Balancing the scales of 'Supply and Demand' in Quantum - The educational approach

A couple of weeks ago, Quantum.Tech took some time to celebrate the successes of the leading female names within the Quantum landscape. We caught up with Kimberly McGuire, Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Kimberly has worked in a variety of industry backgrounds including teaching and construction and engineering industries. Her latest role with the Brookhaven National Laboratory is where her latest Quantum journey continues.

Kimberly is set to speak at Quantum.Tech on the panel discussion exploring How the National Labs are driving innovation, by being the link between academia and enterprise?

This panel discussion will take place on Day 1, April 25 at 5:20pm and she will be joined by Anna Grassellino from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (and DOE National QIS Research Center SQMS), Travis Humble at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sir Peter Knight from UKRI and Moderated by Bob Sorensen from Hyperion Research, LLC. You can find out more information about it by downloading our agenda!

Ahead of this fascinating panel discussion, we asked Kimberly about her role in Quantum, what she is looking forward to at Quantum.Tech this April and whether more women are making the breakthrough into the tech industry.

What was your path to becoming a female leader in quantum?

My path was certainly non-linear and untraditional. I started my career in 2000 as an early childhood teacher at a private school in NYC where I taught children pre-kindergarten thru second grade until 2006. During that time, I was also appointed to be the director of the after school program. These two experiences provided the entryway to my involvement in educating young children in STEM. Teaching children concepts in science, math, and technology and seeing their faces light up as they reached their “a- HA” moments when the knowledge clicked helped me to see the importance of instilling this love for STEM early on in the lives of youth!

Then, in 2006 I moved into a project coordination and operations role at a firm within the construction and engineering industry. This role only served to further increase my curiosity in the sciences because I was able to experience science (through the selection of materials, construction methodologies, etc.), math (through estimating, scheduling, financial management, etc.) and technology (through systems applications) in all aspects of my work. After 13 years with that organization gradually climbing the proverbial “ladder” (including a four-year stint at a higher education institution), I realized I wanted more of a challenge and to make a greater impact on society. I had reached a level of success that was no longer personally gratifying, so I sought out an organization and role that would meet my desire for more impact. That’s how I came to the role where I currently serve as Chief Operations Officer of the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Are you seeing more women break through into the tech industry; what more do you think could be done?

I am definitely seeing more of a push from the “demand” side for women to enter the tech workforce, but I can’t say that I’m seeing more from the “supply” side in encouraging and supporting women for these roles. In order to balance the scales of “supply and demand”, there must be a concerted effort to educate and equip women for these roles (on the supply side such as in universities, training programs, etc.) that matches and aligns with the needs of employers (demand side). While there’s a lot of talk in media lately about hiring more women for C-suite roles, or for roles that are typically white-male dominated, I’ve yet to see sustained efforts or a societal appetite for this movement to have a long-lasting impact.

For this to be an enduring movement will require both sides (supply and demand) having frequent and regular dialogue to improve the overall state of women in tech. It doesn’t just stop at hiring women. Still, it must go further by designing programs that support women in the organizations where they serve (beyond the jobs that they are hired for) so that once they get into these roles, the ancillary needs that are specific to women will be addressed that lend to them staying in these roles. Surprisingly, there is still an undercurrent of thinking that the “system” is just fine the way that it is, so if only a small group embraces the idea of having more women in tech roles, we won’t see long-lasting change at the level that is needed.

What advice would you give a female grad just entering the world of quantum technologies?

I would advise female graduates to have an attitude of “stick-to-it-tive-ness”, which means, if you’ve gotten this far in your education (with all of the obstacles that you’ve already had to overcome), then keep going. There is a role out there that only YOU can do; there is a company out there that is looking for YOU. There are people who are waiting to hear what YOU have to say. So, keep searching until you find that role that fits YOU for all that you are and all that you will bring to the workplace.

Who is the leader who has had the most positive impact on you?

The leader who has had the most positive impact on me is Jesus Christ. He is a leader that embodied vision, strategy and executed His mission with dignity and integrity. He embraced all walks of life and those who met him were forever changed. As a leader, He exhibited the right character and virtues that would make any organization successful even in today’s day and age.

To find out more about Kimberly's panel or other topics that will be discussed in Boston, download the agenda