Please join us for the ACT-IAC Emerging Technology COI June member meeting. The focus of the meeting will be Quantum's Impact on the Work Force.
Join us for a lively conversation with industry and academic leaders as they explore:
⚛️ How quantum technologies will reshape the future of work.
⚛️ The skills and training needed to thrive in a quantum-powered world.
⚛️Strategies for ensuring equitable access to quantum opportunities.
About the Panelists
Dr. Celia Merzbacher is Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a consortium that aims to enable and grow the U.S. quantum industry. QED-C is supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and approximately 250 industry, academic and other members worldwide and is managed by SRI International.
Dr. Merzbacher is on the CSIS Commission on U.S. Quantum Leadership and is U.S. Co-Chair of the Quad Investors Network’s Quantum Center of Excellence. She also serves as an advisor to several quantum research organizations. Previously, she was the Assistant Director of Technology R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology.
Dr. Merzbacher is a Fellow of the AAAS and served as Chair of the National Materials and Manufacturing Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Dr. Tim Akers is the Assistant Vice President for Research Innovation and Advocacy and a Professor of Public Health at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. He also serves as the CEO of the National Quantum Literacy Network (NQLN). (www.quantumliteracy.org)
In 2020, Dr. Akers was selected to serve on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Energy’s first cohort of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Board (NQIAC) for the U.S. (2020-2022). Additionally, in 2020, he received NSF support to build a National Quantum Literacy Workforce Curriculum and Training Network.
In 2022, Dr. Akers organized the nation’s first National Quantum Literacy Conference, focusing on historically underrepresented groups, held on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2023, Dr. Akers and the NQLN organized a workshop in Washington, DC, with minority-business enterprises focusing on quantum literacy for workforce development.
Dr. Akers also serves on the External Advisory Board to MONARK (Montana State University and University of Arkansas) quantum start-up foundry, a multi-year NSF-funded project focusing on 2D quantum materials.
Dr. Akers is a former Senior Scientist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a Senior Research Scientist at the College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University. Dr. Akers is also a U.S. Air Force veteran, having served as a USAF Security Police for nuclear weapons security.
David Lang is the Senior Director of Global Policy & Affairs at Optica, a large optics and photonics society, in Washington, D.C. where since 2018 he has directed the organization’s advocacy and public affairs programs. Prior to joining Optica, David was with the National Academies of Sciences for 14 years where he worked on projects spanning space and Earth sciences, physics, and telecommunications. He received his Master of Engineering and Public Policy in energy technology from the University of Maryland, College Park and his Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Kayla Quinnies, PhD, Residency Program Manager, SandboxAQ
Prior to joining the education team (EDU) at SandboxAQ as the Residency Program Manager, Kayla received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia, did postdoctoral work in biomedical informatics at Columbia University, and was the Outreach Program Manager for Columbia University Engineering. While at Columbia Engineering, she ran an education program for high school students, working closely with undergraduates and faculty. She has been working in STEM outreach and science community management for over ten years, and is passionate about creating a meaningful experience for students and postdocs in the Residency Program at SandboxAQ.
United States