Join this event to celebrate the launch of Quantum Advantage Toronto (QAT), a new institutional strategic initiative at the University of Toronto, and discover how quantum science and technology enables emerging breakthroughs across different fields and sectors. Researchers from all disciplines are welcome. No background in quantum science is required.
QAT is building a collaborative network dedicated to advancing research towards quantum applications and technologies.The initiative brings together multidisciplinary researchers, industry partners, and prospective technology users to develop new research directions, explore applications, and translate the University of Toronto’s world-class science into real-world impact.
PROGRAM
Part 1: Lunch & introductions
12:30 p.m.- 1:15 p.m., Networking lunch
1:15 p.m.- 1:25 p.m., Welcome remarks
1:25 p.m.- 1:45 p.m., Introduction to Quantum Advantage Toronto, Prof. Dvira Segal
Part 2: Interdisciplinary Thematic Groups: Themed talks
1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Quantum Communications, Sensing and Devices
Confirmed speakers:
1:45 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.: Prof. Prem Kumar, Northwestern University, 'Scaling Quantum Networks Beyond Laboratory Research'
2:10 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.: Dr. Aaron Goldberg, National Research Council Canada, 'Opportunities in Quantum Sensing'
2:35 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Prof. Margot Taylor, The Hospital for Sick Children, 'Measuring Developing Brain Function With Quantum Sensors.'
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Coffee break
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.: Quantum Machines and Quantum Algorithms
Confirmed speakers:
3:30 p.m. to 3:55 p.m.: Prof. Alán Aspuru-Guzik, University of Toronto, 'AI Scientists for Quantum Computing.'
3:55 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.: Dr. Sacha Kocsis, Xanadu, 'Quantum Computing with Light: The Bright Future Ahead'
4:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Prof. Peter Love, University of Toronto, 'What to Do With a Quantum Computer'
Part 3: Closing remarks & networking
4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Closing remarks, Prof. Dvira Segal
5 p.m. - 6 p.m., Networking reception
SPEAKER BIOS
Prof. Prem Kumar
Dr. Prem Kumar is John A. Dever Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. His research focuses on quantum photonic devices and their applications in quantum information networks. He is a Fellow of Optica (formerly OSA), APS, IEEE, IoP (U.K.), AAAS, and SPIE. During 2013–2017 he was at DARPA, where he created and managed a portfolio of programs in basic and applied sciences. At DARPA, he received the Program Manager of the Year Award in 2015 and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 2016. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Photonics Society, Hermann A. Haus Lecturer at MIT, recipient of the Quantum Communication Award from Tamagawa University in Tokyo, Japan, and the Walder Research Excellence Award from the Provost’s office at Northwestern University. From 2020 to 2025, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Optica, the flagship journal of the Optica Publishing Group. Currently, he co-chairs the US National Academies Committee on Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics.
Dr. Aaron Goldberg
Aaron Goldberg is a research officer in the quantum theory and computation group at the NRC's Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre. He has expertise in quantum optics and quantum information theory, with focuses on finding quantum-enhanced sensing protocols, investigating entanglement and nonclassicality in photonic quantum information processing, and researching light–matter interactions to find new quantum advantages. He received his PhD in quantum optics from the University of Toronto and was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa.
Prof. Margot Taylor
Dr. Margot Taylor’s research centres on the use of neuroimaging, particularly magnetoencephalography (MEG), to understand the neural bases of cognitive development. Long-standing interests have focused on very early development in typical and clinical populations (e.g., individuals with autism). Her main research focus in the last few years has been on the application of a new wearable quantum MEG technology, optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG), to investigate functional brain development with an emphasis on 1- to 5-year-olds.
Prof. Alán Aspuru-Guzik
Alán Aspuru-Guzik is a Professor at the University of Toronto and an internationally recognized leader in chemistry, artificial intelligence, and materials discovery. He serves as Senior Director of Quantum Chemistry at NVIDIA Research, CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, Director of the Acceleration Consortium, and Co-Director of CIFAR’s Accelerated Decarbonization program. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Digital Discovery and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His pioneering research has shaped quantum computing, molecular representation, generative models, autonomous laboratories, and AI-driven materials discovery. His current work advances AI Scientists and next-generation automated chemical research.
Dr. Sacha Kocsis
Sacha has been working at Xanadu for 5 years, contributing to Xanadu's main hardware demonstrations in the laboratory over that period. In the past year, he has focused on developing the refinery module, which is the part of the Xanadu architectural blueprint that takes photon-subtracted squeezed state inputs and synthesizes GKP state outputs. Prior to joining Xanadu, he did a post-doc at UNSW in Sydney, working with superconducting microwave resonators coupled to quantum dots in silicon. He is originally from the Toronto area.
Prof. Peter Love
Peter Love received M. Phys and D. Phil degrees in Physics, at Oxford University, held postdoctoral appointments at Queen Mary, University of London and Tufts University, joined D-Wave systems in 2004 as Senior Application Scientist. Since 2006 he has held Faculty appointments in Physics at Haverford College (2006-2015) and Tufts University (2015-2026). before joining University of Toronto as a Professor in the Departments of Physics and Computer Science in July 2026 He has worked broadly in quantum computing, including quantum simulation of quantum chemistry and high energy physics and on adiabatic quantum computing, the theory of entanglement, on semiclassical descriptions of quantum information and on contextuality in quantum simulation. He co-founded the company QMatter in 2024. In 2026 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical society.