Speakers

Daniel Brau holds an MSc in Material Science & Physics (Special interest in superconductors) from Paris South University & Imperial College London (ERASMUS) in 1991- MBA (Management School of Lyon) 2003. Successful track record in the photonics industry for the last 25 years. Led strategies to achieve double digit growth in startup companies (Xenocs SAS) as well as in photonic business (Tibidabo Industries). He will be giving a presentation on Overview of Quantum Communications and Networks in the morning session at 11h00.

Eric Daudin was born on 1966 and Engineer graduated from French National Telecommunication High school. He began his carreer in National Research center (CNRS) and continued in Alcatel company. He specialized in transmission networks then in optical transport networks. Since 5 years, he is reponsible of Business Center Optical network security solutions within Nokia company. 

Eric Daudin will speak at the Quantum-Safe Security Session.

Vladimir Dolgovskiy is a Senior Time and Frequency Engineer at Oscilloquartz SA, where he is responsible for advancing R&D projects targeting the innovations in the atomic beam clock technology. Following his PhD at the University of Neuchatel in 2012 where his research activity revolved around ultrastable lasers and optical frequency combs, Vladimir worked as a postdoc in the field of quantum sensing focusing on the atomic magnetometry at the University of Fribourg and on the atomic clocks at the University of Neuchatel, prior to joining Oscolloquartz SA in 2020. Vladimir Dolgovskiy will speak at the Quantum Sensors Session.

Karel Dumon is currently R&D Project Manager Quantum at imec, where his main responsibility is the rollout of Belgium's first quantum communication infrastructure (BeQCI). At QIDIS, he will give a talk on “Belgium's plans towards Quantum-Safe Security”. Karel is also co-founder of Miraex, which is developing quantum interconnects for future quantum networks. Karel will be giving a talk at the Session C - Quantum-Safe Security.

Parisa's exciting experience as a product manager in a high-tech company inspired her to co-found Basel Precision Instruments to combine her passion for business management with her background in low-temperature physics. Parisa's drive, creativity and broad experience are essential for the success of Basel Precision Instruments. Parisa holds a PhD from Harvard in Quantum Physics and was a post-doc and senior scientist in quantum optics at ETH Zurich. You can meet Parisa Fallahi at the Session "Quantum Instrumentation".

Hervé holds an EMBA with IMD Business School, a Master in Business from EDHEC business school and a Master in Finance with CEIBS, Zurich. He is the the founder and driving force behind Sparksense, dedicating his time to helping early stage hardware and software entrepreneurs bring innovative tech solutions to market. With a growing team of more than 30 advisors, Sparksense specialises in smart outbound and work with startups across North America, Europe, and Asia to generate relevant leads and achieve commercial traction. When you're ready to launch your product, He’s here to provide hands-on tips and practical advice to help you get your first customers and set the stage for long-term success. His Areas of expertise: Entrepreneurship, Technology sales, International Sales, Business Development, Outbound Lead generation, Pricing Strategy You can meet Hervé Flutto at the Session "Business Development" .

Dr. Michael Geiselmann (managing director) joined after his PhD at ICFO the laboratory of Prof. Kippenberg at EPFL in Lausanne, where he advanced frequency comb generation on integrated silicon nitride chips towards applications and was involved in several international research projects. In 2016, he co-founded LIGENTEC and brought the company to the international stage of photonic integration. He is responsible for sales and business development. Meet Dr Geiselmann at the Quantum Sensors Session.

Nicolas Gisin will speak in the Keynote Session at 11h50.

Jaime Gómez García is a recognized expert in telecommunications, blockchain, and quantum technologies, with an extensive professional background within the financial sector. His contributions as a disseminator of quantum technologies and their consequential influence on enterprises, notably within the financial domain, have garnered him recognition as a LinkedIn Quantum Top Voices in 2022 and 2023. Currently, Jaime is Head of Quantum Technologies at Banco Santander, addressing how quantum computing can be leveraged in benefit of the business and how to tackle the quantum threat to cryptography. Jaime Gómez García will speak at the Quantum-Safe Security Session.

Davide Grassani is a project manager at CSEM where he coordinates the photonic integrated activities of the System Business Unit. He obtained a Master degree in Physics at the University of Pavia with a thesis on Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers carried out at the Institut d’Electronique Fondamentale (I.E.F.) of Paris. He obtained a PhD in Physics at the University of Pavia working on nonlinear and quantum optics in photonic integrated silicon resonators. Before joining CSEM he was a postdoctoral researcher at EPFL, where he focused on mid-infrared leaser sources, optical frequency comb and non linear frequency conversion in chalcogenide glasses optical fibers and Silicon Nitride nanophotonic waveguides. At CSEM, beyond PIC projects, he worked on hot-vapor based quantum sensors such as NMR Gyroscopes and Atomic clocks. Davide Grassani will speak at the Quantum Sensors Session.

You can meet Sophia Guertler at the Session "Building a Quantum Career" .

Cornelius studied physics at Martin Luther University as well as the University of Michigan, and obtained his PhD at the University of Innsbruck (Supervisors: Prof. Rainer Blatt and Dr. Christian Roos). Following a short postdoc at the Institut for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), Cornelius moved to the Quantum Control Laboratory at the University of Sydney (Prof. Michael Biercuk), where he was project lead for the IARPA LogiQ program and later became principal investigator in the ytterbium laboratory. He was promoted to Senior Research Fellow (equivalent to research associate professor in the US) in 2020. Since April 2021, Cornelius leads the Ion Trap Quantum Computation group at the ETH-PSI Quantum Computing Hub. His talk: Quantum Instrumentation Session.

Clément is professor of applied quantum computing at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) focusing on life science applications and a co-founder of Miraex, developing photonic and quantum technologies for next-gen sensing, networking and computing. He obtained his PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in the group of Tobias Kippenberg. Prior to joining EPFL, he was a guest researcher at NIST (USA) in William D. Phillips’ lab and held a position at Thales Group. Clément is an engineer from Institut d’Optique (Paris) and studied physics at Université Paris Saclay and EPFL. His talk: Quantum Sensors session.

Moritz Kirste is a team leader for quantum technologies at Zurich Instruments. With his team, he supports customers for quantum computing control systems and is responsible for scientific collaboration projects. As an experimental physicist, he worked on the physical and chemical processes of molecules in the gas phase at the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin and at the Academica Sinica in Taipei. Moritz worked as a scientific consultant, advising political institutions and companies on innovation policy and technology assessment and he was a data science team lead for the development of client-specific business analytics products. You can meet Moritz Kirste at the Quantum Instrumentation Session.

Dr. Russell E. Lake leads the research and development of quantum applications at Bluefors in Helsinki, Finland. Dr. Lake has worked with cryogenic nano-electronics since 2012 and has previously held research appointments at the National Institute of Standards of Technology (Boulder, CO, USA), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA, USA), and Aalto University (Finland). His team focuses on improving the cryogenic hardware of quantum computing through innovative measurement. Russell Lake will be giving a talk at the Quantum Instrumentation Session.

Dominic is co-founder and head of quantum technologies at QuantrolOX. He has 7 years of academic and industry experience in automating the control of various quantum systems using a variety of methods including machine learning. He obtained his DPhil at the University of Oxford working in Natalia Ares's group.

Dominic Lennon will speak at the Quantum Instrumentation Session.

Stefano is a computational scientist specialising in applied HPC and Quantum Computing for diverse areas such as drug discovery, material science, theoretical chemistry, and engineering. He currently leads the Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies team at The Hartree Centre, providing tailored technical solutions to partners and clients. Stefano has played a pivotal role in key projects, offering crucial advisory and consultancy services while facilitating collaboration across various internal and external groups. He also manages the emerging technologies workstream for the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation (HNCDI), a £172 million program supported by the UK government and in collaboration with IBM. Working alongside IBM Quantum, Stefano contributes to the development of Quantum Computing applications addressing real-world challenges in drug discovery, materials design, and AI-driven computational pathology. He is a Member of the British Computer Society.

Dr. Celia Merzbacher is the QED-C Executive Director responsible for continuing to build the consortium and managing operational aspects. Previously, Dr. Merzbacher was Vice President for Innovative Partnerships at the Semiconductor Research Corporation, a consortium of the semiconductor industry. In 2003-2008, she was Assistant Director for Technology R&D in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she oversaw the establishment and coordination of the National on Science and Technology (PCAST). Dr. Merzbacher began her career as a materials scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C., where her research led to six patents and more than 50 technical publications. She has served as Chair of the National Materials and Manufacturing Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, on the Board of Directors of ANSI, as well as on advisory boards of several university research centers. You can meet Celia Merzbacher at the Session "Business Development".

Simon Patkovic will speak at in the Quantum-Safe Security Session.

Julien is a cybersecurity professional and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in innovation, cryptography, and international business development. In his current role at InfoSec Global, Julien is leading the development of disruptive technologies in the field of post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic discovery, and cryptographic agility. He is also driving engagements with global organizations that are deploying new solutions to control their cryptography and prepare for quantum safety. Julien Probst will speak at the Quantum-Safe Security Session.

Dr. Puebla Hellmann is CEO of QZabre, an ETH Spinoff that creates NV Scanning Magnetometers and NV scanning probes. An enthusiast for moving quantum technologies from the lab to real world applications, he started his career with a PhD in Prof. Andreas Wallraff’s Quantum Device Lab at ETH Zürich. He then moved to IBM Zürich, first in collaboration with the University of Zurich, then with the University of Basel, where he worked to create a mass-fabrication compatible platform for molecular electronics. Mid 2018, immediately convinced of the potential that NV technology offers, he joined QZabre as a late co founder. Dr. Puebla Hellmann has authored scientific papers published in Nature as well as several patents and won the Zeiss Quantum Challenge in 2020. You can meet Gabriel at the Quantum Sensors session.

Carmen Recio is a mathematician working in Quantum Computing at Moody’s Analytics. This group objective is to evaluate how quantum computing can disrupt the financial industry and Moody’s products in the market, evaluate the industry maturity, and establish partnerships. The team leverages Moody’s state-of-the-art financial models and extensive datasets. Previously she worked in IBM in AI and Quantum Computing. You can meet her at the session "Building a Quantum Career.

Markus Reubi studied law at the University of St. Gallen and holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from McGill University and HEC Montreal. Following various roles in the private sector, including in management consultancy, he joined the Swiss Confederation's diplomatic service in 2003, initially working at the head office in Bern, before being posted to Algeria and China. From 2014 to 2018 he was responsible for setting up the Swiss Business Hub (for export and investment promotion) in Canada. From 2018 to 2022 he was deputy head of mission at the Swiss representation in Tokyo, where he was responsible for diplomatic tasks and coordinating implementation of the Federal Council's foreign policy strategy – with its thematic focus areas of peace and security, prosperity, sustainability and digitalisation – with Japan, which is one of the eight priority countries of Switzerland's foreign policy. Since 1 July 2022, Markus Reubi has overseen a cross-disciplinary approach to current challenges in his role as deputy head of the Prosperity and Sustainability Division (PSD). The PSD is a division within the FDFA State Secretariat that supports the Federal Council in linking thematic policy areas with foreign policy. It ensures the coherence of positions and efficient cooperation and coordination between the FDFA and relevant offices in other departments. This coordination work focuses primarily on the areas of economics and finance, energy, the environment and health, as well as education, science, transport and space. Through its decision of 14 December 2018 on the new organisational structure for the 2030 Agenda, the Federal Council created two delegate positions within the DETEC and the FDFA, who will take it in turns to chair the 2030 Agenda Steering Committee every two years. On 29 June 2022, the Federal Council appointed Markus Reubi as delegate of the Federal Council for the 2030 Agenda. Markus Reubi will speak in the Keynote Session at 9h15.

Adriaan Rol is one of the founders of Orange QS, an OEM that provides test systems for quantum chips to enable the transition to industry-grade quantum device development. As Director Research & Development he is responsible for the creation and execution of the technology roadmap. Adriaan holds a PhD (cum laude) from Delft University of Technology. His work on the control for programmable superconducting quantum systems in the group of Prof. dr. Leo DiCarlo (QuTech/Delft University of Technology) forms a fundament under the test systems of OrangeQS. He has developed new calibration and characterization protocols, as well as a new type of two-qubit gate, made key contributions to the development of QuTech’s Quantum Inspire platform, and served as the liaison to the IARPA LogiQ Test and Evaluation team. Adriaan has worked closely with experts from all layers of the stack, which was formally recognized through the Zurich Instruments Pioneer Award, and resulted in award-winning papers. Before starting his PhD, Adriaan was on the executive board of a non-profit business consultancy. Adrian will be giving a presentation at the Quantum Instrumentation session.

Erich Ruetsche is leading IBM Corporate Technology and IP in Europe. With his team he is managing the IBM technology collaboration and licensing business and coordinating the Governmental research programs of the European Research labs in Dublin, Haifa and Zurich. He holds diploma and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich and an MBA from Ashridge Management College, UK. After postdoctoral studies at the Institute Eurecom in France, he started his business career as a technology and strategy consultant and did grow an IT security startup in Switzerland You can meet Erich Ruetsche at the Business Development Session.

Stephan P. A. Sauer is a professor of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, currently serving also as Head of Studies for the Chemistry BSc and MSc programs. He is developing Quantum Chemistry methods and software both for classical HPC computers and now for NISQ quantum computers for the simulation of molecular spectra. He has co-authored more than 200 scientific publications, several book chapters and 2 textbooks on quantum chemistry. He is co-author of the Dalton quantum chemistry program: https://daltonprogram.org/. Currently, he is PI of the Novo Nordisk Foundation project Hybrid Quantum Chemistry on Hybrid Quantum Computers. You can meet Stephan P.A. Sauer at the Session "Quantum Computing" .

Dr Christian Schori is currently Senior Scientist at Safran Timing Technologies, where he is leading the development of a mercury ion clock for space and ground application. Christian Schori will be giving a talk at the Quantum Sensor Session.

Alexander is a co-founder and the CIO of Qnami, a company that develops complete turn-key Quantum Sensing solutions. His studies commenced at the university of Ulm, Germany, where he acquired in the group of Fedor Jelezko a broad understanding of the NV center in diamond. He received his PhD from the Technical University of Denmark where he developed measurement protocols for quantum sensing applications. Alexander has extensive know-how at the interface between hardware, software and quantum technologies and is the head of R&D in Qnami. Alexander Stark will speak at the Quantum Sensors Session.

Philipp Treutlein is a professor of physics at the University of Basel and leader of the quantum optics and atomic physics laboratory. His research focuses on the quantum physics of atoms, photons and phonons and their applications in quantum metrology and quantum networking. Notable results include the demonstration of quantum-enhanced interferometry with spin-squeezed atoms, the observation of many-particle entanglement, Bell correlations and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox with massive many-particle systems, the realization of strongly coupled atom-optomechanical systems and the demonstration of an atomic quantum memory for single photons. Philipp Treutlein received prestigious grants, fellowships and awards, including an ERC Starting Grant, the Paul Ehrenfest Best Paper Award for Quantum Foundations, and several university teaching prizes. He will give a talk on Overview of Quantum Sensing ecosystem in Switzerland in the Keynote session at 11h25.

Daniel Urban studied Physics in Freiburg and Paris and did his PhD 2006 in theoretical solid state physics at the University of Freiburg. As a postdoc researcher in Freiburg, Tucson and Madrid his work in the following years contributed to the understanding of nanoscopic systems, some of which are at the basis of current quantum technology and quantum computing devices. In 2012 he joined the Fraunhofer institute for mechanics of materials IWM and since 2018 heads the materials modelling group. His current research focus is on the atomistic modelling of functional materials and on the development of hybrid classical/quantum computing approaches for the simulation of materials for energy storage and conversion. Daniel will speak at Quantum Computing .

Andreas Wallraff is Full Professor for Solid-State Physics in the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich. His work focuses on the experimental investigation of quantum effects in superconducting electronic circuits for fundamental quantum optics experiments and for applications in quantum information processing. His group at ETH Zurich researches micro- and nano-electronics as well as hybrid quantum systems combining superconducting electronic circuits with semiconductor quantum dots, making use of fast and sensitive microwave techniques at ultra-low temperatures. Meet Andreas Wallraff will be giving a talk in the Keynote Session at 10h05 .

Maximilian Walz will speak in the Quantum Computing Session.

Dr. Stefan Woerner is a Principal Research Scientist and Manager of the Quantum Computational Science group of IBM Quantum at IBM Research Europe - Zurich. The focus of his research is the development and analysis of quantum algorithms for optimization, simulation, and machine learning as well as their practical applications, particularly in finance & logistics. Dr Woerner will be giving a presentation in the morning session at 9h40.

Matija is a Senior Associate based in McKinsey & Company’s Zurich office. He specializes in quantum technology, where he has served many types of clients: from Matijainvestment banks and general industry players, to quantum-technology companies and start-ups. He also contributes to McKinsey’s knowledge and capabilities in quantum technologies, and has published multiple articles at the intersection of quantum technology and business. Prior to joining McKinsey, he completed a PhD in experimental atomic physics at ETH Zurich. Matija will be giving a talk on “Quantum talent at McKinsey & Company: talking science to top management” at Building a Quantum Career session.