Catherine Lefebvre

Catherine Lefebvre

Dr. Catherine Lefebvre is Senior Advisor at GESDA for the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) – an initiative born at GESDA and hosted by CERN with the mission to promote global and inclusive access to quantum computing. At OQI, Catherine leads the development of applications for the benefit of humanity. Catherine has years of experience in building strategic relationships as well as research & innovation partnerships in global quantum and artificial intelligence ecosystems. She is board member of Distriq, the Quantum Innovation Hub in Quebec, Canada. Until recently, Catherine was Vice President Global Policy and Partnerships at PASQAL, where she led the international research collaborations and was convenor of the European Committee for Standardization Working Group on Quantum Computing (CEN/CLC JTC 22 WG3), as well as co-chair of the IEEE Working Group on Quantum Computing Architecture (P3120). 

She previously worked as Innovation Ambassador US & Canada at M Squared Lasers, Scientific Advisor in quantum technology for the Quebec Government (MEIE), Scientific Liaison Officer in artificial intelligence for the National Bank of Canada and for the startup ElementAI (acquired by ServiceNow). Catherine has a background in research and holds a PhD in molecular physics and theoretical quantum chemistry from Université Paris-Sud and Université Laval. She then pursued research as postdoctoral fellow and research associate for almost a decade, at the Université de Sherbrooke, the Canadian Space Agency and the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique.

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  • Organization
    Open Quantum Institute (OQI)
  • Profession
    Senior Advisor for Open Quantum Institute (OQI) and GESDA & Applications Lead
Related sessions
In person
8 July 2025
14:00 - 17:15
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia
This track will spotlight how quantum technologies can deliver real-world...