Scott Sternberg named ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative executive director
Massimo Ruzzene, vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the institutes at ĢӰ Boulder, today announced Scott Sternberg, formerly of the Boulder Chamber, will join the campus’s ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative as executive director starting Oct. 30.
Scott Sternberg
As executive director, Sternberg will work with ĢӰbit leadership to set the strategic direction of the initiative, coordinate with ĢӰbit researchers to pursue and capture large-scale research opportunities, and broadly support the translation of quantum research to operations through networks of industry partners.
“Scott is uniquely suited to realize the full potential of today’s ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative,” said Ruzzene. “ĢӰbit and ĢӰ Boulder already have a legacy of pioneering quantum discoveries and some of the top quantum researchers in the world. Scott’s leadership and business development experience will help translate that world-class activity into new research and venture opportunities for our researchers and students, new partnerships with industry and academia, and a path toward long-term, sustainable growth to fuel ĢӰ’s quantum economy.”
The Front Range is home to quantum research powerhouses such as ĢӰ Boulder, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and JILA, a joint institute between ĢӰ Boulder and NIST. It also hosts a world-class ecosystem of quantum-technology companies ranging from large global entities to a growing number of smaller companies and startups. Additionally, the Denver/Boulder area is consistently ranked one of the most entrepreneurial regions in the nation.
“I am truly honored to be joining the renowned group of scientists, faculty members, staff, community partners, and business leaders who are so essential to the ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative,” saidSternberg. “Accelerating quantum discovery while simultaneously engaging both the public and private sectors for economic growth is an opportunity for both ĢӰ Boulder and the state of ĢӰ to further elevate our strong innovation ecosystem.”
Sternberg will join ĢӰ Boulder from the Boulder Chamber, where he currently serves as Executive Director of the Boulder Economic Council and Associate Vice President for Economic Vitality. In this role he has established relationships with many of ĢӰ’s key industries, including Aerospace, Atmospheric Sciences, Bioscience, Photonics, Quantum, Renewable/Clean Energy and Sustainability.
Sternberg has served as a trustee at large for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), chair of CO-LABS, the External Advisory Board for the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at ĢӰ State University, and currently serves on the ĢӰ Boulder Research & Innovation Office External Advisory Board.
Sternberg also holds a master’s in Physics with an experimental thesis based on photonics and quantum science.
“We are all very excited with Scott stepping into the ĢӰbit executive director position,” said ĢӰbit Director Jun Ye. “With the unique strength of quantum science and engineering at ĢӰ Boulder and its partners, my colleagues and I are looking forward to working with Scott closely to accomplish important goals that the ĢӰ quantum community has set forward.”
ĢӰ the ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative
The ĢӰbit Quantum Initiative is an interdisciplinary hub that reinforces ĢӰ’s prominence in quantum information science and technology, partners with regional universities and laboratories, links closely with quantum-intensive companies, and serves a spectrum of local, regional and national interests, including workforce development. Founded on a local triad of ĢӰ Boulder, NIST quantum researchers (as a core component of JILA) and Front Range companies, ĢӰbit is advancing fundamental science and building a strong foundation for novel quantum technologies and their rapid dissemination, application and commercialization.