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Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus
Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus is the Executive Director of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo, and a professor in the Faculty of Science. He also leads the Optical Quantum Communication Theory Group at IQC.
He began researching quantum information in 1993, earning his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, UK. His PhD research established the foundation of the ongoing security analysis of optical implementations of quantum key distribution (QKD), leading to the first complete security analysis of practical QKD. His current research is at the intersection between theoretical quantum protocols and practical realizations where he is developing quantum optical versions of protocols that realize quantum communication and information complexity advantages.
His career has included research positions in Austria, Finland and Germany. He has spent time in industry, working on the first commercial realization of quantum key distribution in 2000. He has also authored several patents and is co-founder and CTO of evolutionQ Inc. He serves on the Advisory Board of several international high profile research networks, conference, and workshop series, and also serves as Vice-Chair of the ETSI Industry Specification Group on Quantum Key Distribution. He is an Affiliate Member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His international leadership is recognized through his election as Fellow of the American Physical Society.
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Dr. Razieh Annabestani
Dr. Razieh Annabestani has a PhD in Quantum Physicist and is currently serving as Innovation Investment Advisor at the National Research Council Canada. For more than 17 years, she has been deeply involved in the fascinating world of quantum information processing. From conducting research to partnering with stakeholders and identifying business use cases, she's worn many hats along the way.
In her current role, Annabestani relies on her profound understanding of the quantum ecosystem to carefully evaluate quantum research proposals. She assesses and evaluates proposals from both academic institutions and industry partners seeking financial support from NRC. Through her analysis, she advises decision-makers in identifying projects with the most promising potential for investment.
Annabestani's journey in quantum technology has been nothing short of exhilarating. She's collaborated with a diverse array of organizations, ranging from universities to startups such as Zapata AI, Xanadu, Anyon Systems, and PsiQuantum. In each capacity, she's played a pivotal role in driving the frontier of quantum innovation forward.
With her unwavering passion for quantum technology and her wealth of experience, Annabestani is dedicated to unlocking its full potential. She's committed to paving the way for a future filled with innovation and boundless possibilities in the quantum realm.
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Dr. Troy Borneman
Dr. Troy Borneman is Senior Scientist for High Q Technologies, a company that commercializes electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) quantum sensor technology for pharmaceutical drug discovery. As an internationally recognized scientist, he has numerous peer-reviewed publications and patents in quantum physics, quantum control, EPR hardware and methodology, and oil-well logging. Borneman is passionate about understanding the fundamental workings of nature and applying that understanding to create practical quantum technologies that have a significant and immediate impact on society. He has nearly 20 years of innovative research and development experience in quantum computing, magnetic resonance, and quantum optics.
Prior to joining High Q, Borneman was a Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing. During this time, he led the team of researchers whose ideas and developments became the foundation of High Q. He has also developed a passion for teaching through supporting and mentoring numerous students and other young researchers. Borneman’s journey to commercialize quantum technology began as a collaboration during graduate school with Schlumberger-Doll Research to enhance oil-well logging measurements through quantum control.
Borneman holds a PhD in Nuclear Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Tufts University.
In his spare time, he enjoys keeping active with soccer and hiking, and nurturing his passion for music by playing guitar and piano.
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Dr. Donny Cheung
Dr. Donny Cheung is passionate about building products that leverage cutting-edge capabilities in healthcare data analytics and machine learning to enable all of us to live healthier lives in a sustainable and responsible manner. He is an experienced leader who brings broad cross-functional teams together towards advancing this mission.
Cheung currently leads the development of the Healthcare and Life Sciences AI product portfolio for Google Cloud, including generative AI applications such as Google’s MedLM. Before Google, he worked as a senior scientist at a medical device startup in Toronto, Canada, focusing on medical imaging device design and image reconstruction algorithms. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary and received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, with a research focus on quantum information and quantum algorithms.
Cheung is always looking for new ways to learn and grow, and is excited to share his passion for tackling our toughest healthcare data understanding challenges.
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Alexandre Choquette
Alexandre Choquette is a quantum computing professional with experience in academia and industry. At IBM Quantum, he is responsible for driving the adoption of quantum computing across various industries through strategic partnerships and collaborations in Canada and internationally.
Choquette holds a MSc in Quantum Computing from Université de Sherbrooke and prior to his current role he worked as a research scientist at IBM Quantum Zürich and 1QBit. Although he is based in Montreal, you may often find him backcountry skiing on the West coast.
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Alexandra Daoud
Alexandra Daoud is Vice President, Intellectual Property at Anyon Systems, a company that builds universal superconducting quantum computers. She is responsible for implementing an effective intellectual property strategy that integrates seamlessly with business objectives. She graduated from McGill University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She joined Anyon Systems after having spent 20 years at Norton Rose Fulbright as a Partner and a Patent Agent. She is registered to practice as a Patent Agent before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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Tim Dutton
Tim Dutton is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Intellijoint Surgical, a leading Canadian medtech business that develops technologies to improve patient outcomes in joint replacement surgery. In this role, he is responsible for strategy, stakeholder relations, and public policy and leads projects that drive long-term growth for the business. Prior to this, Dutton was the Director of Policy in the Office of the Premier of Ontario, where he oversaw work related to innovation policy, economic growth, and technology and science. He is an Advisory Board Member of The Dais at the Toronto Metropolitan University and is a member the Government of Ontario’s AI Expert Working Group. He holds a Masters of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto and Bachelor of Arts from Colby College.
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Joëlle Fréchette-Viens
Joëlle Fréchette-Viens is the Software Team Lead at Nord Quantique, a Sherbrooke-based company dedicated to developing fault-tolerant quantum computers. She has degrees both in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Université de Sherbrooke.
After briefly working in the field of acoustics as a Python developer for ultrasound-based technologies, Fréchette-Viens went back to Physics to be a part of the ever-growing Sherbrooke quantum ecosystem. There, she oversees the development of Nord Quantique's software stack, enabling her colleagues to produce groundbreaking experiments and simulations. Her experience in scientific software development allows her to maintain high code standards, as well as training her colleagues and implementing the new features they need.
Outside of work, you can find her on a volleyball court, or playing the euphonium in a wind ensemble
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Robert S. Hill
Robert S. Hill is a Dallas intellectual property (IP) attorney who focuses his practice on representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex patent litigation cases. He has litigated in a wide variety of technology areas, including artificial intelligence platforms, wireless communications technology, quantum dot technology, and a diverse range of other scientific and technological topics.
Hill also represents clients in cybersecurity investigations and litigation, as well as in other non-patent business litigation involving technology issues, has experience serving as lead counsel in antitrust litigation, and has extensive experience litigating Hatch-Waxman cases. He represents clients in district and appellate courts across the country, as well as before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
As a member of the firm Holland & Knight, Hill is involved in their Quantum Computing and 5G technology initiatives, their artificial intelligence working group and team, the digital healthcare team, and the industry sector crossover initiative between the Technology & Telecommunications and Healthcare & Life Sciences groups. He regularly writes and speaks about the intersection of next generation wireless technologies with other emerging technologies and the legal issues associated with these areas. Hill is further active in the green technology space, in particular with regard to carbon capture and alternative energy projects.
Hill advises clients on a broad range of IP transactional issues, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret licenses, joint development agreements, master service agreements, master technology agreements, co-manufacturing agreements, technology asset purchase agreements, front end engineering design (FEED) agreements, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements, and endorsement contracts. Hill also advises clients on IP and technology aspects of finance, venture capital, representation and warranty (R&W) insurance, contingent legal risk insurance, aircraft finance, and private equity merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions.
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Simon Hodgett
For over 20 years, Simon Hodgett has assisted technology providers and users pursue the benefits of emerging technologies. Hodgett leads a team providing innovative legal services models to the firm’s early-stage and high growth technology clients pursuing a wide variety of cutting-edge technology, including FinTech, artificial intelligence, and currently emerging technologies such as quantum computing. Hodgett leads projects across a broad range of industry verticals, including the technology, banking, pension, investment, healthcare, energy, telecommunication and retail sectors. Hodgett writes and lectures on various areas of technology law, both in public forums, firm seminars and client education venues.
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Dr. Estelle Inack
Dr. Estelle Inack is a Research Scientist at the Perimeter Institute and the Co-founder and CTO of yiyaniQ, a quantum/AI tech startup. She is working at the intersection of quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Her research focuses on developing physics-inspired algorithms to tackle real-world optimization problems using state-of-art machine learning techniques. Inack obtained an MSc degree in Physics at the University of Buea (2013), a postgraduate diploma in Condensed Matter Physics at ICTP (2014) and a joint PhD degree in Statistical Physics from ICTP and SISSA (2018).
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Tim Jackson
Tim Jackson is President and CEO of Shad Canada, a live-in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Math) and entrepreneurship program for high school students.
Jackson has an extensive background as an entrepreneur, business and not-for-profit leader. He has served as CEO of the Accelerator Centre, an incubator for technology startups, was a Vice President at the University of Waterloo and was Executive Vice-President at the MaRS Discovery District, one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs. He co-founded Tech Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm, and served as CFO and CEO at Waterloo based technology firm PixStream (sold to Cisco Systems).
Jackson has been an active volunteer in his community chairing the boards of organizations such as The Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Waterloo Public Library, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and the Centre in the Square Theatre. He has cofounded three charitable organizations
Jackson sits on the boards of Manulife Bank of Canada and Bold Innovation Group Ltd.
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Dr. Alan Jamison
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Rafal Janik
Rafal Janik is the Chief Operating Officer at Xanadu, where he leads the commercialization of Xanadu’s quantum computing technology. He has over 12 years of experience leading software and machine learning teams in both large enterprises and high growth startups to bring cutting edge technologies to market. Janik works closely with national governments and large enterprises to develop quantum adoption strategies and policies.
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Dr. Sarah Jenna
Dr. Sarah Jenna completed a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Aix-Marseille I University, in France in 1998 and professional training from MIT on opportunities for the sustainable development industry in 2023. She has worked in the academic field for more than 20 years, at McGill University, at the Genome Quebec Innovation Center, and as Canada Research Chair in Integrative Genomics and Cell Signaling at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). During this period, she participated in the founding of two university research centers in drug discovery, Pharmaqam and the Réseau Québécois de Recherche sur le Médicament (RQRM).
In 2016, she co-founded and led My Intelligent Machines Inc., a startup developing artificial intelligence solutions applied to drug development from a precision medicine perspective. She has also worked as a coach, mentor and instructor in numerous startup acceleration programs in high technologies and life sciences, Lab2Market, Techstar, District3, ACET. In September 2023, she became general director of QV studio (qventurestudio.com), a startup studio whose mission is to create and de-risk startups developing and commercializing quantum technologies.
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Dr. Blake Johnson
Dr. Blake Johnson is a Distinguished Engineer and Quantum Engine Lead at IBM. His team is responsible for the low-level software components involved in execution of a quantum program, including application of advanced error suppression and mitigation techniques to enhance the quality of the result. Johnson has previously worked across many elements of the quantum computing stack, including research into characterization protocols, quantum programming languages, device design, control systems, and system architecture. Prior to IBM, Johnson was Chief Quantum Engineer at Rigetti and Senior Scientist at Raytheon BBN. He earned his PhD in physics from Yale.
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Jane W. Klugman
Jane Klugman's career is a tapestry of entrepreneurship, real estate, and community leadership, now anchored as the Director of Engagement at the University of Waterloo's Innovation Arena. With a background as a Broker and Senior VP at Avison Young, she excels in securing office spaces for high-growth companies, leveraging her expertise in the investment and technology sectors.
Her entrepreneurial flair shines through founding JNK Solutions Inc., showcasing astute business acumen by orchestrating its acquisition. Klugman's journey includes roles at Whitney & Company, Deloitte, and Communitech Corporation, where she fostered growth initiatives and championed innovation in Southwestern Ontario.
Educated at the Odette School of Business, she holds an MBA and the prestigious ICD.D designation. Community engagement is integral to Klugman, evident in her leadership roles in organizations like the International Women’s Forum and her appointment as Honourary Colonel for the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada.
Klugman's impact extends beyond professional realms; she actively contributes to community initiatives and boards, embodying her commitment to the Waterloo Region's growth and welfare. With her husband Iain, she calls Kitchener home, epitomizing her dedication to both professional excellence and community service.
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Dr. Katanya Kuntz
Dr. Katanya B. Kuntz is CEO and Co-founder of Qubo Consulting Corp, and a Research Associate at the Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Canada. Qubo Consulting helps businesses, non-profits, and government organizations make informed decisions about emerging disruptive technology by training business leaders and the future quantum workforce on quantum technologies. She is also the QEYSSat Science Team Coordinator for Canada’s first quantum satellite mission: Quantum EncrYption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat), which will demonstrate the distribution of encrypted keys (i.e. Quantum Key Distribution) between ground and space. Kuntz works in the field of experimental quantum optics, such as generating quantum states of light using lasers and non-linear crystals to study quantum entanglement. She is an excellent public speaker, where she is known for explaining difficult concepts in easy-to-understand language. Kuntz has a PhD in Electrical Engineering (University of New South Wales, Australia, 2013), and BSc in Physics (University of Calgary, 2008).
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Lisa Lambert
Lisa Lambert is the inaugural CEO of Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), the national consortium uniting quantum technology companies and allied organizations. Under her leadership, QIC is dedicated to unlocking the full potential of Canada’s quantum sector, aiming to advance the country’s position as a global leader in quantum innovation and commercialization while enhancing national prosperity.
Throughout her career, Lambert has been a pioneer of collaborative innovation at the intersection of science, technology, and society. She has spearheaded trailblazing projects worldwide, working with leading minds and organizations. Her notable roles at TRIUMF and the Perimeter Institute have been instrumental in fostering partnerships that propel scientific discovery, practical applications, and public engagement.
Lambert is driven by the belief that we’ve all got a part to play in shaping a bright future, with innovation as the pathway to progress. She's putting this belief into action in her role at QIC, guiding the consortium to open up new possibilities and ensure that Canada's emerging quantum industry plays a pivotal role in the country's prosperity and contributes significantly to the global landscape.
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Shayan Majidy
Shayan Majidy is a Vanier Scholar at the University of Waterloo and will be starting as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton in the fall. Majidy explores various strategies for mitigating decoherence in quantum technologies. His work has focused on the intersection of quantum information and many-body physics, and more recently, on quantum error correction.
Majidy is recognized for his contributions to communicating quantum computing to a broad audience. He is the lead author of the textbook Building Quantum Computers: A Practical Introduction, which is being published by Cambridge University Press. He has also taught quantum computing in various capacities, including as a sessional instructor, guest lecturer, teaching assistant, and at multiple summer schools.
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Dr. Justin Nankivell
Dr. Justin Nankivell is the Director of Research Security at the University of Waterloo, Canada. The central objectives of this post involve creating a safeguarding research program that can navigate research risk, protecting researchers and institutes, developing risk-mitigation processes, and strengthening commercialization, IP and international efforts in Waterloo’s key STEM areas and range of innovation institutions.
From 2008-2018, Nankivell was a professor of International law and International Security, and later Associate Dean of Academics, at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, under the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, in the US. He specialized in East Asia security governance, international law, and foreign policy. From 2018-2022, he worked a senior executive in the Government of Canada, under Public Safety Canada, handling a range of national security files related to the Indo-Asia Pacific
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René Ouellette
René Ouellette is the Director General of Academic Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). In this capacity, he manages the Service’s engagement with academic partners whose expertise and insight help provide CSIS with a broad understanding of trends to better inform the Service’s research and analytic capabilities. Through stakeholder engagement, Ouellette manages CSIS outreach with leaders in academia, civil society, the private sector, and various levels of government to help the Service learn from Canadians, and to raise public literacy on national security and intelligence matters.
Ouellette joined the Service in 2006 and has held a number of positions within the organization since then, including most recently as the Deputy Director General of Operational Support (Toronto Region) where he oversaw prioritization and planning of CSIS special operations in the Greater Toronto Area, Golden Horseshoe and south and southwestern Ontario. Prior to 2006, Ouellette served in a number of Government of Canada positions involved in public policy development and implementation, including as Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Deputy Prime Minister, and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Ouellette has a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Brock University (1999), a Master of Arts (Political Studies – Theory) from the University of Saskatchewan (2001), and a Professional Military Education from the Canadian Forces College (2014).
Ouellette grew up a proud Acadian in northeastern New Brunswick, and is an avid baseball fan. He lives in Ottawa with his wife, two young children, and two ridiculous cats.
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Meg Panetta
Dr. Meg Panetta is Lead Quantum Scientist at Qubic, a startup company spun out of the Institut Quantique in Sherbrooke and the IQC in Waterloo. In this role, she is leading experimental work to leverage the power of superconducting circuits and quantum microwaves to improve the sensitivity and robustness of microwave-frequency sensing and communication.
Panetta received her PhD (2023) in physics from the University of Chicago under the supervision of David Schuster and Jon Simon. She earlier received an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine from Cambridge University and an AB in Physics and Astrophysics from Harvard College.
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Kayleigh Platz
Kayleigh Platz is the Director, Communications and Strategic Initiatives for the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. In this role, she is responsible for advancing the Institute's vision and leads communications, outreach, and business development initiatives.
She holds a master’s degree in anthropology, and has defined her career around digital cultures, community building and brand storytelling. Her career has been influenced by living and working in the Waterloo Region technology and academic sectors, and she enjoys examining the ways that our complex world impacts everyday life.
Her collaborative leadership creates a healthy, cohesive team where people are encouraged to innovate. She has previously held leadership and communication roles at the Institute for Quantum Computing and Communitech.
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Dr. Anindya Sen
Dr. Anindya Sen is a professor at the Department of Economics where he has taught since 1999 and is the current Acting Executive Director for the University of Waterloo Cybersecurity & Privacy Institute, and the Director for Graduate Diploma in Computational Data Analytics for the Social Sciences & Humanities (CDASH). In 2014 he was recognized for his innovations in teaching and mentoring of students with the University Award for Distinguished Teaching.
He has published research on the relationship between higher cigarette taxes and smoking, the impacts of market power on prices charged to consumers and firm level productivity and innovation, and the effects of higher minimum wages on employment and poverty. His current work has focused on: using advanced Machine Learning models in the analysis of government interventions on the spread of COVID-19 and identifying best Emergency Room protocols to reduce readmissions from cardiac arrests; the economics of data markets and privacy; studying human-computer interaction in the context of cybercrimes; and understanding societal trends in trust, and misinformation.
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Siobhan Stables
Siobhan Stables oversees the Institute for Quantum Computing's business operations, liaises with stakeholders, provides strategic leadership and works to further establish IQC as a leader in the global quantum community. Before joining IQC, Siobhan worked with public and private sector organizations focusing on strategic planning and quantitative and qualitative research. She holds degrees from the University of Waterloo and Schulich School of Business, York University.
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Nick Werstiuk
Nick Werstiuk is the Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, leading the strategy and growth of the applied quantum research lab based in Waterloo, Canada. Prior to joining Ideas Lab in 2020, Werstiuk was Director of AI Offerings at IBM, where he led an AI product portfolio and IBM Spectrum Computing, driving a large portfolio of products in HPC, AI, and Cloud-based services.
His broad expertise, across a range of company sizes and stages from start-up to large multi-national, includes product management, development, corporate strategy, and identifying growth markets to drive research towards commercial success. In addition to driving product innovation, he played a leadership role in the $300M acquisition of Platform Computing by IBM.
Werstiuk graduated with Honours from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering.
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