The QDNA Research Group held its first Bi-Annual Symposium on October 16, bringing together all team members to explore cutting-edge research, foster collaborations, and share new ideas in the field of room-temperature, molecular-excitonic quantum computing. The event aimed to enhance inter-team interaction, increase awareness of each team’s work, and review the path forward.
The day began with coffee hour to promote informal interaction among group members. This was followed by an introduction from the QDNA co-founder Dr. Bill Knowlton and Research Program Manager Dr. Mandeep Sharma, followed by insightful presentations from each team lead, where they shared ongoing projects, findings, and upcoming goals. Olya Mass (Team Lead, Dye Synthesis), Jeunghoon Lee (Team Lead, DNA Construct Synthesis), Ryan Pensack (Team Lead, Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy), Keitel Cervantes-Salguero (Team Lead, Single Molecule Characterization), and Lan Li (Team Lead, Theory and Simulation) each shared updates on their team’s work. This provided a broad perspective on the research underway across different teams, sparking productive discussions and uncovering several promising areas for potential collaboration.
Attendees enjoyed a group lunch, which allowed for informal networking and discussion. For our virtual attendees, a breakout session offered further opportunities to connect and exchange ideas.
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In the afternoon, the teams gathered for a focused brainstorming session, reviewing feedback on various proposals submitted recently and discussing ways to enhance future submissions. Each team generated ideas for refining their focus areas and improving proposal strategies. The day concluded with a summary of key takeaways and ideas for future initiatives, emphasizing a commitment to continued collaboration and research excellence.
The inaugural symposium successfully strengthened our team’s cohesion and shared purpose, generating constructive insights and fresh ideas that will fuel our group’s future work in quantum research. We look forward to continuing these discussions in the months to come and are excited to see where these new connections and ideas lead.
For more highlights and team reflections from the event, check out our LinkedIn post here.