Leadership

DIRECTORS AND MANAGERS

David Awschalom

Q-NEXT Director

Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom is a senior scientist and quantum information science group leader in the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. He is also the Liew Family professor at the University of Chicago, the vice dean for research and infrastructure at the university’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. His research in quantum spintronics involves understanding and controlling the spins of electrons, ions and nuclei for fundamental studies of quantum systems, as well as potential applications in computing, communication, imaging and encryption.

JoAnne Hewett

Q-NEXT Deputy Director

Q-NEXT Deputy Director JoAnne Hewett is associate laboratory director for fundamental physics and chief research officer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She is also a professor of particle physics and astrophysics at SLAC and Stanford University. Her research in theoretical high-energy physics probes the fundamental nature of space, matter and energy, where she most enjoys devising experimental tests for seemingly preposterous theoretical ideas. She is best known for her work on new physics models, including the possible existence of extra spatial dimensions, supersymmetry and dark matter.

Supratik Guha

Chief Technology Officer

Supratik Guha led the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, from 2015 to 2019. Before joining Argonne and the University of Chicago in 2015, he spent 20 years at IBM Research, where he last served as the director of physical sciences. At IBM, he pioneered the materials research that led to IBM’s high-dielectric-constant metal gate transistor, one of the most significant developments in silicon microelectronics technology. He was also responsible for initiating or significantly expanding IBM’s R&D programs in silicon photonics, quantum computing, sensor-based cyberphysical systems and photovoltaics.

Phil Smith

Technology Integration Manager

Phil Smith’s experience includes development and implementation of innovation strategy for customers ranging from Fortune 500 businesses to technology startups, universities and government. His work spans research and development planning, building teams and establishing partnerships, and securing resources to catalyze high-impact technology programs. Smith has worked across multiple verticals, including advanced materials and manufacturing, chemicals, renewable and alternative energy, and health technology. He holds a Ph.D. in materials physics from The Ohio State University.

Elizabeth O'Connor

Chief Operations Officer

Elizabeth “Betsy” O’Connor is responsible for all operational aspects of Q-NEXT, including financial operations, project management integration, procurement, property, environmental, safety, health and quality assurance, communications, security, and oversight of the Argonne Quantum Foundry construction. With more than 30 years of experience at Argonne in both the centralized financial organization and the project management organization, Betsy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Benedictine University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Executive Program. She is a certified public accountant, a certified management accountant, and a project management professional.

Jennifer Fortner

Project Integration Manager

Jennifer Fortner, the Q-NEXT project integration manager, is a program manager in the Project Management Organization at Argonne National Laboratory. She has held project management and project controls roles for more than 20 years, including eight years at the Department of Navy working on a diverse set of projects such as explosive detection equipment, radio-frequency identification with facial recognition software, and casting powder production lines for the Trident missile program. Since 2010, she has overseen project controls at Argonne National Laboratory, including on some of the lab’s most prominent projects, on the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility-3 and on the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade. She received her bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Mary Washington and her master’s in systems analysis from the Naval Post Graduate School. She is a recognized subject matter expert in earned value management and a certified project management professional.

Agnes Szarzec-Larsen

Environmental, Safety & Health Coordinator and Quality Assurance Lead

Agnes Szarzec-Larsen is an environment, safety and health coordinator for the Argonne National Laboratory Material Science Division and the Argonne Quantum Foundry. She previously served as a hazard analyst with the Office of Emergency Management at Argonne and as a senior laboratory specialist in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. Since 2012, Szarzec-Larsen has worked in the implementation of work planning and control processes, including evaluation of work activities, identification of hazards, and controls to mitigate risks and exposures. She has extensive knowledge of laboratory and chemical safety, with specific applications in ESH requirements and standards. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in chemistry from the University of Utah.