<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/genya-crossman-standing-in-front-of-ibms-utility-scale-quantum-computer-system.jpg?id=62212657&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C375%2C0%2C375"/> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/genya-crossman/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Genya Crossman</a> is a lifelong learner passionate about helping people understand and use quantum computing to solve the world’s most complex problems.So, she is excited that quantum computing is in the spotlight this year. <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNESCO</a> declared 2025 the <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/quantum-science-technology/about?hub=167999" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It’s also the </a>100th anniversary of physicist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Heisenberg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Werner Heisenberg</a>’s “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01328377" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">On the Quantum-Theoretical Reinterpretation of Kinematic and Mechanical Relationships</a>,” the first published paper on quantum mechanics.Crossman, an IEEE member, is a quantum strategy consultant at <a href="https://www.ibm.com/us-en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IBM</a> in Germany. As a full-time staff member, she coordinates and manages <a href="https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/quantum-working-groups" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">five working groups</a> focused on developing quantum-based solutions for near-term problems in health care and life sciences, materials science, high-energy physics, optimization, and sustainability.<h3>Genya Crossman</h3> EmployerIBM in GermanyJob titleQuantum strategy consultantMember gradeMemberAlma matersUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst; Delft University of Technology and the Technische Universität BerlinShe attended the sixth annual <a href="https://qce.quantum.ieee.org/2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Quantum Week</a>, held from 31 August to 5 September in Albuquerque. This year’s event, also known as the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-quantum-computing-hausi-muller" target="_self">IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering</a>, marked the first time that the IBM- and community-created working groups’ experts and collaborators publicly presented their research together.“We got great feedback and information about identifying common features across groups,” Crossman says. “The audience got to hear real-life examples to understand how quantum computing applies to different scenarios and how it works.”Crossman understands the importance of sharing research more than most because she works at the intersection of quantum computing research and practical application. The quantum field might seem intimidating, she says, but you don’t need to understand it to use a quantum computer.“Anyone can use one,” she says. “And if you know programming languages like <a href="https://www.python.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Python</a>, you can code a quantum computer.”<h2>The basics of quantum computing</h2>IBM has a long-standing history with quantum computing. IEEE Member <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Bennett_(physicist)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles H. Bennett</a>, an IBM Fellow, is called the father of quantum information theory because he <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ibm_research_zurich/50425688696/in/photostream/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wrote the first notes</a> on the subject in 1970. In May 1981, IBM and <a href="https://www.mit.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT</a> held the first <a href="https://mitendicotthouse.org/physics-computation-conference/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Physics of Computation Conference</a>.“Quantum computing is often used to describe all quantum work,” including quantum science and quantum technology, Crossman says. The field involves a variety of technologies, including sensors, meteorology, and communications.Classical computers use bits, and quantum computers use quantum bits, called qubits. Qubits can exist in more than one state simultaneously (both one and zero), known as the ability to exist in “superposition.”Computers using qubits can store and process highly complex information and data faster and more efficiently, possibly using significantly less energy than classical computers.With so much power and processing ability, quantum computers are complex and still not fully understood. Engineers are working to make quantum computing more accessible to everyone, so more people can understand how to work with the technology, Crossman says.<h2>Inspired by her father and IEEE</h2>Growing up in the North Shore of Boston, Crossman spent many summer mornings poring over the latest issues of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/" target="_self">IEEE Spectrum</a> and <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scientific American</a> with her older sister. Her father, <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37353021500" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Antony Crossman</a>, is an electrical and electronics engineer and an IEEE life member. He often discussed science and engineering concepts with his daughters.Looking back, Crossman says, she sees reading Spectrum as her first introduction to how research is presented.“I loved reading about new research and what could be done with it,” she says. “It helped point me toward engineering as a career.”When she enrolled at <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">McGill University</a> in Montreal in 2011 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in physics, her father gifted her an IEEE student membership.“Montreal is a beautiful, creative city that’s also relatively easy to travel to from Boston within a day,” she says. “Plus, the school was known for its physics program.”After two years, she dropped out and moved to Paris, where she worked in a café. A year later, in 2014, she enrolled in the physics degree program at the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Massachusetts, Amherst</a>.In the summer of 2016, Crossman’s undergraduate advisor, Professor <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-willocq-415a852b/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stéphane Willocq</a>, recommended her for a research project in the <a href="https://www.mtl.mit.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsystems Technology Laboratory</a> within <a href="https://www.eecs.mit.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT’s electrical engineering department</a>.“Quantum computing is often used to describe all quantum work, including quantum computing, quantum science, and quantum technology.”“I had been conducting research” with Willocq, she says, “and he knew I was considering going into electrical engineering, so he suggested I apply for this summer research opportunity.”As a research assistant, she examined carrier transport in transistors and diodes made with two-dimensional materials.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2017, she initially planned to go straight to graduate school, she says, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to focus on. A friend and former classmate from an undergraduate quantum mechanics course referred her to a quantum computing job opening at <a href="https://www.rigetti.com/" target="_blank">Rigetti Computing</a> in Berkeley, Calif.She was hired as a junior quantum engineer. She started by creating the predecessor to, and then the schema for, the company’s first device database. She then designed, modeled, and simulated quantum devices such as circuits for superconducting quantum computers, including some used in the first deployed quantum systems. She also managed the Berkeley fabrication facility.In that role, she learned a great deal about electrical and microwave engineering, she says, and that introduced her to computational modeling. It led her to better understand practical applications of quantum computing, she says. Her newfound knowledge made her “want to learn why and how people use quantum technology,” she says, which is how she became interested in the end users’ needs.To further her career, she left Rigetti in 2020 and moved to Germany to pursue a dual master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics through a joint program between the <a href="https://www.tudelft.nl/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Delft University of Technology</a> and the <a href="https://www.tu.berlin/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Technische Universität Berlin</a>. When she first began her master’s program, IBM recruiters offered her two jobs, she says, but she declined because she wanted to finish her degree.During her studies, she worked with her mentor <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliska-greplova-29bba9150/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eliska Greplova</a>, an associate professor at TU Delft, who invited Crossman to join her <a href="https://www.eliskagreplova.com/research" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">quantum matter and AI research group</a>. Crossman learned about condensed matter, machine learning, and quantum learning, and she participated in discussions about the technologies’ implications.Despite being a great experience, it ultimately led her to decide against pursuing a Ph.D., she says, because she enjoyed working in the industry and that’s where she wanted to be in the long run.She had planned to focus her master’s thesis on quantum computing from the end user’s perspective, but she switched to writing about integrating topological properties onto superconducting hardware.She graduated in 2022. In January 2023, she accepted a full-time position at <a href="https://research.ibm.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IBM Research</a> in Germany as a quantum strategy consultant, supporting enterprise clients. Since then, her job has changed to technical engagement lead, overseeing the five quantum working groups.She is also part of the team that oversees the company’s responsible computing initiative. IBM defines responsible quantum computing as the type that’s “aware of its effects.” The company says it wants to ensure it develops and uses quantum computing in line with <a href="https://quantum.cloud.ibm.com/docs/en/responsible-quantum-computing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its principles</a>.Established in 2022 by IBM and researchers from other organizations, the working groups tackle near-term problems and look for quantum and interdisciplinary solutions in their area of focus, Crossman says.The groups are community-driven, with researchers from both quantum and nonquantum backgrounds collaborating to identify key problems, decide what to pursue, and pool their expertise to fill gaps, allowing them to look at problems holistically, she says. The groups regularly publish papers and make them publicly available.Crossman’s job is to support the researchers, locate resources, help them use the IBM ecosystem, and identify experts to answer niche questions. Her other focus is on the end users, the people who will employ the research emerging from the working groups. She says she seeks to understand their needs and how to best support them.“I really enjoy quantum engineering and working with everyone because it’s such an interdisciplinary field,” she says. “It combines problem-solving with creativity. It’s really at an exciting stage of development.”With so much momentum, Crossman says, she is eager to see where quantum technologies go next.“When I started learning about quantum mechanics in undergrad, there wasn’t much information out there,” she says. “The beginning of my career was when the quantum computing industry was just getting started. I’m really grateful for that.”<h2>Staying current on research</h2>Being an IEEE member allows Crossman to stay updated on research across multiple fields, she says, and that’s important because most of them “are becoming much more interdisciplinary, especially quantum computing.”She says she is looking forward to collaborating more with IEEE members working on quantum computing.“I’ve always found IEEE useful,” she says. “I can learn about new research in my and other fields, and I really enjoyed attending this year’s Quantum Week.”

جينيا كروسمن، مهندسة في شركة IBM، تدعو إلى تطبيق الحوسبة الكمومية خارج المختبرات، مشددة على إمكانياتها في معالجة التحديات العالمية المعقدة. هذا العام يمثل تركيزًا كبيرًا على التكنولوجيا الكمومية، بالتزامن مع إعلان اليونسكو عام 2025 عامًا دوليًا للعلوم والتكنولوجيا الكمومية، والذكرى المئوية لمساهمات فيزيائي وارنر هايزنبرغ.

Genya Crossman, ingeniera de IBM, está abogando por la aplicación de la computación cuántica más allá de los laboratorios, enfatizando su potencial para abordar problemas globales complejos. Este año marca un enfoque significativo en la tecnología cuántica, coincidiendo con la declaración de la UNESCO de 2025 como el Año Internacional de la Ciencia y la Tecnología Cuánticas, y el centenario de las contribuciones de Werner Heisenberg a la física.

Genya Crossman, ingénieure chez IBM, plaide pour l'application de l'informatique quantique au-delà des laboratoires, soulignant son potentiel à résoudre des problèmes mondiaux complexes. Cette année, l'accent est mis sur la technologie quantique, coïncidant avec la déclaration de l'UNESCO de 2025 comme Année internationale de la science et de la technologie quantiques, et le centenaire des contributions de Werner Heisenberg à la physique.

Genya Crossman, an IBM engineer, is advocating for the application of quantum computing beyond laboratory settings, emphasizing its potential to address complex global challenges. This year marks a significant focus on quantum technology, coinciding with UNESCO's declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, and the centenary of Werner Heisenberg's contributions to physics.

This IBM Engineer Is Pushing Quantum Computing Out of the Lab

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/members-of-the-ieee-dominican-republic-section-wearing-matching-t-shirts-in-a-classroom-to-celebrate-ieee-day.jpg?id=62232620&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C157%2C0%2C157"/> IEEE celebrated a monumental achievement last month: The organization’s membership reached half a million innovators, engineers, technologists, and scientists worldwide.“This is more than a number; it is a profound testament to the enduring power and relevance of our global community,” says <a href="https://es.linkedin.com/in/antonio-luque-b678573" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Antonio Luque</a>, vice president of <a href="https://www.ieee.org/communities/geographic-activities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Member and Geographic Activities</a>. “The 500,000-member milestone is a powerful endorsement of IEEE’s legacy and serves as a critical launchpad for solving the future’s complex challenges and opportunities. Passing this milestone affirms the value members find in our shared mission to advance technology for humanity.” To commemorate the historic moment, IEEE launched a <a href="https://ieee500k-mosaic.onsnapshot.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">digital mosaic</a> highlighting members around the world. You can be a part of the collaborative art piece by uploading your name, location, and photo on the <a href="https://ieee500k.onsnapshot.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Snapshot website</a>.<h2>Momentum and the member journey</h2>Since 1963, when the merger of the <a href="https://ethw.org/AIEE_History_1884-1963" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Institute of Electrical Engineers</a> and the <a href="https://ethw.org/IRE_History_1912-1963" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Institute of Radio Engineers</a> formed IEEE, the organization has strived to evolve alongside technology. IEEE’s achievement of 500,000 members underscores its momentum. The success reflects the organization’s dedication to keeping its members connected and up to date in rapidly evolving technological fields, demonstrating its ability to adapt.A key part of IEEE’s success is its dedication to nurturing the next generation of engineers. Student members and young professionals—who are included in the 500,000-member milestone—bring fresh perspectives and energy that help sustain the organization’s momentum.“With the collective expertise and enthusiasm of half a million individuals, there is no technical challenge we cannot face, and no future we cannot build.”“Their contributions are essential to IEEE’s vitality,” Luque says.IEEE life members and experienced professionals impart their knowledge, experience, and ethical frameworks to students and younger engineers through <a href="https://www.ieee.org/documents/mentoring.pdf" target="_blank">IEEE’s mentorship programs</a>, ensuring that the legacy of innovation endures.<h2>Leave your mark on IEEE</h2>The membership milestone is more than just a historical count; it’s an invitation for every member to impact the organization’s future.IEEE challenges its 500,000 members to:<ul><li>Develop standards. Join one of the working groups within the <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Standards Association</a> to define the next generation of technologies, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom-kevin-lu-ieee-standards" target="_self">using your technical expertise</a> to help shape global practice.</li><li>Mentor the next generation. Share your professional journey and technical knowledge with students or young professionals through programs such as <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-collabratec-mentoring-program" target="_self">IEEE Mentoring</a> or initiatives offered by your local chapter.</li><li>Publish your work. <a href="https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/submit-your-article-for-peer-review/the-ieee-article-submission-process/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Submit</a> your research or technical insights to an <a href="https://open.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/IEEE-Title-List-May-2023.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE journal or magazine</a> and contribute directly to the global body of knowledge.</li><li>Steer local impact. <a href="https://volunteer.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Volunteer</a> within your section or technical society to organize events, workshops, and community outreach initiatives to advance technological literacy.</li></ul>By engaging in helping to shape IEEE’s initiatives and community, you can pave the way for the next half-million members.<h2>Looking ahead</h2>IEEE’s global community is uniquely positioned to address the world’s most significant challenges including <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/climate-tech/" target="_self">the climate crisis</a>, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/energy/" target="_self">global connectivity</a>, and <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/student-engineering-a-healthier-future" target="_self">health care</a>. The membership milestone confirms IEEE’s conviction that its members represent a commitment to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.“The size of our community is a measure of our shared potential,” Luque says. “We extend our profound gratitude to every member, past and present, whose hard work and dedication built this extraordinary global organization. Together we make tomorrow possible.“With the collective expertise and enthusiasm of half a million individuals, there is no technical challenge we cannot face, and no future we cannot build.”

حققت IEEE إنجازًا كبيرًا من خلال الوصول إلى عضوية تضم 500,000 فرد، بما في ذلك المبتكرين والمهندسين والتقنيين والعلماء من جميع أنحاء العالم. تم الاحتفال بهذا الإنجاز كدليل على القوة الدائمة والأهمية المستمرة للمنظمة داخل المجتمع العالمي.

IEEE ha alcanzado un hito significativo al llegar a una membresía de 500,000 individuos, incluidos innovadores, ingenieros, tecnólogos y científicos de todo el mundo. Este logro se celebró como un testimonio del poder duradero y la relevancia de la organización dentro de la comunidad global.

L'IEEE a atteint un jalon significatif en comptant 500 000 membres, comprenant des innovateurs, des ingénieurs, des technologues et des scientifiques du monde entier. Cet accomplissement a été célébré comme un témoignage du pouvoir durable et de la pertinence de l'organisation au sein de la communauté mondiale.

IEEE has achieved a significant milestone by reaching a membership of 500,000 individuals, including innovators, engineers, technologists, and scientists from around the globe. This achievement was celebrated as a testament to the organization's enduring power and relevance within the global community.

This IBM Engineer Is Pushing Quantum Computing Out of the Lab

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