Quantum computing is poised to revolutionize drug discovery by accelerating computations and unlocking new possibilities for pharmaceutical innovation. In this workshop, participants will gain a foundational understanding of quantum computing principles and explore its transformative potential for solving complex challenges in drug discovery. Industry leaders will share early-stage case studies showcasing how quantum computing is being applied today, providing attendees with the knowledge to engage with this rapidly evolving field. A panel discussion will explore areas in more detail, followed by a guided brain walk, where attendees may apply workshop insights directly to their career development. The session will conclude with a tour of MIT's Center for Quantum Engineering.
Christopher Bishop, Chief Reinvention Officer, Improvising Careers
Thomas Ehmer, PhD, Business Technologies R&D Science and Technology - Innovation Incubator, Merck Group
Olivier Ezratty, author, researcher, cofounder, EPITA, Quantum Energy Initiative
Andrei Petrenko, Head of Product, Quantum Circuits, Inc.
Juliette Peyronnet, US General Manager, Alice & Bob USA, Inc.
Raffaele Santagati, PhD, Quantum Computing Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim
Holly Stemp, Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gabriela Cimpan, PhD, Partner Manager, Quantinuum
Sara Dolcetti, Vice President of Business Development, Qubit Pharmaceuticals
Johannes Galatsanos-Dueck, Researcher, Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) and the Center for Quantum Networks, MIT; Co-Founder, CEO, Diffraqtion
Holly Stemp, Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Huafeng Xu, PhD, CEO, Atommap Corporation
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHIES:
Christopher Bishop, Chief Reinvention Officer, Improvising Careers
I describe myself as a nonlinear multimodal careerist - I have had 8 so far - from touring rock musician in the 70s to 15 years at IBM - and with several others along the way.
My most recent career finds me engaged as a deep tech MC for various quantum events in Silicon Valley, Montreal, Washington, D.C, New York, London and Singapore. I also host the Quantum Tech Pod where I have interviewed over 55 senior execs at leading quantum companies.I am also passionate about helping people reinvent themselves and prepare for the future of work - focusing on career guidance and life design skills. Based on how I successfully navigated my own atypical career path, I have developed a Future Career Toolkit designed to enable learners to be successful when pursuing their own nonlinear, multimodal career path. I conduct workshops titled "How to succeed at jobs that don't exist yet" using the toolkit to excite and empower students at universities as well as in Millennial/GenZ workplaces.
With over 14 years of experience as a chief reinvention officer at improvising careers, I help learners of all ages and stages prepare for the 21st century's global borderless workplace.
Thomas Ehmer, PhD, Business Technologies R&D Science and Technology - Innovation Incubator, Merck Group
Thomas Ehmer is a seasoned technology strategist with over two decades of experience in IT innovation, business development, and R&D within the pharmaceutical industry and co-founder of the Quantum Interest Group in the company. He currently is in the Sector Data Office - AI Governance and Innovation Incubator at Merck Group, Merck Healthcare, where he scouts emerging and disruptive technologies, demonstrating their potential value for R&D applications with a focus on quantum technologies. Throughout his career at Merck, Thomas has played a pivotal role in shaping IT strategy, business process optimization, and digital transformation across the entire pharmaceutical value chain, currently focussing on transparent AI and how and where emerging technology can help patients live a better life. His expertise spans technology scouting, business analysis, and IT program leadership, having successfully driven major global projects. Beyond his corporate career, Thomas is an active private seed investor and has contributed to quantum computing research and applications in drug discovery, authoring publications on the potential of quantum computing and machine learning in pharmaceutical R&D. He holds a PhD in Physics, Biophysics, and Physiology from Heidelberg University and continues to mentor within the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG). His forward-thinking approach, combined with deep technical expertise, has earned him multiple innovation awards, and he remains dedicated to bridging the gap between emerging technologies and real-world industry applications.
Olivier Ezratty, author, researcher, cofounder, EPITA, Quantum Energy Initiative
Olivier Ezratty is a freelance quantum engineer, author, trainer, teacher and researcher, mostly known for “Understanding Quantum Technologies”, his comprehensive open-source book on quantum technologies (September 2024, 7th edition, 1,554 pages). He is a teacher and lecturer on quantum and classical technologies at EPITA, CentraleSupelec, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, and other Universities. He works for a diverse set of government institutions and industry organizations, as a referent expert for Bpifrance, Agence Nationale de Recherche (France) and the European Commission. He is also one of the cofounders of the Quantum Energy Initiative.
Andrei Petrenko, Head of Product, Quantum Circuits, Inc.
Andrei Petrenko spearheads the product strategy at Quantum Circuits with a keen focus on fostering a strong customer ecosystem and user experience with the company’s unique, differentiable features. He has nearly 15 years of experience in quantum computing across industry and academia. His background is in quantum hardware, and he received his Ph.D. from Yale University in the lab of Professor Rob Schoelkopf, focusing on quantum error correction.
As one of the first employees of Quantum Circuits, Andrei built key areas of the company’s product and software stack. He was instrumental in defining the hardware roadmap. Over time, this has led to successful engagements with key external partners, full-stack cloud deployments of Quantum Circuits’ cloud services, and control system deployments with cutting-edge features.
Andrei speaks regularly as an industry expert, providing Quantum Circuits with a public voice to convey its novel superconducting architecture to science and commercial audiences.
Andrei loves to spend time with his family and friends around a campfire in New Hampshire and teaching his kids how to do a cannonball at the local pool.
Juliette Peyronnet, US General Manager, Alice & Bob USA, Inc.
Juliette Peyronnet is the U.S. General Manager at Alice & Bob, leading the company’s commercialization strategy in the United States. With over eight years of experience in bringing deep-tech products to market, she has a strong background in go-to-market strategy and business development. Juliette holds a Master of Science in Photonics and previously advised the French government on GTM strategy in North America. Before joining Alice & Bob, she was a Business Development Lead at Xanadu, where she played a key role in advancing quantum technology adoption.
Raffaele Santagati, PhD, Quantum Computing Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim
Raffaele Santagati is a distinguished quantum computing scientist with extensive expertise in quantum technologies, photonics, and computational physics. With a PhD in Quantum Photonics and Quantum Computing from the University of Bristol, he has built a career at the forefront of quantum research, industry innovation, and scientific publishing. Currently, Raffaele serves as a Quantum Computing Scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he explores the application of quantum computing in pharmaceutical research and drug discovery. In addition, he holds the role of Editor at Springer Nature, overseeing scholarly content related to quantum computing and emerging quantum technologies. Prior to his industry roles, Raffaele spent over eight years at the University of Bristol, where he was a Senior Research Associate at the Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QETLabs) and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Quantum Photonics. His research focused on developing scalable quantum photonic technologies, quantum information processing, and experimental quantum mechanics. During this time, he also worked as a quantum technologies consultant, advising multinational corporations on the strategic implications of quantum computing and how to mitigate risks while leveraging emerging opportunities. Beyond his research, Raffaele has contributed to academia as a teaching assistant in Classical Physics and Quantum Mechanics at the University of Bristol. His early career includes research positions at EuroImaging, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), and STARFLAG CNR INFM, where he worked on projects related to OCT imaging, inelastic X-ray scattering spectrometry, and complex system modeling. Raffaele holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Quantum Photonics and Quantum Computing from the University of Bristol and a Master of Science in Physics (Laurea Specialistica) from Sapienza Università di Roma. With a strong foundation in quantum mechanics, photonics, and computational physics, Raffaele continues to push the boundaries of quantum computing research, bridging the gap between theoretical advancements and real-world applications in industry and academia.
Holly Stemp, Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Holly Stemp is a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in hybrid spin/superconducting qubit architectures. Her research focuses on advancing quantum computing technologies by integrating superconducting and spin-based qubit systems to improve scalability and coherence times. Prior to joining MIT, Holly completed her PhD at UNSW in Sydney, where she worked on donor atom spin qubits for quantum computation. She holds an MPhys in Physics from the University of Surrey, graduating with First Class Honours. Her research experience spans multiple leading institutions, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she contributed to quantum computing projects, and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), where she investigated the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). Passionate about driving diversity in STEM, Holly actively supports initiatives that encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in physics and quantum technology.
Gabriela Cimpan, PhD, Partner Manager, Quantinuum
Gabriela Cimpan holds a PhD in Chemistry and has spent the first years of her career as a university lecturer and research scientist. She then transitioned in technical sales and business development, focusing on high end scientific software over the last 20 years, with a focus on chemistry and life sciences. In 2021, Gabriela joined the business development team at Cambridge Quantum Computing, now Quantinuum, continuing to work with customers and partners at the forefront of scientific innovation.
Sara Dolcetti, Vice President of Business Development, Qubit Pharmaceuticals
Ms. Dolcetti boasts over 15 years of multifaceted expertise in Global Health Tech, Digital Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence, with a background spanning startups, Fortune 500 companies, academia, and management consulting, including a tenure at Boston Consulting Group. Specializing in life sciences, she excels in corporate strategy, private equity/venture capital, partnerships, and commercialization, showcasing a knack for successful product launches. Her subject matter expertise spans precision medicine, diagnostics, genomics, oncology, and the integration of AI, informatics, data analytics, cloud infrastructure, and SaaS solutions. A seasoned professional in navigating the convergence of healthcare and technology, Sara brings strategic acumen to the evolving landscape of digital health and medical devices. Continuously staying abreast of industry trends, she is a driving force committed to advancing healthcare through innovative technological solutions.
Johannes Galatsanos-Dueck, Researcher, Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) and the Center for Quantum Networks, MIT; Co-Founder, CEO, Diffraqtion
Johannes has spent 15 years in the Data, AI, Quantum Tech, and Intrapreneurship space. Prior to Diffraqtion, he was an Executive Director at Novartis, heading the largest Data & AI transformation in the industry. He was also a researcher at MIT and the Center for Quantum Networks, a lecturer in AI, and a managing consultant at a Big Four. He’s an MIT Sloan Fellows MBA, Oxford, and Uni Frankfurt graduate with a focus on AI, Quantum Technologies and entrepreneurship for deeptech commercialization.
Holly Stemp, Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Holly Stemp is a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in hybrid spin/superconducting qubit architectures. Her research focuses on advancing quantum computing technologies by integrating superconducting and spin-based qubit systems to improve scalability and coherence times. Prior to joining MIT, Holly completed her PhD at UNSW in Sydney, where she worked on donor atom spin qubits for quantum computation. She holds an MPhys in Physics from the University of Surrey, graduating with First Class Honours. Her research experience spans multiple leading institutions, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she contributed to quantum computing projects, and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), where she investigated the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). Passionate about driving diversity in STEM, Holly actively supports initiatives that encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in physics and quantum technology.
Huafeng Xu, PhD, CEO, Atommap Corporation
Huafeng Xu, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Atommap, a New York-based seed-stage company transforming drug discovery through advanced computational methods. Atommap’s proprietary platform harnesses biomolecular dynamics to deliver therapeutic molecules that reprogram protein function. Since its founding in 2023, Atommap has partnered with 8 companies in their discovery projects and has on its own developed first-in-class molecules addressing a challenging oncological target. Huafeng previously served as Chief Technology Officer of Silicon Therapeutics, which Roivant acquired in 2021, then as CTO of Roivant Discovery before launching Atommap with his co-founders. Over his 25-year career as a chemist and computer scientist, he has developed the methods and software for molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations that are now widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, and he has pioneered the industrial application of computation-driven drug design. His publications have garnered over 10,000 citations. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Peking University and his M.S. and Ph. D. from Columbia University, and was a visiting postdoctoral scholar in UC San Francisco. In his spare time, Huafeng enjoys wine and solving math problems, sometimes simultaneously.