Jody Burks

Jody Burks is the IBM Account Technical Leader for ExxonMobil, as well as the Central US regional lead for the IBM Quantum Ambassadors team. A computational biochemist by training, Dr. Burks is also a Quantum Technical Ambassador and Qiskit Advocate, delivering quantum computing workshops and education to clients and partners.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin State University and Auburn University, Dr. Burks was previously the IBM Quantum Academic Partner Technical Lead and served as a technical liaison between internal and external Quantum Computing researchers, including facilitating collaborations between IBM Research and Academic Partners, and was the Program Manager for the IBM Quantum Researchers Program. Before joining IBM, she was a Senior R&D Scientist at Halliburton and developed 9 issued US patents for oil and gas industry use in various disciplines including chemistry, processes, microfluidic devices, materials, and mechanical engineering. Dr. Burks was also an assistant professor of Biological and Physical Sciences at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. 

An author of 10 publications, her research specialty is bioinformatics and RNA structural biochemistry (6 peer-reviewed publications) including the recent “A biological sequence comparison algorithm using quantum computers” published in Nature Scientific Reports in September 2023. Dr. Burks still maintains research ties with Auburn University.