Executive to head quantum institute
A senior executive from the federal public service will come to UW in January to serve as executive director of the fast-growing Institute for Quantum Computing.
David Fransen, who is currently assistant deputy minister (policy sector) in Industry Canada, will be at UW "for an initial term of two years" under the government's Executive Interchange Program, a memo from provost Amit Chakma announces. Chakma stressed later that the arrangement is a temporary one, with Fransen keeping his status in the public service.Fransen will also have the title of associate vice-president (strategic relations) for UW.Physics professor Ray Laflamme holds the title of Director of IQC, and Michele Mosca of combinatorics and optimization and St. Jerome's University is deputy director. Tom Brzustowski, former UW provost and more recently retired from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is "senior advisor" to IQC on a part-time basis.
"As the Executive Director," said the provost's memo, "David will have overall strategic and management responsibilities for IQC. In his role as Associate Vice-President, he will provide us with critical leadership in establishing strategic relations and partnerships with key industry sectors and firms, research institutes, and community, provincial, national and international economic development leaders."That doesn't supplant Gerry Thompson, associate vice-president (strategic initiatives), Chakma said later.
Fransen will be dealing mostly with IQC, including its building project and its national role, the provost indicated. Thompson has a more general mandate, from the university's new Manhattan office to the planned health sciences campus in Kitchener.Fransen is a UW graduate (BA and MA in history) and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. "Since then," the memo goes on, "David has served in various capacities with different federal departments including the Department of National Defence, the Privy Council Office, Health Canada, and Industry Canada. David Johnston and I are delighted to have someone of David Fransen's calibre in place during this critical stage of IQC's development. I am sure that you will welcome him to Waterloo and extend your support in his new role."