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!
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.
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.
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]”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interview with Catherine Lefebvre, Senior Advisor at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) for the Open Quantum Institute, a GESDA initiative hosted by CERN
Imagine it’s the year 2035. Quantum computing has reached some maturity, revolutionizing industries and solving complex problems at an unprecedented scale. Large corporations rely on quantum systems to accelerate technological innovation. But has this progress been shared equitably? Has quantum technology been used to tackle humanity’s most pressing challenges, such as strengthening global food security, improving global access to affordable essential medicines, and reducing carbon emissions? Or has it remained in the hands of a few, widening the gap between those who have benefited from it and those who don’t?
In the framework of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we interviewed scientist Dr. Catherine Lefebvre, who specializes in exploring quantum computing-related thought scenarios. She is a Senior Advisor for the Open Quantum Institute at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).
2025 Laureate in Innovation by Le Point.
“At GESDA, what we do is to anticipate future scientific and technological breakthroughs in the next 5 to 25 years, as well as the potential related challenges, not only in quantum but also in many other scientific fields. From these challenges, we explore the potential opportunities to make sure that these breakthroughs could benefit all, and not only the rich countries that typically develop and use the technology. With a taskforce of experts, we work towards accelerating a solution and transforming into concrete actions that could lead to a better scenario for everyone. This is how we co-created the Open Quantum Institute,” Catherine explained.
Concerned about the impact of emerging technologies on humanity, she and her colleagues, with the close collaboration of research, diplomacy, industry and impact experts around the globe, launched the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) in October 2022—a bold step toward making quantum computing more inclusive and beneficial for our society and planet. “The mission of the OQI is to promote global, equitable and inclusive access to quantum computing and, through that, to explore applications of quantum computing that would benefit humanity.”
History has taught us that when transformative technologies—like social media or artificial intelligence—are concentrated in the hands of a few, the consequences can be profound and unpredictable. Today, as we stand on the brink of the quantum era, we face a similar crossroads. Looking at quantum computing through an international lens, we see stark disparities: many countries lack the infrastructure, expertise, or funding to participate, leaving vast potential untapped. If quantum technology becomes the exclusive domain of the wealthiest nations or corporations, we risk deepening the digital gap and reinforcing global inequalities.
Catherine enthusiastically explains how she got involved at GESDA and how she and her colleagues helped bring the Open Quantum Institute to life:
“I was doing a training in science diplomacy during the pandemic when I got the opportunity to learn about GESDA. Thanks to my mentor, Prof. Barry Sanders, I was able to join the task force on the quantum initiative, and soon after my involvement grew, and I became part of the GESDA team, as a volunteer. We co-designed a solution that would respond to the opportunity quantum could present, translating it into an institute, which is now the OQI. Towards the end of the OQI incubation phase in 2023, we confirmed CERN as partner to host the institute and help scale it for the three-year pilot, with the support of UBS[the Swiss bank UBS Group AG]. We officially launched the activities at CERN in March 2024, and we are now celebrating a successful first year of the pilot!”
So, what exactly is the mission of the Open Quantum Institute, and what steps its stakeholders are taking? Catherine dives into these questions with clarity and insights.
91st Acfas Congress in Ottawa, May 2024 – Panel on Science Diplomacy.
A promising quantum future for all rests on four activity pillars
First activity pillar: Accelerating applications for humanity
“The first OQI activity pillar is on exploring applications. We’re using the framework of the UN on the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] and beyond to explore where quantum computing approaches could be applied to relevant problems that would help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. For that, we put together multidisciplinary teams of quantum experts, subject-matter experts and UN organizations or large NGOs from all around the world to explore potential impactful use cases of quantum computing.”
Second activity pillar: Access for all
“Once the use cases reach sufficient maturity, we collaborate with industrial partners who are donating credits for the implementation on quantum devices: first on simulators, and then on QPUs [quantum processing units]. This is the second pillar: focusing on access.”
Third activity pillar: Advancing Building Capacity
“The third activity pillar focuses on how to scale globally, how to onboard quantum-underserved geographies in entering their quantum journey, and eventually participating in the exploration of use cases based on their own local challenges. This is working towards increasing inclusivity and equitable access with training and upskilling activities.
Last year, we launched an educational consortium with several academic and industrial education providers to share best practices, put together resources, and make them accessible to target geographies, which are Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Together with the educational consortium members, OQI is supporting local organizations to deploy educational activities, such as hackathons. For instance, there will be an OQI-supported hackathon in Ghana in July, and several others in Greece, Egypt, Thailand, etc., in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, we are looking into mentorship and internship programs helping to build knowledge capacity globally.”
Fourth activity pillar: Activate multilateral governance for the SDGs
“The other target audience for OQI in terms of education are diplomats, ambassadors, and policymakers. This ties to the fourth pillar, which involves governance and science diplomacy. Equipping diplomats with science-based information about what quantum means, where do we stand in terms of technological development, what are the possible challenges and the geopolitical implications; we provide a neutral multi-stakeholder platform to foster a multilateral dialogue with the goal to accelerate an effective governance approach.
We have designed a Quantum Diplomacy Game, which is a role play simulation to immerse participants in the anticipation of the geopolitical implications of quantum computing and actively explore multilateral governance. The game was played in Washington and at the Technical University of Munich earlier this year and will be “played” in the Philippines, Costa Rica, etc. during the pilot of OQI. ”
Q2B Silicon Valley December 2024. Panel on Quantum and Sustainability.
Enduring challenges to ensure quantum for good and for all
As Catherine reflects on the collaborative nature of the Open Quantum Institute’s work, she highlights on the key challenges they face—bridging gaps in expertise and communication across diverse stakeholders and geographies.
“One of our great challenges is in the translation. I am going to give you a concrete example of use cases development. Because these are multidisciplinary teams, we constantly need to find a way to speak a common language to be effective in the collaboration between, for instance, quantum experts and domain experts.
Another challenge is in upskilling researchers and developers who want to participate with ideas to carry on a use case. We have developed a rigorous methodology to guide the participants from the ideation to the proof-of-concept so that strong use cases could lead to implementation on quantum computers in the future. The snapshot today is that too few participants from quantum-underserved geographies have the level to meaningfully contribute to building strong use cases, so there is a lot to be done for OQI and our collaborators. This is the reality, and it is also validating the need for our education activities.”
While these challenges highlight the complexity of building inclusive and high-quality quantum use cases, Catherine emphasizes the importance of fostering collaboration through rigor, resilience, and practical problem-solving.
“We need to be realistic; no one learns quantum overnight, and not everyone needs to know quantum computing in depth. In exploring use cases, it’s important to bring local experts who with know about their challenges, their own realities, and so these use cases could have real impact, especially on underserved communities and geographies. For example, in certain geographies, they want to be active in preventing natural disasters, how we could predict floods more accurate with quantum computing. This is a real problem in Malaysia, for instance, it is a problem close to their heart. At OQI, we are supporting the development of use cases that will be impactful, and collaborating with local so that the impact can be directed to these affected countries.”
OQI technical workshop on quantum approaches at the GESDA Summit, October 2024 Credit: Marc Bader.
Passion for science and collaboration as motivation to foster global changes
The OQI approach reflects more than just strategy—it speaks about the values that have guided Catherine’s journey from the start. She’s motivated not just by the technology itself but by the global collaboration it can foster and the global challenges it has the potential to address. A deep passion for quantum science and a strong belief in the power of collaboration have shaped the professional path of this remarkable woman in quantum since she was a young girl.
“When I was six, I decided I wanted to become a chemist – although at that age I didn’t really know what that meant! As an undergraduate student, I first learned that I hated experimental chemistry laboratories, and luckily, I quickly found out a course on quantum mechanics applied to chemistry and I said, this is it, this is what I want to learn more. I ended up doing a PhD in theoretical chemistry and molecular physics. From there, I worked as a researcher for several years. Aside to quantum, my other passion that has grown since my PhD years is collaboration. My PhD thesis was in cotutelle between two universities, in Quebec and in Paris, and I learned to build bridges between the two departments in chemistry and physics in two different countries. As a theorist, I was also involved in multi-country collaboration with experimentalists. Being exposed to different scientific cultures and different approaches to science was wonderful. That early exposure fueled my passion for collaboration and crafted my role and my career as a researcher, and led me to science diplomacy.”
Although 2035 is not really that far, quantum computing is still today in its infancy. The future is wide open, which means we have the unique opportunity to co-shape its path for the greater good. And everyone can be involved.
“To be involved in science diplomacy in action, like what we do at OQI in the field of quantum computing, you don’t necessarily need to be an expert in quantum. For non-experts, it’s an opportunity to stay informed about the scientific development and engage actively in framing the future through the dialogue and exchange between the scientists and decision-makers.”
While OQI focuses primarily on quantum computing, other emerging quantum technologies may also contribute to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is essential for diplomats and organizations like GESDA to remain attentive to these developments. “My message for anyone is that what is important is to be curious, understand the importance of cooperation at the intersection of science and diplomacy. We have this great opportunity to bring quantum for the benefit of all humanity, the time is now to be active.”
Join us for a day of inspiration, learning, and networking, open to all who believe in the power of innovation, knowledge, and empowerment. Despite its name, Quantum Women’s Day welcomes everyone interested in exploring new ideas, connecting with inspiring individuals, and unlocking opportunities.
Through a mix of motivational talks and networking moments, we celebrate talent, diversity, and progress in science, technology, and beyond.
Come be part of the conversation and make an impact!
Connect. Inspire. Shape the Future of the Quantum World!
Are you a student, PhD candidate, postdoc, professor, or working in industry in the field of Quantum Technologies? Join us and network with other women shaping the future of the quantum world!
Expect exciting conversations, inspiring ideas, and the opportunity to connect with a supportive community. Let’s grow together, learn from each other, and push quantum technologies forward!
🔹 When? 08.04.2025, 5 pm to 8 pm 🔹 Where? Science Schaufenster, Waisenhausdamm 8, 38100 Braunschweig 🔹 For whom? Women from academia & industry in the field of quantum physics & technologies
