Organizers

Dr. Yuri Alexeev is a senior quantum algorithm engineer at NVIDIA Corporation and a senior member of the IEEE Society. He has expertise in the development of quantum algorithms using the NVIDIA CUDA-Q framework and GPU-optimized quantum circuit simulators. Before joining NVIDIA, he worked in Argonne Leadership Computing Facility to parallelize and optimize scientific codes for exascale supercomputers and integration of of high-performance computing with quantum computing. He completed PhD studies at Iowa State University and contributed to over 200 publications.

Dr. Pooja Rao is a senior quantum algorithm engineer at NVIDIA, specializing in the intersection of quantum computing, HPC, and AI. She works on NVIDIA CUDA-Q, a hybrid open-source platform, to build scalable multi-GPU and multi-QPU quantum-classical applications and algorithms. During her academic career as a computational fluid dynamicist, she focused on designing computational algorithms and developing in-house code to simulate fluid flows at HPC scale, including turbulence modeling for fusion experiments and fluid-particle transfer phenomena in aerospace applications. Her current interests include accelerated quantum computing and exploring quantum computing for fluid dynamics.

Dr. Marwa Farag is a Senior Quantum Algorithm Engineer at NVIDIA, working on AI‑assisted quantum algorithm design for scalable, real‑world applications using the CUDA‑Q platform.%where she develops AI‑driven approaches for quantum algorithm design using the CUDA‑Q platform to address complex scientific and industrial challenges. Prior to joining NVIDIA, Dr. Farag led quantum computing research at Ford Motor Company, focusing on quantum and hybrid approaches for advanced materials simulation. She earned her Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry and computational modeling from the University of Murcia and subsequently held postdoctoral research positions at the Max Planck Institute, the University of Groningen, and the University of Southern California. During her doctoral and postdoctoral research, she developed quantum chemical methods for electronic structure theory and the dynamics of chemical systems.

Dr. Antonio Mezzacapo is a Principal Research Scientist at NVIDIA, working on quantum algorithms and hybrid quantum-HPC workflows. His interests are in quantum algorithms for simulating physics, quantum device characterization, and quantum software.

Laura Schulz is the Lead for Quantum Innovation at the Leadership Computing Facility at Argonne National Laboratory. Her work focuses on integrating quantum computing into heterogeneous HPC and AI ecosystems to enable seamless, end-to-end scientific workflows. Prior to joining Argonne, she led the Quantum Computing and Technologies department at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) within the Munich Quantum Valley, where she directed regional and European initiatives, authored LRZ’s Strategic Plan for Quantum Computing, and served as Principal Investigator for the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking project Euro-Q-Exa. Her work spans system integration within supercomputing facilities, co-design across hardware and software layers, and the operationalization of hybrid quantum–HPC workflows for scientific applications.

Dr. Travis Humble is director of the US Department of Energy’s Quantum Science Center and a Distinguished Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Travis also serves as editor-in-chief for ACM Transactions on Quantum Computing and holds a joint faculty appointment with the University of Tennessee Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education.

Dr. Stefano Mensa is the NVIDIA Quantum Developer Relations Manager for global Supercomputing Centres and National Laboratories. Previously, Stefano worked at the STFC Hartree Centre, a UK-based national laboratory and supercomputing center focused on applying advanced computing to solve major industry challenges. At Hartree, he served as the strategic lead for quantum computing and emerging technologies, defining and delivering the Centre’s roadmap to help translate research into real-world, scalable impact. Across his career, Stefano has been committed to enabling the quantum computing community, especially around applications and quantum-classical integration. He’s especially passionate about the convergence of advanced computing technologies and believes useful quantum computing will be driven by datacenter integration and hybrid workflows. Stefano holds a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Liverpool, where he is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow.