Z. Yuan, M. Fitzpatrick, A. I. Abdalla, L. Futamura, C. Fox, M. C. Cambria, S. Kolkowitz, N. P. de Leon, Science 378, 6626 1301-1305 (2022).

Temitope Adeniyi: A Young Leader Shaping the Quantum Future in Africa

Interview with Temitope Adeniyi, a PhD computer science student at Cleveland State University in the United States, one of the leaders and conveners of the Africa Quantum Consortium.

I have interviewed many scientists and leaders from the quantum world, but few have moved me as much as Temitope Adeniyi, a PhD student in computer science at Cleveland State University in the United States. Cheerful, always smiling, she speaks with such conviction that it is contagious. Her infectious enthusiasm about the future makes you feel that we are already there. 

As a quantum scientist, she explores the intersection of quantum systems and artificial intelligence (AI), while as an activist, Temitope is determined to reconfigure quantum science in Africa—yes, the whole continent—to make it as strong as any other leading region on the global stage. During our conversation, we explored her life and career as a research scientist, and her leadership in building “the biggest Deep Tech Research Institute in Africa,” as stated on her LinkedIn profile. 

“In my dissertation, what I am doing is applying classical intelligent agents to help improve quantum systems,” Temitope clarifies. Intelligent agents are autonomous systems that can make decisions and perform tasks with limited or no human intervention.

While her research has many applications, she is eager to contribute to the health sector, focusing on neurology. “I am interested in the applications of quantum sensors and AI in biological systems, especially in medical hardware, and one of my ambitions is to develop a quantum sensor that can detect weak electromagnetic signals in the brain to identify neurological diseases, even before they are detected by other medical means. That is my goal.”

From Reluctant Scientist to Quantum Leader for a Whole Continent

Temitope’s early years were not precisely defined by a love of science. “When I was in school, I was a good writer and didn’t really like science—I thought it was too hard,” she recalls. Initially, she chose to study arts until her father encouraged her to “first try science.” Reluctantly, she agreed, not yet knowing how this decision would change her life.

Her turning point came during a university strike in her fourth year. Rather than waiting for classes to resume, Temitope began homeschooling with her brother, who transformed her view of science. “He taught me math, physics, and chemistry through stories that were so interesting that I ended up loving them, especially physics.”

She completed both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in physics at Osun State University and the University of Ibadan, respectively, both in Nigeria. By the end of her master’s degree, she taught herself programming and applied it to physics. “I loved it so much!”  She exclaims with a spark in her eyes. “Then I wanted to know more about the basics of computer science. And that is why I chose quantum computing, because it is a balance of everything I love: math, physics, and coding.”

Building a Quantum Network in Africa

Early this year, while doing her PhD in Cleveland, Ohio, Temitope helped reconvene the Africa Quantum Consortium (AQC)—a nonprofit initiative dedicated to building Africa’s capacity in quantum technologies and deep tech. 

The AQC brings together researchers, institutions, and policymakers across 15 African countries, creating a network for collaboration and knowledge exchange. Its motto—“Forging Local Strength, Driving Global Impact”—captures the organization’s vision: to make Africa not just a participant but a leader in the global quantum revolution.

Her passion for the AQC was born out of many setbacks she encountered as a graduate student in Nigeria.  “When I was doing my PhD in Nigeria, I wanted to learn new technologies, and there were some resources but there were not enough. That let me to change my field many times,” she reminisces. Such instability prevented her from finishing her PhD in Nigeria, and then she moved to Cleveland, where she was offered the opportunity to work in quantum technologies. 

But Temitope is not the kind of person who gives up easily on her country; she is determined to change that situation. “By the time I finish my PhD, I want to be able to go back to my home country in Africa and have the assets and equipment to do research in high tech. I want to go back home and help build the infrastructure so Africans can do impactful work in Africa. We don’t want to be left behind in quantum computing. With the AQC, we want to be able to provide resources to our researchers and funding for quantum innovation, to be able to develop our own quantum computers, or to give researchers and students cloud access to quantum computers.”

The AQC is still in its early stages, and starting is always a challenge, but she and her team are determined to succeed. “When we pitch the AQC, people say, ‘No, this is impossible,’” Temitope notes. “But we’re not giving up. We’re connecting leaders, researchers, and students to create a future where Africa is united and recognized in quantum innovation,” she asserts. “The goal of the coordinators is to return to their countries [in Africa], talk with local stakeholders, connect with researchers, institutions, and students, and connect the dots between them. And we are not doing it alone; we are collaborating with other quantum communities in Africa, and we hope to improve the state of education, research, and innovation.” 

“Our vision is to create a comfortable space where current and aspiring leaders in quantum can talk about their goals, their fears, and ideas for shaping a hopeful future in quantum. Above all, we want to foster unity in Africa, rather than fragmentation, and that is why we have national coordinators in 15 countries, 9 onboarded, and 6 pending.”

The recently published AQC White Paper on the State of Quantum Science and Technology in Africa expands on this vision. It outlines strategies such as building a Pan-African quantum ecosystem, launching the Africa Quantum Fund to support education and research, promoting quantum alignment with Africa’s development agenda, and advancing digital sovereignty through home-grown innovation. “Together, these efforts represent our roadmap toward a united and self-sustaining quantum future for Africa.”

The Challenge of Representation

Despite her accomplishments, Temitope’s path in the U.S. scientific community has not been easy. “As a woman coming from Africa in the USA, I had impostor syndrome,” she admits. “I wondered, am I really that good? Will I be able to succeed or make an impact in this field?”

The skepticism she faced was often unspoken but deeply felt. “Even when I was doing well, I had to prove myself,” she recalls. “Some people didn’t even hide it, they’d ask, ‘You’re from Africa, so what do you know?’” But instead of allowing those doubts to break her, Temitope used them as fuel. “The pressure was there, but instead of letting it discourage me, it became my drive to do more, to talk about my work, to inspire others. That’s why I’m loud about what I do. I share it on LinkedIn, I mentor students, and I want people back home to see that it’s possible to succeed in this field.” That’s also why the AQC organized the event Q4 Quantum Roundtable on December 12 focusing primarily on women, “to ensure more voices like mine have the visibility, confidence, and support to lead in quantum science.”

Lessons in Perseverance

For Temitope, the barriers she’s faced—being African, Black, and a woman in a male-dominated field—are not limitations but motivations. “At the end of the day, what matters is what you can do,” she says firmly.

Her message to young Africans and aspiring scientists everywhere is simple yet profound: “There is nothing too hard. Never give up on the first try.” She reminds them to keep dreaming, even when those dreams seem impossible. “When I look back, I realize that if I had given up, I wouldn’t be here. Keep on dreaming, even if your dream looks unrealistic—those dreams help you see opportunities when they appear.”

Elisa Torres, a Chilean Student That Popularized Quantum Mechanics Among Girls All Over the World

(Olivia Castillo is a physics student and APS JNIPER fellow.)

Her Childhood

For Elisa Torres Durney, every flower, every leaf, and every insect was an opportunity to discover something new. As a child, her parents could never find her inside the house; she was always outside, exploring the marvels of nature. Her parents loved this, even when she brought dirt into their clean house. They believed in the value of education (as long as she was careful) and even gifted her with a pink microscope. This plastic microscope became her window to a new world, as she continued investigating the outside world with a childlike wonder.

However, Elisa’s curiosity was not limited to what she could see through the microscope. She simply loved learning, including the art she learned from her grandfather, a painter. She only needed to observe her grandpa to master advanced techniques and would spend many afternoons at his side, watching the delicate process of mixing colors to tell a vivid story. She still paints today, using the skills she learned from her grandfather.

Thanks to the support of her parents, by the time she started high school, her curiosity remained as strong as ever. She took full advantage of learning opportunities, working in a lab, participating in theater, and asking questions in all her classes. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic brought all of that to a halt.

Her Journey into Quantum Computing

As a teenager during the pandemic, Elisa had too much free time and was very bored, without social interaction and with fewer activities. In the fall of 2021, she enrolled in an online, two-semester quantum computing class, taught by the Coding School and sponsored by a large tech company, IBM. Before the course, Elisa only knew that quantum mechanics was a field of physics that studies tiny things. No one in her life was familiar with quantum computing, not even her mother, who works in technology.

From the first day, the course captivated her. She learned that quantum computing uses the laws of quantum physics to solve certain problems faster than traditional computers. Her professor explained fascinating topics like qubits (a unit of information in quantum computing) and superposition, properties exclusive to quantum physics. 

A simplified explanation of these concepts would be: a normal computer only uses the numbers zero and one to encode information, but in a quantum computer, the information is encoded in a mix of both. Imagine that the qubit is both zero and one at the same time, but also neither zero nor one. The ability to exist in multiple states at the same time is called superposition in quantum mechanics. Then, once the quantum computer reads it, the qubit collapses into a definite state of zero or one. This is an idea that challenges our classical understanding of the natural world! 

In addition to learning theory, Elisa had the chance to dive into the subject through labs. For example, she worked with quantum circuits and programmed with quantum algorithms, important tools in this interdisciplinary field. Most importantly, she made international friends with other students in the program. Despite her friends coming from very different cultures, they all shared the same enthusiasm for quantum computing. Without a doubt, the course was a transformative experience for her. Elisa said, “When you love something, you want to share it.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Girls in Quantum

After the program, she wanted to keep exploring quantum computing and maintain the network she had formed in that class. She also felt inspired to share what she had learned with people who lacked the same opportunities. So, in 2022, she founded Girls in Quantum, an organization to make quantum sciences accessible to girls across the globe through virtual workshops and other free resources.

At first, the organization was only for girls in Chile (the country where she lived). But after seeing that her classmates came from many countries, she felt that Girls in Quantum should go beyond Chile. Evolving into an international organization was a major challenge. It was hard to find time for meetings: while some of her peers were sleeping, others were just waking up. It was also difficult to find experts to collaborate with. They were lucky if, out of hundreds of emails, even one person replied. The most frustrating part was that many adults didn’t take her seriously. When they saw her, they asked Elisa, “Where are your parents?” Even though she was qualified, they doubted her abilities because of her gender and age, but she persisted, and the Girls in Quantum learned how to be organized and flexible.

Currently, there are twenty-seven active countries in Girls in Quantum, from Japan to Egypt! In total, over five thousand young people around the world are learning with the organization. Elisa, who was recently recognized by Forbes “30 under 30” for this work, is motivated by the movement to democratize quantum computing education. She believes that there are many women with potential in the quantum field that simply lack the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. She is determined to change and open doors for the next generation of women in quantum sciences.

This article is part of the American Physical Society’s PhysicsQuest series.

Olivia Castillo is a senior, studying physics and humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Quantum Women’s Netwik

We are delighted to invite you to our inaugural event of the Quantum Women’s Network in New York City!

​Quantum Women’s Network is a community dedicated to supporting women and girls who work — or aspire to work — in the field of quantum technologies. We celebrate and value diverse contributions to this growing field, spanning education, business development, advocacy, partnerships, strategy, hardware innovation, and algorithm design.

​Our mission is to build a supportive network that empowers women and girls to thrive in quantum technologies, each from their own perspective. To achieve this, we organize various initiatives, including networking events where we come together to connect, share experiences, and strengthen our community.

​This inaugural gathering marks the beginning of our journey, and we plan to host these events monthly in NYC moving forward.

​📩 If you would like to learn more about our plans or get involved, feel free to reach out at quantumwomennetwork@gmail.com.

​We look forward to seeing you there and building this network together!

Seeing the Future Through Quantum Lenses: Elena Yndurain’s Guide to Navigating the Next Tech Revolution

Interview with Elena Yndurain, strategist specialized in digital transformation and emerging technologies, book author, product director at Microsoft, honorary professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, adjunct professor, and principal researcher in quantum technologies at IE Business School. 

Over the last few decades, we’ve witnessed an astonishing wave of new technologies reshaping industries, transforming our homes, and changing the way we see the world, from the rise of the internet to the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Now, another breakthrough is on the horizon: quantum computing. Long felt like the stuff of science fiction, whispered about in academic circles, and splashed across speculative think pieces; in recent years, quantum computing has been quietly stepping into the real world. Companies, governments, and research labs are now in a race to explore its capabilities, from climate modeling to drug discovery. And at the forefront of making quantum computing not just understandable, but implementable, is Dr. Elena Yndurain, technology visionary, professor, and author of the book Quantum Computing Strategy: Foundations and Applicability. 

Elena’s career began in consulting before moving into industry roles where she was often tasked with bringing new technologies to the market before people even knew they wanted them.

“I started with the web, cloud, apps, mobile, AI; and created new product categories based on each new technology. For example, when apps didn’t exist, I created a whole category to link research and development with the market. How do you introduce this new product to the market? How do you create a market for it? I created the whole journey,” Elena clarifies. 

Spotting Game-Changers in Their Infancy

In a career spanning decades and continents, Elena has been analyzing emerging technologies as they are developed in labs, envisioning their potential applications, building bridges between research and the industry—work that demands a rare combination of technical expertise, business acumen, and a great deal of imagination.

“The most exciting part was imagining what you could do with a particular technology. I had to imagine what people could do, thinking about the possibilities,” Elena explains with enthusiasm. 

However, as fascinating as her role in the tech arena was, she often found herself pushing against the current. “When we launched the apps, it was a bit of a lonely job in the sense that no one understood what I was doing.”  Over her years in the field, Elena witnessed industry titans dismiss innovations that would soon redefine entire markets, moments when the future was knocking, but a few recognized the sound.

“I have a list of famous last words from big companies, such as no one is going to use the cloud or why do we want an app? A lot of people didn’t understand that the smartphone was about the apps. I remember working with Nokia, and they would ask, How many phones will we be selling? And I would be like, this is not about short term; this is about selling the apps.’’

Identifying the Next Big Leap

Elena’s first encounter with quantum computing was equally visionary, “When IBM opened the cloud for their quantum computer in 2016, I remember thinking, this is the future, this is the new technology.”

To fully develop a clear vision, Elena set out to deepen her understanding of quantum technologies, even knowing it demanded a strong foundation in physics. She approached this challenge with humility, initiative, and an unwavering commitment to continuous learning. 

“I thought, I need to understand this, then I read books, I took courses… when I was working [as a professor] at IE Business School, I created a course for me to teach, and that experience forced me to understand in depth.”

From an Eager-to-learn Girl to a Global Quantum Computing Leader at IBM

At only 11 years old, Elena’s mother enrolled her in a summer computer programming course. She was the youngest student in a room where even college students were attending. That first encounter with a computer’s ability to follow her instructions ignited a passion that led her to excel in computer science, embrace mathematics as a double major at the University of Michigan, later on a PhD focused on AI,  and eventually become a pioneer in the quantum computing industry, shaping the future of technology at IBM.

“When IBM was creating its quantum team, they reached out to me because they needed someone with business expertise. At the time, the group was a mix of researchers and engineers, but they lacked people who understood the business side. And that’s why I joined the team.”

During her time at IBM, she designed an innovative way to prioritize use cases by tracking the evolution of their underlying quantum algorithms, mapping out what they could achieve over time, and predicting the moment they might surpass classical computing. Her method also weighed whether each algorithm would demand fault-tolerant machines or could still deliver results despite the inevitable “noise” of current quantum systems. This forward-looking framework gave organizations a clear, strategic path for deciding which quantum projects to pursue and when.

“At IBM, I worked with a financial company mapping their use cases, helping prioritize them. Usually, companies don’t have the time or the resources to test every idea, so I came up with a flexible method to ranking them. I created a graph where the X-axis represented time, and the Y-axis measured quantum advantage [the tipping point at which quantum computers outperform classical systems on specific tasks].”

Introducing a disruptive technology like quantum computing into the market requires more than technical expertise—it demands a deep understanding of clients, their needs, and the value you can deliver. Elena brought exactly that ability, combining curiosity, humility, and a big-picture mindset with the skill to tailor solutions to each client’s unique circumstances.

Educating the Next Generation and Breaking Down Quantum for Everyone

Multitalented and full of energy, Elena’s career spans both industry and academia. She is also a professor at Universidad Carlos III and IE Business School in Madrid, where she teaches technology strategy, quantum computing, and digital transformation to executives, master’s students, and undergraduates. Her teaching philosophy focuses on making abstract concepts accessible, using real-world analogies and industry applications to bridge theory and practice.

For that reason, connecting complex science to real-world impact is central to Elena’s new book, Quantum Computing Strategy: Foundations and Applicability. 

“One day, a quantum physics professor told me: you should write a book, we need a book that combines business with quantum; he thought I was the right person to write it.” 

Originally written in non-technical English, using analogies, visual aids, and real-world comparisons to make the material accessible, her book explains essential quantum algorithms, along with overviews of hardware modalities and programming frameworks. It categorizes problems best suited for quantum—spanning simulations, optimization, AI, and secure communications—helping readers identify use cases in their own industries. 

“My book is not only for STEM experts, but also for anyone curious about the potential of quantum computing — from investors, decision-makers, and policymakers to educators, professionals in other fields, and even those in technology who know little about quantum.”

The book also explores how quantum computing can tackle specific problems across eleven industries, including aerospace, energy efficiency, and agriculture. 

The Loneliness of Being a Woman in STEM

No interview with Elena would be complete without exploring her experience as a woman in the tech business. From feeling isolated in male-dominated teams to encountering bias in hiring and promotions, she has both endured and witnessed persistent barriers.

“We, as women, face a lot of challenges in STEM. Because there are so few of us, it is always a bit hard to create bonding or support. Sometimes I would feel isolated because the teams do not really consider us with the same capacities, but what I have also seen is that, sometimes, men are the ones who help us,” Elena remarks. “In academia, it is quite bad; students tend to be less respectful. Also, if you are a woman and you try to be tough, they will think you are being too hard, but with men then it is fine.” 

In leadership roles, she has championed fair hiring and equal pay for women, often mentoring them through the art of negotiation. She stresses the importance of allies: 

“Once at a Startup, I had to push hard for a woman to get the position she truly deserved. They wanted to hire her for a lower role than her qualifications warranted. The committee wanted to choose a man with far less experience instead. I had fought for that; I had fought that very hard. When I was head of innovation, I hired a lot of women into the team, and I always helped them to think about their career path and to not be shy and negotiate to make sure they got the best for them. I know that women hesitate to negotiate, we don’t think that we deserve it.”

If Elena’s career teaches one lesson, it’s that the future belongs to those willing to imagine it, and then do the hard work of making it real.

Science Spaza Space – Quantum Edition: ‘Women Changing Quantum Physics’

As part of the International Year of Quantum (IYQ), the ‘Science Spaza Space: Quantum Edition’ brings quantum science to life through engaging, youth-friendly storytelling and accessible science communication. This special edition, featured in the Daily Maverick, showcases how quantum concepts – often seen as complex and abstract – can be made relatable and fun for learners, educators, and the general public.

Through comics, interviews, and interactive content, the issue explores quantum ideas in everyday language, helping to spark curiosity and build understanding across diverse communities. It’s a celebration of collaboration, creativity, and the power of science to inspire.

Distributed in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and throughout science centres across South Africa.

A Life Dedicated to Quantum Science, Peace, Equity, and Universal Access to Knowledge

Interview with Dr. Ana María Cetto, Mexican physics professor and researcher, promoter of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, leader of two Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations, and IYA’s Tate 2025 Medal.

Many scientists dedicate their entire lives to research and achieve great accomplishments. But to gather the merits that Ana María Cetto, professor and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has accumulated would take several lifetimes. Her trajectory is so broad and deep that a few minutes of conversation with her are enough to leave us both impressed and inspired.

In addition to an outstanding scientific career researching the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, Ana María has worked tirelessly for peace, gender equity, and universal access to knowledge. Her understanding of science as an integral commitment to society, combined with her international leadership, has made her a voice admired and listened to around the world. It was precisely this spirit that led her to be one of the main driving forces behind the declaration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ).

“We had the successful precedent of the International Year of Light, in 2015, in which a very, very small group of scientists got down to work and devoted a lot of time and effort, also diplomatic, and it was a fantastic experience,” Dr. Cetto explains enthusiastically. “The idea [of IYQ] arose within some scientific societies who took it to the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, whose General Assembly in 2021 agreed to approve it; that is where we came in precisely because we had already collaborated with UNESCO, we had already traveled that road, we knew the process, the complexities, and the obstacles.

“So we began to work as a team, the embassy and the Mexican delegation to UNESCO to do their part, and when the initiative was submitted to the UNESCO General Conference, there was no discussion; it was approved by acclamation, by consensus. It was a joint effort and a good example of science diplomacy.“

In addition to the social, ethical, political, and technical impact, the initiative also responds to a deeply personal motivation: to promote a clearer and more accessible understanding of quantum phenomena, to combat the idea that it is an unintelligible or magical science, and to insist that, with the right approach, quantum mechanics can be taught, learned, and applied in a transformative way for societies.

“My motivation was twofold: to help get the initiative accepted for the common good, because there are countries where quantum science and technology are not being developed, there are many disparities, and this leads to technological dependence with all the consequences that this entails for our economies. I also want to promote people’s education and culture so that everyone has an idea of what quantum mechanics means. I am interested in showing that quantum mechanics can be understood, that it is not strange or impossible to explain. It can be explained and I would like to contribute to that, to a good understanding of physics and quantum mechanics.”  

The complexities of driving a year that celebrates a fundamental science 

Part of the interest in promoting the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology is to prepare governments, educational institutions, and industry for the challenges, bringing to the table the necessary ethical discussion about new technologies.

Despite limited resources and resistance from some industrialized countries reluctant to accept the cost and complexity of launching a new global scientific initiative, the commitment, coordination, and conviction of those involved allowed the proposal to be approved without the need for debate. In an outstanding effort of effective science diplomacy, a record 72 countries officially supported the IYQ proclamation.

“There was some confusion and even resistance. The richer countries, those with more resources and those with more technology, are usually the most resistant to another scientific year, arguing that it is too expensive. Finally, we managed to get everyone interested, because the business that quantum science produces today is appreciable in communications, microelectronics, devices for disease diagnosis, drug design… quantum science is everywhere, and the countries that invest the most in it are the ones that benefit the most [the IYQ]”.

Ana María Cetto at the IYQ opening ceremony 2025. © UNESCO/Marie Etchegoyen.

A Mexican woman deserving of two Nobel Peace Prizes

Beyond her academic work, Cetto has been a strong advocate for peace and science diplomacy. Since her student years, she has been active in peace movements, and later joined the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. This international non-governmental organization, which works to reduce armed conflict and promote global security, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, while Cetto was on the Executive Committee. In 1997, she was elected president of the organization.

“The work at Pugwash was interesting and enriching, and I particularly got to bring a different voice: coming from a country that has been traditionally pacifist and was a pioneer in establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones. I have a fresh, distinct vision of approaching the search for peaceful ways to solutions.

During that experience, there were some very satisfying moments, but others were not so satisfying because there were conflicts that not only persisted but also escalated. The characteristic of Pugwash is that it has outstanding scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, former military and diplomats, and professionals who are very committed to disarmament and peaceful conflict resolution.

Now I have been invited to head a newly established advisory board, which for me means recognition of my 30-year involvement, but also a lot of commitment because of the critical situation we are going through. The important thing is to continue in the struggle.”

In 2003, Dr. Ana María Cetto took on a new challenge as Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a key institution for global security that, just two years later, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. By joining the agency, Dr. Cetto not only broke barriers by becoming the first woman – and the first Latin American – to hold that position, but also left a profound mark on crucial issues for the future of humanity.

In one of her most influential works within the IAEA, she addressed the different nuclear technologies and the diversity of their peaceful applications that bring enormous benefits, such as in medicine, agriculture, or energy production, but also pose increasingly serious risks due to their wider availability. Given this delicate balance, Dr. Cetto emphasized the urgent need to strengthen nuclear safety infrastructures, especially in a context of accelerating technological advances, geopolitical tensions, and renewed interest in nuclear energy.

“When, in 2002, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei invited me to join as Deputy Director General, I had to withdraw from Pugwash because of a potential conflict of interest. Thus began an eight-year stint in Vienna. There I headed the technical cooperation program in charge of peaceful applications of nuclear technologies. It was a very enriching experience, at a particularly good time for the Agency.“

Ana Maria Cetto, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation. IAEA, Vienna, Austria. January 6, 2003. Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA.

The will to understand the fundamentals of quantum mechanics 

Research into the fundamentals of quantum mechanics is an area that many scientists look at out of the corner of their eye; some dismiss it as mere philosophy. For many, all has already been said, and they consider that investigating the cause of quantum phenomena is a waste of time: after all, some argue, quantum mechanics works so well that it has already led to impressive technologies and promising ones, such as quantum computers.

But Ana María Cetto is not willing to abandon her intellectual curiosity for practicality. From a very young age she has always insisted on getting to the heart of the matter: understanding quantum phenomena from the physics itself, not just from the interpretations. As she says, it is not just a matter of making it work but of understanding why it works.

“When I was a student, quantum professors said things that I disagreed with, and that motivated me to look for another explanation. Quantum mechanics, as presented in textbooks, is a catalog of principles, akin to decrees, but all this can be explained rigorously by developing the necessary physics.  

Since the first formalism of quantum mechanics was published, 100 years ago with Heisenberg’s work and a little later with Schrödinger’s, it has been very successful: it is a formalism that allows you to make very precise calculations and even to make predictions, but the founders at that time did not care about understanding the origin of quantum phenomena. At that time, they were very busy developing their algebra, and so that question was left on the back burner.”

Together with her small research group, Ana María Cetto takes up this forgotten question with a provocative proposal: to go beyond traditional interpretations and search for the underlying physics. Inspired by an early observation by Max Planck, who in 1911 explained that his work was incomplete, she and her team have developed an approach that explains quantum phenomena associated with dual wave-particle behavior, not as mysteries, but as the result of a concrete interaction between subatomic particles and the vacuum.  

“In 1911, Max Planck explained that his formula was incomplete because one must also include a term that always exists, even when there is no external radiation. When there are no light bulbs on, a field known as “vacuum” remains, and it must exert some effect on the particles. Inspired by this, we set about doing physics, not interpretation, and we have been able to explain how the vacuum field imprints on the particles a certain wave-like behavior that is expressed in interference phenomena. Atoms are still particles hit by this playful field. Imagine a stone falling into a pond and forming a wave, and the stone is interacting with the waves, so that vacuum is interacting with the particles, and with that we explain quantum phenomena.”

Tate Medal: an award for rigorous research with a social and humanistic vision

Among a long list of well-deserved awards, Dr. Cetto received this year no less than the John Torrence Tate Medal, one of the highest awards given by the American Institute of Physics. An award reserved for those who have left their mark not only in scientific research, but also in the visibility and democratization of knowledge.

The distinction recognizes his exceptional career in quantum physics, but also celebrates his international leadership, his tireless struggle for equity and for a more inclusive science, more ethical and more connected to social realities, highlighting the creation of the Regional Online Information System for Scientific Journals in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal – Latindex, which today is a continental reference in editorial quality supported by a non-commercial network of partners in all countries of the region and has been key to transforming the landscape of access to knowledge in Spanish and Portuguese.

“A deep-rooted bias still persists in the international physics community. We, because we work in a country that is not considered “central” on the map of science, continue to be victims of that bias. And in some way, we have also been complicit, because instead of citing our own work or that of colleagues in the region, we end up prioritizing the work of other authors published in foreign journals.

In many spaces, it is still considered – not openly, but subliminally, tacitly – that those of us who do science from the South produce second-rate knowledge. And that is not only false, it is deeply unfair.

That is why in recent years I have devoted time and energy to the issue of access to scientific publications, to the recognition of journals that are produced outside the so-called mainstream, controlled by large commercial publishers that have turned this into a business. It has not been easy, I had to live it closely with the Mexican Journal of Physics. The evaluation systems did not recognize it, they did not take us into account. But that is beginning to change: in Mexico and in other countries, evaluation criteria are already being adjusted to value the editorial work done in our own communities.

Publishing in today’s leading journals can cost thousands of dollars per article. You not only have to pay to read, but also to publish. And that imposes yet another barrier. That’s why we fight for a fairer system that is accessible to all.

I was very pleased to learn the reasons why I am receiving the AIP Tate Medal: for my work for equity, for international leadership in physics, and for the creation of Latindex. I am also pleased to have had the opportunity to collaborate with all the colleagues with whom I have had the good fortune to work. The fact that the results of this teamwork are recognized as a valuable contribution really makes me happy.

Training as a scientist: a privilege that entails responsibilities 

The road to leadership is sometimes traveled without maps, guided by curiosity, commitment, and a persistent question: what can I contribute from what I know? In the world of science, this question takes on a special dimension. Because doing research is not only a career of knowledge, but also an opportunity to transform realities.

Ana María Cetto’s transit as a leader in quantum physics, working not only for its understanding, but defining its role in society, definitely invites us to reflect, to look at science not only as an end, but as a means to generate social impact.

“There are no recipes for participating in activities that have a social impact. As one advances and grows in one’s scientific training, learning more and more, one also begins to understand that this possibility of learning and becoming a scientist is, in many ways, a privilege. That privilege comes with responsibilities. The tools provided by science should not only be used for personal or professional development, but also to contribute to the common good. Science is, after all, a human product that is built on the work of millions of people.”

Featured picture copyright: UNESCO/Marie ETCHEGOYEN.

Highlighting Women in Quantum History


The authors of a new book tell the stories of 16 women who made crucial contributions to quantum physics, yet whose names don’t usually appear in textbooks

As modern quantum mechanics was taking shape in the mid 1920s, the field was sometimes referred to in German as Knabenphysik—“boys’ physics”—because so many of the theorists who were crucial to its development were young men. A new book published as part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology pushes back against that male-dominated perspective, which has also tended to dominate historical analyses. Coedited by historians of science Daniela Monaldi and Michelle Frank, physicist-turned-science writer Margriet van der Heijden, and physicist Patrick Charbonneau, Women in the History of Quantum Physics: Beyond Knabenphysik presents biographies of 16 oft-overlooked women in the field’s history.

The editors did not profile physicists such as Lise Meitner and Maria Goeppert Mayer, who have attracted significant attention from historians and physicists. As the editors explain in the book’s introduction, focusing on a few heroic figures perpetuates “a mythology of uniqueness.” They instead highlight individuals who are lesser known but nevertheless made important contributions. The following photo essay highlights six of those scientists.

H. Johanna van Leeuwen

Photo courtesy of the Van Leeuwen family.

In 1919, Dutch physicist H. Johanna van Leeuwen (1887–1974) discovered that magnetism in solids cannot solely be explained by classical mechanics and statistical mechanics: It must be a quantum property. Niels Bohr had made the same insight in his 1911 doctoral thesis, but he never published the result in a scientific journal; it was published only in Danish and barely circulated outside Denmark. Van Leeuwen rediscovered what is now called the Bohr–Van Leeuwen theorem in her doctoral research at Leiden University. The theorem, which has applications in plasma physics and other fields, came to the attention of the broader community after Van Leeuwen published an article based on her doctoral thesis in the French Journal de Physique et le Radium (Journal of Physics and Radium) in 1921.

As happened with many women of that era, little trace was left of Van Leeuwen (pictured here in an undated photo) in the historical record. Chapter authors Van der Heijden and Miriam Blaauboer uncovered several sources that helped them assemble an illustrative synopsis of her career. Van Leeuwen was one of four women to study with Hendrik Lorentz, with whom she remained close until his death in 1928. Unlike many women of her generation, Van Leeuwen remained in the field for her entire career: She was appointed as an assistant at the Technical College of Delft in 1920, a position that required her to supervise laboratory courses for electrical engineering students. In the little spare time she had, Van Leeuwen continued her research into magnetism. In 1947, she was promoted to reader, which meant that she could finally teach her own courses.

Laura Chalk Rowles

Photo courtesy of Marilyn MacGregor.

Laura Chalk Rowles (1904–96) was one of the first women to receive a PhD in physics from McGill University in Montreal, in 1928. Her dissertation investigated the Stark effect—the shifting of the spectral lines of atoms exposed to an external electric field—in the hydrogen atom. In his series of 1926 articles on wave mechanics, Erwin Schrödinger had used quantum theory to predict how the Stark effect would affect the intensities of the Balmer series of spectral lines in hydrogen. As chapter author Daniela Monaldi outlines, Chalk (pictured ca. 1931) used an instrument known as a Lo Surdo tube to measure the intensities of the spectral lines; the work provided the first experimental confirmation of Schrödinger’s predictions. She published several articles on the subject in collaboration with her adviser, John Stuart Foster.

Later in his life, Foster regarded his subsequent work on the Stark effect in helium as more important than the hydrogen experiments he had carried out with Chalk. Observers and historians have tended to follow his lead, so her contributions are often overlooked. After spending the 1929–30 academic year at King’s College London, Chalk received a teaching position in McGill’s agriculture college. But after she married William Rowles, who was also at McGill, she scaled back to working only part time. Five years later, she was let go because of rules that were ostensibly designed to prevent nepotism but typically served to exclude women from the professoriat.

Elizabeth Monroe Boggs

Photo courtesy of Pamela Murphy.

Elizabeth Monroe Boggs (1913–96) received significant press attention for her advocacy work on behalf of people with disabilities. But her prior career in science has long gone overlooked, writes chapter author Charbonneau. Boggs (pictured in 1928) was the only undergraduate to study with famed mathematician Emmy Noether at Bryn Mawr College before Noether’s untimely death in 1935. After graduating, Boggs pursued a PhD at the University of Cambridge, where she began studying the application of quantum physics to molecular structure—a pursuit that is now known as quantum chemistry. For her thesis, she used an analog computing device called a differential analyzer to probe the wave functions of diatomic molecules.

After finishing her studies, she received a research assistantship at Cornell University, where she met and married chemist Fitzhugh Boggs. As was common in the day, his career took precedence over hers: They moved to Pittsburgh in 1942 when Fitzhugh received a job at Westinghouse. Elizabeth taught at the University of Pittsburgh for a year and then got a job at the Explosives Research Laboratory outside the city, where she ended up contributing to the Manhattan Project by helping to design the explosive lens for implosion bombs like the one ultimately used on Nagasaki. She eventually decided to withdraw from the field and focus on advocacy after the birth in 1945 of a son, David, who had severe developmental delays because of brain damage from an illness.

Katharine Way

Photo courtesy of the AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Wheeler Collection.

Katharine Way (1903–95) was the first graduate student of John Wheeler’s at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the late 1930s. As chapter author Stefano Furlan recounts, Way’s research during her PhD studies included using the liquid-drop model of the atom, which approximates the nucleus as a droplet of liquid, to examine how nuclei deform when rotating at high speeds. In a 1939 Physical Review article, she describes the magnetic moments of heavier nuclei. While carrying out the research, Way (pictured in an undated photo) noticed an anomaly that she brought to Wheeler’s attention: The model was unable to account for highly charged nuclei rotating at extremely high speeds. In later recollections, Wheeler regretted that the two didn’t further investigate that observation: He noted that, in retrospect, the model’s failure in that case was an early indication that nuclei could come apart, just as they do in fission.

During World War II, Way worked on nuclear reactor design at the Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago; she moved to Oak Ridge Laboratory in 1945. Along with Eugene Wigner, she published a 1948 Physical Review article outlining what is now known as the Way–Wigner formula for nuclear decay, which calculates rates of beta decay in fission reactions. She spent much of her postwar career at the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), where she initiated and led the Nuclear Data Project, a crucial source for information on atomic and nuclear properties that is now part of the National Nuclear Data Center at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Way was also active in efforts to get nuclear scientists to think about the societal ramifications of their work.

Sonja Ashauer

Photo courtesy of the Ashauer family.

Although her death from pneumonia at age 25 ended her career practically before it began, Sonja Ashauer (1923–48) was an accomplished physicist and promising talent, chapter authors Barbra Miguele and Ivã Gurgel argue. The daughter of German immigrants to Brazil, Ashauer (pictured ca. 1940) studied at the University of São Paulo with Italian physicist Gleb Wataghin, who likely introduced her to quantum theory. Shortly before the end of World War II, in 1945, she moved to the University of Cambridge, where she became the only woman among Paul Dirac’s few graduate students.

In her 1947 thesis, Ashauer worked on one of the most pressing problems of the day in quantum electrodynamics: what was termed the divergence of the electron’s self-energy. Because that self-energy—the energy resulting from the electron’s interactions with its own electromagnetic field—is inversely proportional to its radius, the value tends to infinity when the particle is modeled as a point charge. Ashauer attacked the problem by working to improve classical electrodynamics in the hope that it might inform the quantum theory. That divergence problem and others were ultimately solved through the renormalization techniques discovered around 1950.

Freda Friedman Salzman

Photo courtesy of Amy Parker.

Freda Friedman Salzman (1927–81) is more often remembered for her work advocating for women in science than for her significant contributions to physics. As an undergraduate, Salzman (pictured in the late 1940s) studied physics with nuclear physicist Melba Phillips at Brooklyn College. In the mid 1950s, in collaboration with her husband, George Salzman, she came up with a numerical method to solve the integral equations of what was known as the Chew–Low model: a description of nuclear interactions developed by Geoffrey Chew—Freda’s dissertation adviser at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign—and Francis Low. To carry out those calculations, the Salzmans used the ILLIAC I, an early computer. Published in 1957 in Physical Review, what was soon termed the Chew-Low-Salzman method helped stimulate work by nuclear and particle physicists, including Stanley Mandelstam, Kenneth Wilson, and Andrzej Kotański in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Chapter author Jens Salomon argues that the method was one of Freda’s most important contributions to the field.

Freda and George lived an itinerant academic lifestyle for a period before finding what they believed to be permanent positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1965. Four years later, Freda was fired after the university began to enforce what they claimed to be an anti-nepotism policy. Her termination became a cause célèbre, and after a long campaign, she got her job back in 1972 and received tenure in 1975. The fight to regain her job at the university appears to have motivated Salzman to devote increasing amounts of time to feminist advocacy in the 1970s.

From Physics Today

Building the Future of Quantum Computing in Mexico & Latin America

Interview with Claudia Zendejas-Morales,
A driving force behind quantum computing in Mexico and Latin America, developer of the Tequila programming platform, mentor at QWorld, and IBM Qiskit Advocate

Imagine a machine capable of solving problems that would take even the world’s most powerful supercomputers longer than the age of the universe to crack. As fantastical as it sounds, that’s one of the superpowers promised by emerging quantum technologies. And these technologies—like quantum computing—are starting to leap from labs to industry. In Mexico, serious strides are already being made to be part of this transformative future.

One of the pioneering scientists leading the way is physicist and computer engineer Claudia Zendejas-Morales. Her academic journey began in software engineering, but it was a quantum mechanics course that sparked her passion for quantum computing. Since then, she has built a solid academic and professional profile, participating in programs like USEQIP at the University of Waterloo, the Quantum Open-Source Foundation’s mentorship program (where she collaborated with The Matter Lab at the University of Toronto), and the IBM Quantum Summer Schools.

“As a physics student, I took quantum mechanics and found the subject fascinating. In that first class, they introduced us to quantum computing, and I dove in. At my school, there was little to nothing about quantum computing, so I actively sought out ways to learn about it online. That’s how I connected with different people and institutions involved in quantum computing. From there, I’ve been actively participating in the field,” Claudia explains enthusiastically.

“Access to the internet has been essential—it’s what allowed me to train and participate as a developer and mentor in projects like the Quantum Open Source Foundation. That’s where I worked on the Tequila project, which eventually led to a publication in IoP Science.”

Promoting Quantum Education in Latin America

Alongside her own training, Claudia has made a massive effort to promote education in quantum technologies across Mexico and Latin America. She became a Qiskit Advocate (Qiskit is IBM’s quantum programming platform), and has collaborated with initiatives like Quantum Flytrap, Qubit by Qubit, and QWorld. Always focused on Spanish-speaking students, she has developed educational content, translated Qiskit documentation into Spanish, and coordinated quantum computing courses at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She’ll soon join the University of Copenhagen’s Quantum Information Science program.

“A few years ago, there was nothing—now there’s something growing little by little. Thanks to people like Alberto Maldonado, we’ve kickstarted quantum computing in Mexico and created a community. He organized the first Qiskit Fall Festival in 2021, and we’ve held one every year since. Through him, I connected with a professor from another state working in quantum, and I reached out to folks at UNAM’s engineering faculty who were also interested. That’s how the community in Mexico has grown—we’re organizing more and more quantum events.”

QClass 23–24: A Game-Changing Experience

One of Claudia’s most rewarding experiences was organizing QClass 23–24, a free, advanced two-semester program in quantum computing for students from a wide range of backgrounds.

“What gave me the most satisfaction was coordinating a QWorld event called QClass 23–24. We ran postgraduate-level courses for two semesters. I was not only a mentor but also a professor—I designed the exams and course content using Qiskit. More than 1,500 students from over 100 countries and diverse professional backgrounds participated. It was incredibly rewarding—and all of it was free, because that’s the goal: to support others.”

A Quantum Network for Mexico

More recently, Claudia co-organized a national event alongside Dr. Alberto Maldonado and other collaborators, bringing together students, teachers, researchers, and industry professionals to collaborate, learn, and unlock new opportunities in quantum computing. Remarkably, the entire event was held in Spanish and prioritized inclusion.

A major barrier to learning quantum computing in Latin America is language—most resources are in English, and the concepts are already difficult. The event focused on creating learning spaces in Spanish, with accessible, clear explanations. As detailed in a paper published by IEEE, over 76% of participants—many without prior experience—felt confident diving into quantum computing thanks to this approach.

The attendee pool was highly diverse: undergraduates, master’s students, high schoolers, professors, professionals, and even public-sector workers. Over 40 universities were represented, some from outside Mexico. Women and non-binary people participated actively, highlighting the importance of diversity in scientific spaces.

One key goal of the event was to build a collaboration network between universities, research centers, and tech companies. That network is now a growing reality, with institutions like UNAM’s CECAv, the Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), Tecnológico de Monterrey, and companies like IBM Quantum, Xanadu, Quantinuum, and the Unitary Fund involved.

“Thanks to the network, our summer school at the engineering faculty now draws hundreds of attendees. We’re reaching more people and training more minds. The network and school are growing—it’s exciting to see. More students are getting interested, and some are even planning to write their thesis on quantum computing.”

Building a Quantum Community with Qiskit

Claudia’s journey with Qiskit perfectly illustrates how early access to educational tools can ignite passion and lead to meaningful contributions in a global tech community. What began as curiosity grew into mentorship, leadership, and major contributions to Spanish-language content.

“I primarily learned quantum computing through Qiskit, especially at the beginning. IBM did a great job promoting their platform and hosted events like the summer school, fall festival, and the Advocate program. I started as a participant, then became part of the staff. I became a Qiskit Advocate and began mentoring and translating materials into Spanish—tutorials, textbooks, programming notebooks. That led me to join the core localization team and get deeply involved.”

Woman. Latina. Scientist. Facing Challenges and Winning

Alongside her academic and technical achievements, Claudia has faced challenges rooted in gender and origin. Being a woman from Latin America has meant dealing with bias and discrimination. Her story highlights a persistent issue in STEM: the need to constantly prove yourself, being ignored in collaborative spaces, or judged for your name or nationality.

“This has been clear to me since the beginning: being a woman often means your knowledge isn’t considered sufficient or valid—especially by some men. I’ve seen it happen to other women, too. We have to work twice as hard to be heard or recognized as capable.”

“I’ve been rejected just for being a woman. At some hackathons, I tried joining teams but got no response. Then I’d see how the groups formed—and it was clear gender played a role.”

“Being Latin American adds to it. I’ve noticed people reacting to my surname or to the fact that I’m Mexican. Sometimes I even avoid saying where I’m from because people immediately form a limited idea about my abilities. Some don’t even know where Mexico is, but they still judge.”

Despite these hurdles, Claudia has found ways to turn exclusion into motivation. A great example is her second-place finish at a hackathon organized by Zaiku Group Ltd., where she and her team dotQ developed a hybrid quantum–classical model for genomics. This win wasn’t just technical—it was a statement against prejudice.

Final Thoughts: Feed Your Curiosity

After years of building pathways for quantum computing in Mexico and facing structural barriers, Claudia Zendejas-Morales offers this advice:

“I tell young girls to get into quantum computing. A lot of people hear the word ‘quantum’ and get scared without really knowing what it’s about. But the key is to dive in. Fortunately, there are now many entry points at different levels.”

“If you don’t know physics—you can learn. If you can’t code—you can learn. If you don’t speak English—that too can be learned. What matters is not ignoring your curiosity. Follow it. Explore. Seek answers.”

Mexico is planting the seeds for a solid, collaborative, globally connected quantum community—and anyone can be part of this technological era.

Rethinking Energy in the Quantum Age

Interview with Dr. Alexia Auffèves, French physicist, pioneer of quantum energetics, and co-founder of the Quantum Energy Initiative (QEI).

Quantum physics has been the star of the tech world for almost a century now. However, a second quantum revolution is quietly emerging, shaking up the very foundations of how computers work at every level, from the principles behind the information itself and how the machines physically process it, to the algorithms. These new quantum technologies promise exceptionally faster computations and more secure communications. 

As governments and industries invest heavily in quantum systems, it’s time to think about how we build and use them responsibly. That means not just focusing on what they can do but also on how much energy they use to accomplish tasks. Environmental and societal challenges recognized nowadays impose new constraints that were not obvious when classical computers first emerged. Early signs from quantum processors show lower energy consumption compared to traditional machines, but we don’t fully understand why and whether this advantage will persist as they scale.

In a seminal paper published on Physics Review X Quantum, in 2022, physicist Dr. Alexia Auffèves, First Class Research Director at CNRS in France, head of the International Research Lab MajuLab and invited Professor at the Centre for Quantum Technologies of Singapore argues that “a strong link between fundamental research and engineering is necessary to establish quantitative connections between quantum-level computing performance and energy consumption at the macroscopic, full-stack level.” In the framework of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we had a conversation with Dr. Alexia Auffèves about her work as a pioneer of quantum energetics and as a co-founder and leader of the Quantum Energy Initiative (QEI) —an interdisciplinary effort that brings together experts in quantum physics, thermodynamics and energetics, computer science, and engineering aiming to understand how quantum technologies use energy from the ground up.

“I have been working in quantum thermodynamics for twelve years now, and at the beginning the impact of this research for quantum technologies was not easy to spot. The community of quantum thermodynamics was barely involved when the big takeoff in quantum technologies took place. I was part of the quantum thermodynamics community, but also had a vision of what was going on with quantum technologies because of my past as an experimentalist, and because I was running the Grenoble center for quantum technologies. So, I saw that there was clearly a gap to bridge between the two communities,” Alexia says. 

Drawing lessons both from the history of classical computing and the recent developments in artificial intelligence, Auffèves reminds us that energy efficiency does not happen by accident: If you don’t search for it, you won’t find it. In the case of quantum computing, it may require decades of refinement, from understanding fundamental principles connecting energy cost and performance, to designing chips that balance performance with power consumption. 

Creating an international research community to understand the energetic footprint of emerging quantum technologies

Motivated by the timeliness and relevancy of addressing the energy cost of quantum technologies, Alexia, her colleagues Robert Whitney and Janine Splettstoesser, and consultant and author Olivier Ezratty co-founded the Quantum Energy Initiative (QEI) in 2022.

That means establishing ways to measure energy efficiency in quantum devices, setting benchmarks, and identifying how to reduce energy consumption across different quantum platforms and computing paradigms. Quantum computing would be addressed first, but communication, and sensing, the two other so-called pillars of quantum technologies, would be investigated as well. The QEI team aims to define what “energy quantum advantage” really means in scientific terms and use that knowledge to guide smart design choices as quantum systems develop. 

“The QEI is one of the first attempts to develop innovation in a finite world. In the past, innovators used to invest lots of money, hoping that something would come out. Now, we have to take into account the fact that the physical resources, especially energy, are finite. In that sense, quantum computing is growing in very, very different conditions than its older sister, classical computing, when there was oil all over the place, and so you could develop technologies presuming that we have infinite resources.”

But launching such initiatives, where fundamental science and emerging technologies intersect, also means navigating the influence of industry sectors, which often seek to align themselves with the prevailing ethical narratives of the time. 

“When you launch an initiative like this, you are not really aware of the kind of forces it is going to trigger, especially nowadays, where there is a lot of quantum hype. If you mix this hype with the word “energy”, then it can quickly become unbearable. The QEI is not a greenwashing company. We are here precisely to prevent greenwashing. We are here to provide the community with objective scientific figures of merit so that sentences like: “Oh! My quantum computer will compute with less energy.” can be checked, and the energy efficiency of this very computer can even be compared to a fundamental bound and improved over time. 

Can we build a theory that captures the quantum and the classical altogether? 

To understand the true energy cost of quantum computing, we must look beyond hardware specifications and operational efficiency. At the heart of the challenge lies a much deeper, more conceptual problem: how to capture the quantum and classical worlds within a single physical model. This isn’t just a technical hurdle—it’s the oldest and still open problem of quantum physics, known as the measurement problem.

Any computation—whether classical or quantum—can be broken down into three stages: input, processing, and output. In quantum computing, both the input and the computational process involve inherently quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement. However, obtaining the result (the output) requires a measurement, a process that plays a central role in our understanding of quantum mechanics. Scientists remain puzzled by what exactly occurs during measurement, when quantum properties are seemingly lost as the quantum system interacts with the classical apparatus used to observe it. 

“If you think about a quantum computer, while the computation is being performed, we deal with Schrödinger’s cat states, i.e. superpositions of states of “macroscopic” systems – here, data registers made of large numbers of qubits. So, there you have Schrödinger’s cat states in a box (a cryostat, for instance) that you are trying to control from the external [classical] world. And my feeling is that the truly fundamental energy cost of quantum computing is actually the cost of the box surrounding the Schrödinger’s cat.

Answering that question is hardware-independent and would also be a way to solve one of the biggest open questions of quantum physics: can we build a theory capturing the quantum and the classical altogether? 

Nowadays, this question belongs to the field of quantum foundations, which is largely decoupled from quantum technologies where ‘Shut up and calculate’ [the answer usually given by engineers and academics to people wondering on the philosophical meaning of quantum theory] has been proven an efficient strategy; However, if you really want to calculate minimum energy costs and get a universal framework to benchmark all possible quantum platforms, solving that fundamental problem is highly relevant. This is a beautiful example of how the answer to foundational issues can be triggered by technological questions, just like the thermodynamic arrow of time came out from the optimization of heat engines,” Dr. Auffèves enthusiastically explains.

Quantum energetics at the forefront of the fundamentals of quantum physics itself

Peeling back the layers of abstraction to understand what’s really happening inside a quantum computer is foundational to asking deep questions about the nature of energy, noise, and computation at the quantum level. Alexia reflects on how her investigation offers a window into that philosophical and scientific inquiry, one that challenges us to rethink what “energy cost” means in the quantum world.

This is research driven by curiosity, not utility, by the desire to grasp what quantum energetics truly means at its core.

“My research is about understanding the fundamental mechanisms ruling flows of energy, entropy and information at the quantum level, and how these behaviors scale up to the macroscopic level. This research line dubbed quantum energetics is young, fundamental and it has an intrinsic value, out of any technological considerations. It is very important to underline that the QEI does not only promote a technologically-driven research. We also foster this fundamental core of quantum energetics. It is curiosity-driven and has triggered a number of exciting new questions lately, like measurement-powered engines where looking at a quantum system is enough to put it in motion!”

Dr. Alexia Auffèves kindly explains what quantum energetics is.

“It is inspired by classical thermodynamics, whose first motivation is to turn ‘messy energy’ (heat) from hot baths into a useful, controllable one (work). That is called a heat engine, and thermodynamics tells us what is its maximal efficiency, which is a fundamental bound. A second motivation is to reverse natural heat flows, which has a work cost: this is called a fridge, and it also has a fundamental bound.   Now, what plays the role of the heat in quantum physics is quantum noise (like decoherence), which comes from the coupling to baths which do not necessarily have a well-defined temperature. This is why I talk about quantum energetics and not quantum thermodynamics (where temperatures play a central role). One of the purposes of the field is to derive quantum fundamental bounds: find the minimum energy cost for any kind of quantum process, for any kind of quantum noise. We want to relate irreversibility and energy waste in the quantum realm, where there is no temperature in the picture. This line of investigation is all about understanding the fundamentals of quantum physics with energetic and entropic probes.”

While much of quantum research today is driven by the race to innovate and commercialize, there remains a quieter, deeper pursuit—one that asks foundational questions about the nature of energy, noise, and irreversibility at the quantum level.

In a world increasingly shaped by energy concerns and climate imperatives, amazing women in science, such as Dr. Alexia Auffèves and the QEI, offer a roadmap for responsible innovation while pioneering fundamental research in quantum mechanics. It’s time to power the quantum future, with precision, purpose, and sustainability.

The quantum future doesn’t have to repeat the mistakes of the digital past. It can be better—if we start now.

Credit for the pictures: CQT.