Quantum breakthroughs are transforming science and industry. This event will cover what scientists and engineers need to know today about the impact of quantum across sectors and scientific disciplines, and explore sectors and careers where quantum technologies play an increasingly important role.
Gemma Shepherd will give a broad overview of quantum technologies including sensing, computation, and cryptography, and explore how future developments in each of these may impact different market sectors and areas of science. We will challenge common misconceptions around quantum technologies, and provide a clear outlook ahead to answer the question: “What are Quantum Technologies, and why should we care?”. The talk will be followed by a panel discussion exploring the current impact and future opportunities of quantum technologies across diverse sectors and professional roles, with panelists Gemma Shepherd (PA Consulting), Leonie Mueck (nPlan), and Namshik Han (University of Cambridge).
About the speakers:
Gemma Shepherd is an Applied Physicist at PA Consulting, working to understand and benchmark Quantum Technologies and their classical competitors. She works at the interface of science and industry, communicating impacts across a range of sectors, with a focus on Defence & Security, Transport, and Energy & Utilities.
Leonie Mueck loves turning cutting-edge technologies into products. She is currently VP of Products at nPlan, a London-based scale-up, which uses AI to forecast construction project outcomes using historical data, making construction risk management easier, faster, and more reliable. Prior to nPlan, she was Chief Product Officer at quantum computing start-up Riverlane where she built Riverlane’s product strategy. Leonie embarked on her deep tech journey after a career in scientific publishing, first at the journal Nature and later at PLOS. Leonie holds a PhD in quantum chemistry from the University of Mainz in Germany.
Professor Namshik Han leads the AI and Computational Biology group at the Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, where his research focuses on developing quantum algorithms and explainable AI for analysing large-scale multi-modal biomedical data, with projects spanning target identification, drug repurposing, patient stratification, and prediction of efficacy and safety. He serves as Faculty at the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine and as an Affiliated Principal Investigator at the Stem Cell Institute, where his work supports translational applications of quantum-AI approaches in stem cell and regenerative medicine. He is also a Professor in the Department of Quantum Information at Yonsei University, strengthening UK–Korea quantum-AI collaborations.
