Ona Ambrozaite spent the last several years creating collaborations in the quantum computing and education space, including launching a groundbreaking science diplomacy hub at Johns Hopkins University and serving as the East Coast director of the United Kingdom Science & Technology Network. Now she’ll work to build the same type of collaborative ecosystem at UW–Madison as the newly named executive director of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute (WQI). She begins her role this week.
“When I read the job description, it was like it was calling to me,” says Ambrozaite, who grew up in the Chicago area. “I’m really passionate about using scientific expertise and science and technology policy to position the Wisconsin Quantum Institute as a strong player in all aspects of quantum sciences.”
For the past six years, WQI has served as a research hub within the Department of Physics. Ambrozaite’s hiring is a key pillar of a growing vision that expands WQI’s role beyond the bounds of UW and the state of Wisconsin.
Ambrozaite, who earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Vermont, also holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, where she focused on synthesizing semiconducting quantum materials with applications in quantum sensing, computing, communication and other emerging technologies. In her new role, she will serve as the external face of WQI, communicating about quantum research activities at UW–Madison to place it at the intersection of fundamental scientific research and real-world impact.
“I want to work with private sector companies and government entities and associations,” she says. “To have the most impact in the space, we need to bring these worlds together to help the Wisconsin Quantum Institute expand its research impact partnerships and global presence overall.”
A self-described “science nerd,” Ambrozaite says her experience in the lab setting puts her in a strong position to translate the importance of quantum research to companies and philanthropic organizations that may want to partner with WQI. In the early weeks of her tenure, Ambrozaite will travel to Washington, D.C., where she’ll moderate a discussion between representatives from big tech companies like IBM, Microsoft and Google Quantum AI, all of which have a deep interest in the quantum space.
Quantum research has long been a strength at UW–Madison. The University is home to the first quantum computing Master of Science degree in the United States, and researchers in the departments of physics, chemistry and computer sciences as well as the College of Engineering, bring in tens of millions of dollars in federal grant dollars each year. These research projects involve work in quantum computing, where quantum computers have the potential to solve certain classes of problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers — such as simulating complex molecules for drug discovery — and in quantum sensing, which enhances our ability to measure physical phenomena in the environment, with applications ranging from fundamental science to national security.
Mark Eriksson, the Steenbock Professor of Physical Sciences and John Bardeen Professor of Physics, serves as WQI’s Director. He’s excited about working with Ambrozaite and about what her experience in science diplomacy can bring to WQI.
“Her experience in those areas is going to be super useful,” says Eriksson, whose research involves exploring the vast potential of silicon-based qubits, the fundamental unit of quantum information. “It will be a big part of her role to reach out so that the WQI has a voice across the state and across the nation.”
One of those key partners is the Wisconsin Technology Council, a group that is working to create the Wisconsin Quantum Alliance, a statewide program aimed at connecting investors and industry, creating a quantum startup ecosystem and developing a quantum workforce. Ambrozaite will also be able to help coordinate UW–Madison’s response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, a call for researchers to participate in a multipronged effort to use artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery.
“Diplomacy in science policy has taught me there’s always a way forward,” Ambrozaite says. “I’m looking forward to building these long-term, sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships with the people we have in Wisconsin.”