February 22, 2024 | Washington, DC

In the coming decade, quantum technologies could revolutionize critical industries from energy to medicine – but in order for these tools to achieve their full potential, the quantum industry needs a robust workforce. Countries around the world are recognizing that the pipeline from education to industry is a key factor.

The Johns Hopkins University Science Diplomacy Hub is convening an event on February 26, 2024, at the brand new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in the heart of Washington, DC, to compare approaches in Switzerland, the US, and Finland. Following introductory remarks by Jacques Pitteloud, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, and Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of Finland to the United States, speakers from the three countries will present insights on talent and workforce development.

Among the speakers is Maria Longobardi, Scientific Coordinator of NCCR SPIN, a Swiss national quantum initiative based at the University of Basel. Tim Smith, Coordinator of the new Open Quantum Institute, a program hosted at CERN and designed by GESDA, will also participate. They will be joined by Willie Aboumrad, Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and Senior Application Scientist at IonQ, a leading US quantum computing company which entered into a partnership last year with QuantumBasel, a center of competence for quantum computing and artificial intelligence in Switzerland.

The event is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, the Embassy of Finland in the United States, the American Physical Society (APS), the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), the Quantum World Congress, and Swissnex, as part of Project Quantum, an initiative of the global Swissnex network to connect Switzerland and the world in quantum science and technology.