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Dr. Vivek Goel
Dr. Vivek Goel is the University of Waterloo's President and Vice-Chancellor. He has held a number of senior leadership roles at the University of Toronto including as VicePresident and Provost and most recently as Vice-President Research and Innovation.
He served as founding President and CEO of Public Health Ontario from 2008 until 2014 and also as a founding scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). He has served as Chief Academic Strategist with Coursera, a global platform that connects universities and learners with online courses.
He obtained his medical degree from McGill University and completed post-graduate medical training in Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He obtained a master’s degree (MSc) in Community Health from U of T and a master’s degree (MS) in Biostatistics from Harvard University School of Public Health.
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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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Jim Alfred
Jim Alfred is VP, BlackBerry Certicom and VP, BlackBerry IoT. He has been involved with embedded technology and the move to smart, connected devices for over 25 years. His team at Certicom helps manufacturers and service providers protect their content, devices and applications with government approved security – from cryptography libraries and security protocols to end-to-end security solutions for global silicon manufacturing and managed PKI services for device manufacturers.
Prior to Certicom, Jim co-founded UK Broadband Ltd., a wireless broadband start-up sold to Pacific Century Cyber Works. Before that he was responsible for Wind River Systems broadband product strategy where his remit included wired and wireless networking such as cable, DSL, Bluetooth, WiFi and mobile technologies.
Jim is a Sloan Fellow from London Business School, where he earned an MSc in Business. Jim earned his MSc in engineering from Stanford University and his BSc in engineering from Purdue University.
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Chanda Carr
Chanda Carr is Chief Client Officer at Osler. She is responsible for implementing Osler’s client focused business development strategy with the goal to deepen and strengthen existing client relationships. She also provides advice and guidance on new markets and business development opportunities for Osler and our legal services clients. Osler is a leader in Canadian business law with an integrated network of offices in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver, and New York. Osler is recognized for the breadth and depth of its practice in business law and is consistently ranked as one of Canada’s top firms.
Chanda has a strong understanding of the emerging technology space in Canada having recently been Co-Managing Partner at The Group Ventures, a Toronto-based fund that invests in early-stage technology ventures in Canada and in Israel. Chanda has also held banking roles in mergers and acquisitions, institutional relationship management, and she built and lead an enterprise-level innovation team at a major Canadian bank. Chanda is a highly accomplished leader in the financial services and investment banking sectors, and has developed deep experience navigating large, established, and complex financial institutions, and in identifying, evaluating, and investing in technology solutions.
Chanda is also the Founder of Murmr Inc., Canada’s one-stop social and professional engagement platform to help newcomers find their way.
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Dr. Alexandre Cooper-Roy
Dr. Alexandre Cooper-Roy is an experimental quantum physicist and entrepreneur who builds and operates quantum simulators to accelerate materials discovery for emerging device technologies. His research aims at advancing our ability to manipulate and exploit large, interacting quantum many-body systems for practical applications. His group is seeking to develop and realize advanced protocols for quantum computation, simulation, and metrology using programmable configurations of neutral atoms excited to a Rydberg state, known as Rydberg atom arrays.
As the Senior Technical Lead for the Transformative Quantum Technologies Program at IQC, Waterloo, Alexandre leads the Quantum Simulation Group. He joined IQC from Caltech, where he was an IQIM postdoctoral scholar working on the development of coherent control methods for alkaline-earth atoms in optical tweezers and atomic array optical clocks. Alexandre obtained his PhD from MIT, where he worked on quantum-enhanced sensing using entangled states of electronic spins in diamond. Alexandre holds a MEng from the University of Tokyo, a Diplôme de l’École Polytechnique (X05), and a BEng from École Polytechnique of Montréal.
Alexandre is also the founder of UpScale Quantum Solutions, a quantum start-up seeking to deliver impact through simulation, fabrication, and characterization of two-dimensional quantum materials.
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Dr. Joseph Emerson
Dr. Joseph Emerson holds a PhD in theoretical physics and is widely recognized as a thought leader in quantum computing. He pioneered several industry-standard methods for quantum computing, such as Randomized Benchmarking, Cycle Benchmarking and Randomized Compiling. He founded and led the quantum computing startup Quantum Benchmark Inc which was recently acquired by Keysight Technologies. He is now acting as Head of Quantum Strategy at Keysight Technologies and Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing. He has published more than 60 academic papers and has personally supervised many of the key players in the quantum computing industry. His research continues to be focused on practical and efficient methods for error diagnostics and compiler-level error suppression and their application to optimize performance throughout all levels of the quantum computing stack.
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Tracey Forrest
As the Director of the Transformative Quantum Technologies program at the University of Waterloo, Tracey Forrest leads activities that enable the development and deployment of impactful quantum technologies.
She is an executive member of the Quantum Co-laboratory and Q4Climate and serves on the Green Municipal Fund Council of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Formerly, Tracey chaired the NANO Research Centre Advisory Board of the National Research Council of Canada.
Tracey is a professional engineer with domain expertise across quantum, energy and innovation.
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Ryan Gariepy
Ryan Gariepy is co-founder and CTO of both Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors, where he leads Canada’s largest and most experienced mobile robotics development team. In addition, he serves on the board of the Open Source Robotics Foundation, is a co-founder of ROSCon, and also co-founded and co-chairs the Canadian Robotics Council. Ryan is an advisor to several startups and venture capital groups, and helped found the Next Generation Manufacturing Canada initiative. He is a regular speaker, panelist, and expert guest on topics including robotics, AI, and technology policy. Ryan completed both a BASc degree in Mechatronics Engineering and a MASc degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, is a senior member of the IEEE, and has over seventy pending patents in the field of autonomous systems.
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Dr. Aimee Gunther
Dr. Aimee Gunther is the Deputy Director of the Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program (QSP) at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). At NRC, she also engages across research centres and collaborative challenge programs to shape and lead the Quantum Communications theme within the High-Throughput and Secure Networks Challenge program.
Previously, Aimee was the Scientific Advisor for Quantum at Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) where she co-authored the DND/CAF Quantum S&T Strategy and specialized in advising and equipping senior leadership on national quantum initiatives.
Aimee has over a decade of experience communicating quantum and optical science whether it be to kids, families, or policymakers. Aimee has PhD (Quantum Information) in experimental quantum optics from the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. Her research encompassed: quantum photonics, nonlinear optics, biological imaging, and ultrafast laser science.
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Rafal Janik
Rafal Janik is the Chief Operating Officer at Xanadu. He manages business operations and leads organizational growth on a product and company level. He specializes in commercializing deep tech projects and has over ten years of experience in leading software and machine learning teams in both large enterprises and high-growth startups. Rafal holds an MSc in Biophysics from the University of Guelph.
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Dr. Phil Kaye
Dr. Phil Kaye graduated in the first PhD cohort from Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing in 2007. From 2004 to 2018, he served in a variety of roles with the Government of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment, primarily as a trusted advisor on the impacts of quantum technologies. From 2004 to 2010, he was the Program Reporter for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research’s Quantum Information Processing Program. In 2007, Phil co-authored a seminal textbook on quantum algorithms (“An Introduction to Quantum Computing”, Kaye, Laflamme, Mosca, 2007). From 2018 to 2020, he worked for D-Wave Systems as Program Director, Corporate Affairs. In 2019 he co-founded and chaired Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), a consortium representing over 24 Canadian quantum technology companies. Presently, Phil is leading NRC’s Applied Quantum Computing Challenge program. In his spare time, Phil pilots an airplane that he built in his garage, plays the guitar and composes music.
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Iain Klugman
Iain Klugman is the former CEO of Communitech Corporation - Canada’s leading innovation organization. Previously, Iain was the CEO of Destination Ontario with global responsibility for the Ontario Brand. He was Executive Director of Communications with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and led Global Branding and Advertising for Nortel. A leader in governance, he has served on over 30 for-profit, non-profit and charities over his career as co-founder, director, or chair. Iain has been named one of the 50 most powerful businesspeople in Canada, 50 most influential people in Toronto, and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Iain holds an MBA (Laurier), an MPA (Dalhousie) and AMP (Wharton).
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Dr. Raymond Laflamme
Dr. Raymond Laflamme joined the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in 2001 and is Executive Director emeritus of the Institute for Quantum Computing. Laflamme holds a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Quantum Information, and he directs the Quantum Information program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He was named co-chair of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy’s (NQS) Advisory Council in 2023. He is a respected pioneer and leader in quantum information processing that earned him a Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and the Royal Society of Canada. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017.
Raymond completed his undergraduate studies in Physics at Universite Laval. He then moved to Cambridge, England, where he earned his PhD in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics under the direction of Stephen Hawking. Laflamme and Don Page are responsible for having changed Hawking's mind on the direction of time in a contracting Universe (as described in Hawking’s best-seller "A Brief History of Time").
In 2011 he founded Universal Quantum Devices, a startup commercializing spinoffs of quantum information research, with colleagues Thomas Jennewein and Steve MacDonald. He also recently started another startup, QuantumLaf Inc., that advises about quantum technologies.
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Dr. Martin Laforest
A quantum physicist by training, Dr. Martin Laforest spent his career ensuring quantum technologies have a disruptive, yet positive impact on industry and society. Martin is currently managing partner for Quantacet, an early stage, quantum-focused investment fund and the director of Quantum Strategy for ACET, a Sherbrooke-based deep tech incubator offering specific mentoring tailored to quantum enterprises. Martin also serves as a technical advisor for DistriQ, Sherbrooke’s quantum innovation hub. Before moving to Sherbrooke, Martin was the senior product manager for ISARA Corporation, a quantum-safe security company. Martin also spent eight years promoting the impacts of quantum technologies to students, governments, companies and investors for the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo where he also received his PhD.
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Dr. Olivia Lanes
Dr. Olivia Lanes completed her PhD in physics, focused on quantum measurement, in 2020 from the University of Pittsburgh. She joined IBM Quantum shortly after, where she works as the North American Lead for the quantum community. In this capacity, she works to help put quantum into the hands of researchers and educators, and democratize this emerging technology. She is a passionate science communicator, and leads the IBM Qiskit YouTube channel, which is the largest quantum computing social channel. She also sits on the national Q-12 education council to focus on quantum workforce development at a national level.
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Dr. Megan Lee
Dr. Megan Lee is Managing Director of Calgary’s “Quantum City,” with nearly 20 years experience across the full spectrum of research, innovation and commercialization. She has a significant depth of experience in various organizations from operational leadership at a publicly traded biotech company, to the world’s top university-affiliated incubator to a large oncology research and care funder.
She is a recognized expert in conducting technical and business due diligence, start-up creation, strategy and management consulting, investment portfolio management and organization management of a growth stage biotech company, where she led the development of new pharmaceutical products and recorded multiple consecutive years of record turnover and profit. She has a MBA in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization and a PhD in Biochemistry.
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Dr. Evan Meyer-Scott
Dr. Evan Meyer-Scott is the Director, Quantum Processors, at Photonic, Inc. He got his start in quantum information at the University of Waterloo, obtaining his PhD in 2013 under Professor Thomas Jennewein, where he built photon sources, measured entanglement, and played with QKD systems. He spent time as a visiting researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where he was part of the team to measure a loophole-free violation of Bell’s inequality. After a postdoc in integrated quantum optics in at the University of Paderborn (Germany), Evan returned to Canada to join the startup G2V Optics. There he managed two product development streams, including systems to improve and tailor plant growth with light, and highly-accurate solar simulators, one of which was delivered to NASA for pre-spaceflight testing of its OSAM-1 mission. Returning to the quantum fold he joined Photonic in 2022, and is now overseeing a rowdy but loveable group of physicists, engineers, and mathematicians building a silicon-based spin-photon quantum computer.
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Dr. Michele Mosca
Dr. Michele Mosca is a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, a Professor in the Department of Combinatorics & Optimization of the Faculty of Mathematics, and a founding member of Waterloo's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is co-founder and CEO of the quantum-safe cybersecurity company, evolutionQ, and co-founder of the quantum software and applications company, softwareQ. He serves as Chair of the board of Quantum Industry Canada.
He started working in cryptography during his undergraduate studies and obtained his doctorate in Mathematics in 1999 from the University of Oxford on the topic of Quantum Computer Algorithms. His research interests include algorithms and software for quantum computers, and cryptographic tools designed to be safe against quantum technologies.
He co-founded the not-for-profit Quantum-Safe Canada, and the ETSI-IQC workshop series in quantum-safe cryptography and is globally recognized for his drive to help academia, industry and government prepare our cyber systems to be safe in an era with quantum computers.
Michele’s awards and honours include 2010 Canada's Top 40 Under 40, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013), SJU Fr. Norm Choate Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), and a Knighthood (Cavaliere) in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2018).
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Dr. Ashwin Nayak
Dr. Ashwin Nayak is a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing and a professor in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization at the University of Waterloo. He studied theoretical computer science at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (BTech, 1995) and at University of California, Berkeley (PhD, 1999). After holding post-doctoral positions at DIMACS Center (Rutgers University) and AT&T Labs-Research (2000) and California Institute of Technology (2001-02), he joined the University of Waterloo in 2002. He was Associate Faculty, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, from 2003-11.
Ashwin’s research primarily revolves around quantum information and computation, with an emphasis on algorithms, complexity, and communication. He continues to work more broadly on related topics in theoretical computer science.
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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.
Kayleigh is also an avid reader and writer, and is passionate about library advocacy. She sits on the committee for the Toronto Romance Writers, frequently supports the local writing community and in her spare time, moderates discussions with authors.
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Dr. Pooya Ronagh
Dr. Pooya Ronagh is a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. He is also a Research Scientist at the Perimeter Institute’s Quantum Intelligence Lab (PIQuIL), and the CTO of 1QBit.
Pooya’s research is in the intersection of computer science, mathematics, and quantum information processing. He received BSc degrees in computer science and mathematics, and MSc and PhD degrees in mathematics after studying in Sharif University of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of British Columbia. During his PhD, he worked on the mathematical foundations of string theory. His interests in quantum computation began with the inception of 1QBit a decade ago, which also led to his academic pivot towards quantum information processing and the physics of computation in postdoctoral years at IQC. Pooya's lab at 1QBit builds ultra-low power processors for artificial intelligence (AI), and for classical operations within the cryogenic stacks of quantum computers. Meanwhile, his academic research aims at answering some of the fundamental questions in the synergies between quantum computation and AI.
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Sonia Sennik
Sonia Sennik is the Executive Director of Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a seed-stage program for massively scalable, science-based companies. Sonia is responsible for the CDL’s strategic, operational and programmatic leadership, coordination and oversight to ensure the success of the Lab and its ventures across twelve university-based locations. Sonia is also the Executive Director of the CDL Rapid Screening Consortium, a not-for-profit organization focused on developing a cost-effective system for reopening the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having spent a decade managing large-scale capital projects at Hatch Ltd., a leading global engineering firm, Sonia is well-established in guiding interdisciplinary teams of professionals working on multiple, complex projects. In 2020, they founded the Sonia Sennik Resilience Fund at McMaster University to award an annual $8,000 entrance scholarship for an engineering student who has shown grit and strength of character in their life; the largest multi-donor endowment in McMaster Engineering history. Most recently, Sonia was named as Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, selected from hundreds of nominees by a respected and independent advisory board on four key criteria: Vision & Innovation, Leadership, Impact & Influence, and Social Responsibility.
Sonia is a board member for Futurpreneur Canada. They previously served as vice-chair of the board of directors for ParticipACTION. Sonia was the head coach of Rugby Ontario Senior Women’s Team from 2016 to 2018, winning bronze, silver and gold at the Canadian Rugby Championships. Sonia is a proud graduate of the MBA program at Rotman School of Management and was the first-ever recipient of the Social Impact Award. Sonia received the Rotman Emerging Leader Award to recognize their influential leadership talent to motivate, mentor and inspire others to reach their potential. They also hold a BEng degree from McMaster University.
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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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Dr. Nipun Vats
Dr. Nipun Vats is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Research Sector, at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. In this role, he is responsible for leading the development of federal policy and investments in post-secondary research.
He has held a variety of positions within the Canadian federal government, including in the Privy Council Office and the Department of Finance, and as Secretary to a National Advisory Panel on Sustainable Energy Science and Technology. He has also served as the lead federal official in the successful negotiation of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
He holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Toronto, a BSc in Physics from Dalhousie University, and a Master’s of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, with a specialization in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy.
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