Genya Crossman is a quantum strategy consultant at IBM, based in Germany. Outside of government, she continues to make great impacts in the technical quantum enterprise. She chairs five of the Initiative’s working groups focused on developing quantum-based solutions. These multidisciplinary teams address pressing National priorities across a wide range of disciplines, including biomedical research, materials research, high-energy physics, optimization, and sustainability. Her work seeks to connect theoretical research with real-world applications and explore the limits of what quantum technology can do.
Crossman’s dedication to quantum computing runs deep. Growing up on the North Shore of Boston, she spent many summer mornings engrossed in publications such as IEEE Spectrum and Scientific American alongside her older sister. She attributes her enthusiasm for the field to her father, longtime MARC employee Antony Crossman. He is an electrical and electronics engineer and IEEE life member. So when she began her undergraduate studies in physics at McGill University in Montreal in 2011, Itzhak gifted her an IEEE student membership, stoking the embers of her interest.
In late August and early September, Crossman was at the sixth annual IEEE Quantum Week, taking place in Albuquerque. The invitation-only event brought together government, industry, and academia professionals to discuss the latest developments in quantum technologies and their impacts beyond the lab.
Driving Quantum Innovation
In her role at IBM, Crossman serves as a technical engagement lead for five different working groups. Each team is focused on addressing real world challenges with innovative quantum computing solutions. Beyond managing these teams, she is actively shaping her teams through direct guidance of researchers to seek resources. With her leadership, it provides them access to the massive IBM ecosystem.
Crossman’s enthusiasm for quantum engineering is evident. “I really enjoy [quantum engineering] and working with everyone because it’s such an interdisciplinary field,” she stated. What sparks her passion for quantum computing is its unique potential to combine problem-solving and creativity in equal measure. “It’s really at an exciting stage of development,” she added.
Her early working groups have been on healthcare and life sciences. They are on the front lines of figuring out how quantum technology can best revolutionize patient care and transform drug discovery. In quantum materials, they study how new advanced materials could be created with the help of quantum principles. The high energy physics group studies deeply fundamental questions about the universe, and the optimization team looks for answers to very earthly logistical problems. Finally, sustainability is a cross-cutting theme in QED, with the program seeking to solve major environmental challenges with creative quantum solutions.
A Personal Journey Through Quantum Learning
Crossman’s long and winding path to pursuing a career in quantum mechanics started in her undergrad years. “When I started learning about quantum mechanics in undergrad, there wasn’t much information out there,” she reflected. Continuing her path as a lifelong learner, she is dedicated to continuing to learn about research in as many fields as possible.
While at McGill University, Crossman studied condensed matter, machine learning, and quantum learning. She attributes the invitation to join her quantum matter and AI research group with her mentor, Eliska Greplova. Eliska is an associate professor at TU Delft in the Netherlands. As we’d hoped, this experience greatly deepened her knowledge. It also motivated and enabled her to engage directly with this rapidly developing field of quantum technologies.
During the panel discussion at the IEEE Quantum Week conference, Crossman emphasized collaboration between researchers. “We got great feedback and information about identifying common features across groups,” she noted. These experiences allow teams to exchange perspectives and further develop their appreciation for how quantum computing can help solve a variety of problems.
Bridging Theory and Application
One of Crossman’s primary duties is to guide researchers through the novel and tricky waters of what it will take to implement and adopt quantum solutions. She facilitates communication by linking experts to well-defined, targeted questions. By steering how resources are allocated, she stitches a cooperative fabric that ignites creativity.
Crossman strongly stressed the importance of making quantum computing real with tangible examples in her keynotes on stage at the conference. “The audience got to hear real-life examples to understand how quantum computing applies to different scenarios and how it works,” she explained. This hands-on approach opens the hood on the advanced technology and shows its transformative capabilities through practical applications in multiple sectors.
Even with the field’s recent advances, there is still a long way to go, Crossman admits. “Quantum computing is often used to describe all quantum work,” she remarked, emphasizing the need for clearer definitions and applications within the industry. As the field expands, so does her passion to make others aware of the discipline’s complexities.
Crossman’s involvement with IBM and her ongoing passion for quantum computing position her as a leading figure in this emerging field. As quick as her success came, she is pleasantly surprised to find herself in this position and time in her life. “The beginning of my career was when the quantum computing industry was just getting started. I’m really grateful for that,” she stated.